Warm up with a creamy Mediterranean lemon chicken soup — bright, comforting, and perfect for cozy nights!

– Boneless chicken breast – 400 g 🐔

– Olive oil – 2 tbsp 🫒

– Butter – 1 tbsp 🧈

– Yellow onion – 1 medium, chopped 🧅

– Garlic – 3 cloves, minced 🧄

– Carrots – 2 medium, diced 🥕

– Celery stalks – 2, diced 🥬

– Potatoes – 2 medium, cubed 🥔

– Chicken broth – 1500 ml 🍲

– Orzo or rice – 100 g 🍚

– Lemon juice – 60 ml (about 1–2 lemons) 🍋

– Lemon zest – 1 tsp 🍋

– Heavy cream or Greek yogurt – 100 ml 🥛

– Fresh parsley – 1/4 cup, chopped 🌿

– Dried oregano – 1 tsp 🌿

– Bay leaf – 1 🍃

– Salt – 1.5 tsp 🧂

– Black pepper – 1/2 tsp 🧂

1 Season the chicken with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2 Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.

3 Sear the chicken until golden, 3–4 minutes per side, then remove and set aside.

4 Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.

5 Stir in potatoes, dried oregano, bay leaf and the remaining salt and pepper.

6 Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 12–15 minutes until potatoes are tender.

7 Stir in orzo (or rice) and cook according to package until tender, about 8–10 minutes.

8 Shred the cooked chicken and return to the pot.

9 Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and heavy cream or Greek yogurt until smooth and creamy.

10 Adjust seasoning to taste, stir in chopped parsley, and serve hot with extra lemon wedges if desired.