Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup is about to become your new favorite chilly day comfort meal. It combines juicy, tasty chicken meatballs, with some light chicken noodle soup, swimming with tender orzo and made bright with fresh lemon.
I’ve been on such a soup kick lately, am I the only one? Not only is it easy to pack them full of super yummy ingredients but they store as leftovers super well too. But my favorite thing about soup is it’s almost impossible to mess it up, you’re almost always going to end up with something delicious and satisfying.
So what exactly makes this soup binge worthy? Well first of all it’s studded with moist and delicious meatballs – you all know how I feel about meatballs. I’ve probably concocted more meatball recipes than anything else, the love runs deep.
Oh chicken noodle soup, I’ve made you in a slow cooker, in a pressure cooker, I’ve even made your flu fighting cousin once or twice a winter season. Today’s chicken soup is packed full of delicious herbs, tender veggies, bright fresh lemon juice, and some tender orzo pasta. So what are we waiting for – this is about to be your go to comfort meal!
Ingredients
Meatballs
- Chicken – Pick up some ground chicken at your local grocer. Ground turkey will also work, or beef or pork.
- Breadcrumbs – Panko is my crumb of choice but any kind will work.
- Parsley – Fresh chopped up. If using dry keep in mind that 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon of the fresh stuff.
- Eggs – The binder in our meatballs.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
- Cheese – Freshly ground Parmesan cheese, believe me it has to be fresh!
Soup
- Olive oil – To saute our veggies in before combining the rest of our soup ingredients.
- Veggies – Just the classic 3 today: carrot, celery, and onion. I’ve also added a bit of garlic for a bit of extra flavor.
- Herbs – Dried oregano and thyme, keep in mind that dried herbs are a flavor concentrate so if you use fresh you’ll need to use at least double. We’re also finishing off the soup with fresh parsley.
- Broth – Obviously we’re going to use low sodium chicken broth – I mean it’s chicken soup isn’t it! Low sodium will prevent our dish from getting too salty which can be a deal breaker with soups.
- Pasta – We’re using orzo today, I’ve included a section below detailing just what orzo is.
- Lemon – We’re using fresh lemon juice today, squeezed right into the soup right near the end. We need 2 tablespoons worth of juice which is about 1 lemon’s worth.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper, adjust for taste!
Never Cooked With Orzo?
Orzo is a small cut pasta that tastes heavenly in soups just like the one I’m writing out for you all today. It packs some good protein and pairs well with a good variety of veggies and rich broths.
Orzo substitutes
You don’t have to use orzo if you’d prefer not to or can’t find it, you can use other starches if you’d like! I’m just obsessed with orzo lately mostly because it only takes about 6 minutes to cook!
- Rice, long grain like Basmati to prevent stickiness
- Couscous
- Any other small shaped pasta
- Your favorite soup noodles
How To Make Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup
- Preheat your oven: To 425 F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make meatballs: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Form into 15 meatballs, then place onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Make soup: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Mix in the garlic, carrots, celery and cook for another 5 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add the chicken broth, dried herbs, orzo, salt, pepper and bring to a boil, then add the meatballs. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Garnish and serve: Stir in lemon juice and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if preferred.
How To Make Your Own Chicken Broth
Well I certainly won’t stop you – homemade broth is completely delicious and great for you too! Here’s how to make it yourself using an entire uncooked chicken.
- Prep the chicken: Place the chicken in a big soup pot and add enough water to cover the chicken. Add a whole onion cut in half , whole carrots and celery sticks to the pot. Make sure there’s enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Skim the impurities: Once it comes to a boil, you will notice a dirty foam floating around the top of the pot, use a skimmer to skim that out. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for about 1 hour.
- Cool the soup: Carefully remove the chicken from the soup pot and let it cool for a few minutes until it’s cool enough so that you can pull the meat from it. Remove the carrots, celery and onion from the soup pot as well.
And there’s your broth! Not too difficult hey? If you don’t have a whole chicken you can always use chicken bones and chicken breasts instead.
What Else Can I Use In This Soup
- Feel free to add diced potatoes for a heartier soup.
- Ground pork is a great substitute meat in our meatball if you’re looking for something with a bit more moisture, keep in mind it won’t be as lean as ground chicken.
- Fresh dill is a super nice herb-y addition if you’re a fan of the super herb, just keep in mind that it’s quite delicate so save it for the end.
- Peas make a sweet and brightly colorful addition
Leftovers
Chicken meatball noodle soup will last about 3 to 4 days in the fridge if properly stored in an airtight container.
You can also freeze it in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. If properly stored, chicken meatball noodle soup could last 4 to 6 months in the freezer.
Craving More Delicious Soup? Try These Recipes:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Minestrone Soup
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Taco Soup
- Red Lentil and Chicken Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Baked Potato Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
Craving More? Follow Along:
Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs such as Panko
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly ground
For Soup
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup orzo uncooked, or any other small pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven: To 425 F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make meatballs: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Form into 15 meatballs, then place onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Make soup: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and cook for another 5 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add the chicken broth, dried herbs, orzo, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Garnish and serve: Stir in lemon juice and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if preferred.
Tips & Notes:
- Chicken meatball noodle soup will last about 3 to 4 days in the fridge if properly stored in an airtight container.
- You can also freeze it in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. If properly stored, chicken meatball noodle soup could last 4 to 6 months in the freezer.
This was amazing and so easy to make. My husband loved it! My only suggestion is to go with a stock pot as my Dutch oven was getting too full without the meatballs.