Leftover chicken soup

When you cook a whole chicken, you will likely have leftovers. This light and easy chicken orzo soup is a homey dinner solution that includes leftover meat and welcomes any stray vegetables lurking in your refrigerator. The only tasks required to pull the dish together are to saute the vegetables and cook the orzo in the broth, producing a comforting weeknight dinner. Since the chicken is already cooked, it only needs a few minutes to be warmed in the broth before serving.

The addition of the orzo pasta is a bonus to the soup. Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta usually made from semolina flour. When cooked in the soup, it holds its shape and slippery texture, while infusing the broth with its starch. The result is a silky, comforting body that adds an extra dimension to this 25-minute soup.