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A ranch herb sauce and dollops of crème fraîche brighten Rach's chicken and orzo soup from the spring issue of her magazine.

"Talk about a spring fling! This recipe shows just how much you can jazz up a rotisserie chicken. I love to finish it with spring lettuces and lemon juice. The soup should be very hearty but light in flavor—not too brothy." –Rach 

Rach's Tip: If your carrots have tops, you can chop them up and add a handful of them to the Ranch Herb Sauce.

For more magazine recipes, check out Rach's Chicken Pepperoni, Go-Greek Grilled Chicken Salad with Creamy Dressing and Ground Turkey Ragu with Tagliatelle.

From Rachael Ray In Season, Summer 2021.

Ingredients

For the Ranch Herb Sauce:
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ cup fresh coarsely chopped chives
  • ¼ cup (packed) fresh tarragon or small basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup)
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • Salt and pepper
For the soup:
  • 2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 large shallots or 1 onion, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup orzo
  • Three 22-ounce containers chicken bone broth or stock
  • 2½ to 3 cups rotisserie chicken, pulled or chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen green peas
  • 3 to 4 cups baby lettuces or greens of choice, torn or coarsely chopped (optional)
  • 1 cup crème fraîche, for serving

Yield

Serves: 4

Preparation

For the herb sauce, in a food processor, pulse the herbs, garlic, and lemon juice until the herbs are finely chopped. With the machine running, stream in the EVOO until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

For the soup, heat a soup pot or medium Dutch oven over medium to medium-high. Add the butter. When the butter melts, add the carrots and shallots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the orzo and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and peas and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Stir the herb sauce into the soup. Add the greens, if using, and stir until wilted. Divide the soup among bowls and top each with a generous dollop of crème fraîche.