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.
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.