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Authentic Greek Avgolemono Chicken Soup

A close-up of a steaming white bowl filled with creamy Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, topped generously with shredded chicken and orzo.
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Follow these steps to prepare traditional Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, known as Avgolemono, featuring a creamy, tangy broth thickened with egg and lemon.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole chicken (about 3-4 lbs) or 8 cups homemade chicken broth
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice or orzo pasta
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. If using a whole chicken, place the chicken, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large pot. Cover with water (about 12 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Skim off any foam that rises.
  2. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding the solids. You should have about 8 cups of broth.
  3. Shred the cooked chicken meat, discarding skin and bones. Set the shredded chicken aside.
  4. Bring the strained broth to a simmer. Add the rice or orzo and cook according to package directions, usually 15-20 minutes for rice or 8-10 minutes for orzo.
  5. While the rice/orzo cooks, prepare the Avgolemono. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until they are light and frothy. Slowly whisk in the fresh lemon juice.
  6. Temper the egg mixture: Ladle about 2 cups of the hot broth, one ladleful at a time, into the egg-lemon mixture while whisking constantly. This prevents the eggs from scrambling.
  7. Reduce the heat under the soup pot to low. Slowly pour the tempered egg-lemon mixture into the soup, stirring gently and continuously. Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the Avgolemono, or the eggs will curdle. Heat gently until the soup thickens slightly.
  8. Stir in the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley.

Notes

  • To prevent curdling, make sure your tempering liquid is hot, but the soup base is only simmering on low heat when you add the mixture back in.
  • Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor; bottled juice changes the taste.
  • If the soup seems too thick after cooling, you can thin it slightly with a little warm water or extra broth when reheating.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://eatableempress.com/greek-lemon-chicken-soup-avgolemono-recipe/