Avgolemono is a uniquely delicious Greek lemon chicken soup. In addition to its warm, comforting flavors, a very special technique combining whisked eggs, fresh lemon juice and warm chicken stock thickens the broth into a rich, silky texture that anyone would assume was full of butter and heavy cream… but this soup has neither! Just simple ingredients brought together in a special way to develop a soup that you are going to absolutely love!
Let’s get it started…
You have two options when starting this soup. You can use store bought chicken stock or you can make your own. Before you decide, let me say that making your own chicken stock is really simple and a great way add more flavor to this beautiful soup.
To make your chicken stock, place two bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, a small yellow onion (or half of a large one), 3 large carrots, 2 tablespoons of peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 chicken bouillon cube, the peel from 1 large organic lemon and 10 cups of water in a large stock pot. Place the pot over medium high heat and bring the water up to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to the lowest temperature that the stock will gently simmer at (keep an eye on it and adjust the heat, if necessary). Cover the pot, simmer for 1 hour and then strain the stock into a soup pot or dutch oven and set the chicken on a plate to cool off for a few minutes.
Return the chicken stock to the oven over medium high heat and once it begins to boil, add 1 cup of dried orzo and the diced carrots and boil for about 8 minutes.
While the orzo and carrots are cooking, shred the chicken off and discard the bones and skin.
To make your avgolemono, scoop out about 2 cups of chicken stock and set it aside for a few minutes to cool just a bit. You want it very warm, but not super hot.
Next, add 4 large eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk them vigorously until they are foamy.
Whisk 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the eggs and then slowly begin adding the warm chicken stock, whisking constantly as you do.
Once the orzo and carrots are cooked through, add the shredded chicken back into the pot and reduce the heat to low. I usually only add about half of the chicken. I keep the rest to use later, but this is just a suggestion. As soon as the soup is no longer boiling, slowly add the whisked eggs, lemon juice and chicken stock mixture.
Let the soup cook over low heat for another 3-4 minutes. Do not let the soup boil. The remaining heat in the broth is enough to cook and thicken the avgolemono, even over low heat.
As soon as the soup thickens, turn off the heat and ladle some avgolemono into your favorite soup bowls…
This soup is quite special. The flavors are beautiful and comforting and the texture is so thick and smooth. I am always impressed at the luxurious feel that the combination of whisked eggs, fresh lemon and warm chicken stock develops in this soup. If you didn’t know any better, you would swear that there was quite a bit of butter and heavy cream in this broth.
Garnish your avgolemono with some lemon wedges and fresh dill. I also recommend having some soft bread with this soft, just in case you have any left over broth in your bowl. You will want every last drop of this soup.
Avgolemono - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Chicken Stock
- 2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 large carrots
- 2 tablespoons peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- the peel from one large organic lemon
- 10+ cups water
Avgolemono
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup dried orzo
- 2 large carrots, peeled, diced
- lemon wedges
- fresh dill, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken stock by combining 2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, a small yellow onion (or half of a large one), 3 large carrots, 2 tablespoons of peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 chicken bouillon cube, the peel from 1 large organic lemon and 10 cups of water in a large pot
- Place the pot over medium high heat and bring the mixture to a boil
- As soon as the mixture begins to boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a temperature just high enough to maintain a low simmer
- Simmer for 1 hour
- Strain the chicken stock into a large soup pot
- Transfer the chicken onto a plate to cool and discard the vegetables
- Reserve 2 cups of chicken stock and set it aside to cool slightly
- Return the pot to medium high heat and as soon as the soup begins to boil, add 1 cup of dried orzo and the diced carrots into the soup
- Cook for about 8 minutes or until the orzo and carrots are cooked
- While the soup is boiling, shred the chicken and discard the bones and skin
- Add 4 large eggs into a bowl and whisk until foamy
- Whisk 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice into the foamy eggs and slow drizzle in 2 cups of slightly cooled chicken stock until fully combined
- Once the orzo and carrots are cooked, reduce the heat to low
- As soon as the soup stops boiling, add the shredded chicken and the whisked eggs, lemon juice and stock mixture
- Allow the soup to cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes
- As soon as the soup has thickened a bit, turn off the heat
- Serve garnished with lemon wedges and fresh dill
