Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

Avgolemono (greek lemon chicken soup) has always been one of my childhood favourites. I have been so sick this week and all I could think about was a big bowl of this soup. This recipe features a silky lemon egg broth filled with veggies, rice, and shredded chicken- perfect for comforting your soul and body.

Info and tips for avgolemono (greek lemon chicken soup)

Okay so the hardest part about making this soup is going to be making the lemon egg mixture. Everything else is super straight forward with minimal ingredients. Here are my best tips to help walk you through the process:

Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat the egg whites first until they begin to foam. We do this because egg whites won’t foam or increase in volume if there is a source of fat present. Once the whites look frothy and foamy you can add the egg yolks back in and whisk again.

Then while whisking, slowly add your lemon juice. Adding the lemon juice bits at a time will keep it from curdling. The same goes for the hot broth, if you add it too quickly, it will cook the eggs. What we are trying to do is temper the eggs. Tempering eggs involves slowly adding hot liquid bits at a time to bring the eggs up to a stable temperature. Once you’ve done all that you can slowly add the egg mixture back into the soup while mixing and it will thicken the soup slightly and result in a creamy, silky broth. When in doubt just make sure you are always mixing while pouring.

Equipment

My Le Creuset Dutch Oven is one of my favourite kitchen items ever. You can deep fry, sear, bake, stew… pretty much everything in this pot.

Ingredients for avgolemono (greek lemon chicken soup)

• olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 celery stalks
• 5 garlic cloves
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup rice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 4 eggs
• 3 lemons juiced
• salt & pepper to taste
• chili oil (optional topping)

Instructions

1. Finely dice your onion, carrot, and celery. Mince your garlic, dill, and parsley.
2. Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a large dutch oven or pot on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the chicken to the pot and leave undisturbed for 3-4 minutes on each side to develop a nice sear. Don’t worry if it’s not cooked all the way through, it will finish cooking later. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot with more olive oil if needed. Cook down for 5-6 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
4. Next add the chicken broth, bay leaf, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil before adding the rice and chicken back in. Boil for 15-20 minutes until the rice and chicken are cooked.
5. Remove the chicken and shred. Add back to the soup along with the fresh dill and parsley. Stir and shut off the heat.
6. In a bowl separate the egg whites from the yolks. Set the yolks aside for now and whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the yolks back in and whisk to incorporate.
7. Slowly add the juice of three lemons to the egg mixture while whisking. Next add a couple ladles of hot broth SLOWLY to the egg mixture while whisking to temper the eggs. Then slowly add the egg mixture back into the pot while stirring (very important that your heat is shut off and your soup isn’t boiling).
8. Serve with some toasty bread, chili oil, and more fresh dill if desired and enjoy!

See below for a video tutorial!

If you liked this recipe be sure to check out my others:

• Creamy Ham Potato Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Creamy Dill Pickle Soup

Print Recipe

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Soups – Greek

By Kenna's Cooks – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 40 minutes – Total Time: 50 minutes

Avgolemono (greek lemon chicken soup) features a silky lemon egg broth filled with veggies, rice, and shredded chicken- perfect for comforting your soul and body.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 celery stalks
• 5 garlic cloves
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup rice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 4 eggs
• 3 lemons juiced
• salt & pepper to taste
• chili oil (optional topping)

Instructions

1

Finely dice your onion, carrot, and celery. Mince your garlic, dill, and parsley.

2

Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a large dutch oven or pot on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the chicken to the pot and leave undisturbed for 3-4 minutes on each side to develop a nice sear. Don't worry if it's not cooked all the way through, it will finish cooking later. Remove and set aside.

3

Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot with more olive oil if needed. Cook down for 5-6 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.

4

Next add the chicken broth, bay leaf, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil before adding the rice and chicken back in. Boil for 15-20 minutes until the rice and chicken are cooked.

5

Remove the chicken and shred. Add back to the soup along with the fresh dill and parsley. Stir and shut off the heat.

6

In a bowl separate the egg whites from the yolks. Set the yolks aside for now and whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the yolks back in and whisk to incorporate.

7

Slowly add the juice of three lemons to the egg mixture while whisking. Next add a couple ladles of hot broth SLOWLY to the egg mixture while whisking to temper the eggs. Then slowly add the egg mixture back into the pot while stirring (very important that your heat is shut off and your soup isn't boiling).

8

Serve with some toasty bread, chili oil, and more fresh dill if desired and enjoy!

Notes

Reheat gently in a pot on low heat to avoid separating the soup.