Avgolemono Soup

The iconic creamy and lemony Greek chicken soup your yiayia used to make!
@hungryhappens

Avgolemono Soup 🍋aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup🇬🇷 my fav!! Will include measurements below👇🏽 #hungryhappens #MAKEYOURMOVE #SayQuayNotKway #fyp

♬ original sound – Stella Drivas

This is the soup your mom and grandma used to make for you when you were sick. This is more traditionally made with rice instead of small cut orzo pasta, however, this recipe is my mothers and the way I usually find it being prepared in the Greek restaurants in and around where I live, here in Long Island, New York.

The main players here are the eggs. It’s what makes the soup creamy and not watery, like the regular chicken vegetable soup. The lemon is also key here for the flavor.

You can absolutely use chicken breasts instead of thighs, however, I prefer it with the thighs. Don’t forget to top it with some fresh dill and a little freshly ground black pepper. The final product can only be described as a silky lemony warm goodness.

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avgolemono soup in a bowl

Avgolemono Soup

4.69 from 48 votes
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless skinless
  • 9 cups water
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 3 small lemons, juiced (about 1/3 cup)
  • fresh dill + black pepper, to garnish

Instructions

  • Rinse your chicken thighs and then place them into your soup pot (do not trim the fat from the chicken).  Pour the water into the pot and heat on high.  Cover the pot until it starts to boil and then lower the heat to low.  Intermittently remove the white froth from the pot and then quickly cover again.  Season with the salt + pepper. 
  • Cook for 15 minutes and then transfer the chicken to cutting board.  Slice into bite size pieces and then return to the pot.  Also stir in the orzo pasta at this point.  Cover again.  Stir occasionally.  Cook 10 minutes and then uncover pot, bump up your heat to medium and cook another 15 minutes.  Remember to taste the broth and adjust seasonings to your palate.  Shut off the burner.
  • In a large measuring cup or bowl, add eggs and 1 teaspoon water, beat for 30 seconds.  Whisk in the lemon juice into the eggs.  Next add two cups of the pot’s chicken broth (one cup at a time), to this mixture while whisking vigorously.  This is done to temper the mixture. 
  • Finally, remove the pot from the burner and pour this tempered lemon sauce into your soup while mixing continuously, until fully incorporated and smooth.  

Notes

I used three medium sized lemons. If you’re not the biggest fan of lemons, you can use two lemons instead of 3.
This soup can also be made with white rice.
Store leftovers in fridge up to 2 days.
Reheat on LOW heat, slowly – do not reboil.

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 243mg | Sodium: 1376mg | Potassium: 644mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg

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