Here’s a classic Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Rice Soup) recipe—creamy, tangy, and comforting 🍋🍲
Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Rice Soup)
Ingredients (4–6 servings)
- 1 whole chicken (3–4 lb) or 4 bone-in chicken breasts/thighs
- 8 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (short-grain works best)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 large eggs
- Juice of 2 lemons (about ¼ cup)
- Optional: fresh dill or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook chicken
- In a large pot, combine chicken, water/broth, onion, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30–40 minutes until chicken is cooked through
- Remove chicken
- Take chicken out and set aside to cool
- Remove bones and skin, shred the meat
- Cook rice
- Add rice to the broth and simmer 15–20 minutes until tender
- Remove onion, carrots, and celery (or blend/smooth them if desired)
- Prepare lemon-egg mixture (avgolemono)
- In a bowl, whisk eggs until smooth
- Gradually whisk in lemon juice
- Temper the eggs by slowly adding 1–2 ladlefuls of hot broth while whisking constantly
- Combine
- Slowly stir tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the soup
- Add shredded chicken
- Heat gently on low for 2–3 minutes (do not boil, or eggs will curdle)
- Serve
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
- Garnish with fresh dill or parsley
Tips & Variations
- Richer soup: use part milk or cream for a creamier texture
- Quicker version: use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and chicken broth
- Orzo instead of rice: swap rice for orzo pasta for a lighter version
- Freeze-friendly: store chicken and broth separately; add avgolemono mixture fresh when reheating
If you want, I can give a 15-minute quick version with rotisserie chicken or a keto-friendly cauliflower rice version.
Do you want the quick rotisserie chicken version?
