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Greek Lemon Chicken Soup – Avgolemono Recipe

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4.1 from 51 reviews

A traditional Greek comfort dish, Avgolemono is a tangy and creamy lemon chicken soup made from homemade chicken broth, tender shredded chicken, rice or orzo, fresh carrots, and a luscious egg-lemon sauce that thickens the soup without cream. This recipe offers a hearty and flavorful meal perfect for chilly days, highlighting bright lemon and fresh dill for authenticity.

Ingredients

For the Broth:

  • 1 whole, organic, free-range chicken
  • 2 large carrots, cut in half
  • 2 stalks celery, cut in half
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • About 4 quarts filtered water (enough to fully submerge the chicken)
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric or 1 inch fresh turmeric knob
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 1 Tablespoon sea salt

For the Soup:

  • 12 cups (3 quarts) strained chicken broth
  • 1 cup Arborio rice or Orzo pasta
  • 1 cup chopped fresh carrot (not from the broth vegetables)
  • Reserved shredded chicken from the cooked whole chicken
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill or 1 Tablespoon dried dill

For the Avgolemono Sauce:

  • 8 free-range, organic eggs
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Prepare the broth: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, place the whole chicken along with the halved carrots, celery, quartered onion, smashed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, sea salt, and filtered water. Ensure the chicken is fully submerged.
  2. Simmer and skim: Bring the mixture to a rolling simmer over medium heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface to keep the broth clear.
  3. Add turmeric: After skimming, stir in the ground or fresh turmeric to infuse flavor and color without it being removed by further skimming.
  4. Cook chicken thoroughly: Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for about 2 hours until the chicken meat is tender and falls off the bone easily.
  5. Remove chicken and strain broth: Take out the chicken carcass and let it cool slightly before shredding the meat. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and return 12 cups of the clear broth back into the pot.
  6. Start the soup: Bring the reserved broth to a boil. Add the Arborio rice or orzo, shredded chicken, and chopped fresh carrot to the pot.
  7. Simmer grains: Lower the heat to maintain a rolling simmer. Cook according to the grain used — about 15 minutes for Arborio rice or 8 minutes for orzo — until tender.
  8. Make the Avgolemono sauce: While grains cook, whisk the 8 eggs in a large bowl. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
  9. Temper the egg mixture: Slowly ladle hot broth from the soup into the egg-lemon mixture, one ladle at a time, whisking continuously until the mixture is warmed to prevent curdling.
  10. Combine sauce with soup: Pour the tempered egg-lemon sauce back into the soup pot, stirring constantly, then simmer gently for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
  11. Finish with dill and seasoning: Stir in fresh or dried dill and adjust salt and pepper according to taste.
  12. Serve and garnish: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with extra chopped fresh dill. Serve warm, ideally accompanied by slices of crusty sourdough bread for dipping.

Notes

  • Use filtered water to keep broth clear and fresh tasting.
  • Skimming the broth is important for a clean, flavorful soup base.
  • Tempering the egg-lemon sauce is critical to avoid scrambling the eggs.
  • Orzo adds a nice texture and is faster to cook than rice if desired.
  • The soup pairs wonderfully with rustic sourdough or crusty bread.
  • This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated gently.

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