Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup)
Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup – Kotosoupa Avgolemono ( αυγολέμονο) – is a delicious chicken soup thickened with a mixture of lemon and eggs. Hearty, healthy and truly comforting.
Add salt, the bay leaf and chicken broth and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the chicken. Cook for about 15 minutes then use a slotted spoon to remove from the soup. Shred using two forks.
Stir the rice into the soup and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Discard the bay leaf.
½ cup (100g) Arborio rice
MAKE THE AVGOLEMONO
Meanwhile... while the soup is bubbling away, add the eggs and lemon juice into a bowl and beat together to combine.
3 tbsp lemon juice, 3 eggs
FINISH THE SOUP
Take the soup off the heat. Slowly add a ladle full of the hot soup broth into the egg mixture stirring all the while. Gradually add more of the hot broth into the avgolemono, a little at a time, so the egg mixture is heated through.
Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup pot. Gradually stir the egg-lemon mixture into the soup until it is all added on.
Have a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. You may also want to add some more lemon juice too – I know it sounds odd but despite all this lemon juice the soup doesn't not taste super-lemony!
salt and freshly ground pepper, extra lemon juice
Stir in the dill or parsley just before serving with a side of Greek Horiatiko bread on the side.
fresh dill or flat leaf parsley
Video
Notes
HOW TO MAKE AVGOLEMONO SOUP USING A WHOLE CHICKENPlace a whole chicken in a large pot or your slow cooker. Add three large carrots, two celery stalks, half an onion, two bay leaves and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for about an hour on the hob or about 3 hours on HIGH in a slow cooker.Remove the chicken from the broth and leave until cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin and take the meat off the bones.Use a slotted spoon to take out the vegetables and bay leaf. Chop up the carrots and return to the soup. Add the rice and cook until tender.Prepare the avgolemono as above and stir into the soup together with the chicken.