Avgolemono Chicken Soup
Soups… who doesn’t like them? A hot bowl warms us up during the cold winter months and a chilled one refreshes us during the summer. I make a lot of different soups throughout the year. I have a wide array of hot and cold ones, perfect for every season.
Among them, I have a few chicken soup recipes; Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Dumpling Soup, Cheesy Chicken Soup, Turkey Noodle that can be easily substituted with chicken, Vegetable Chicken Meatball Soup, Chicken Matzo Ball Soup, Chicken Curry Noodle Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup, and more including this fabulous one… my Avgolemono Chicken Soup!
This is a popular dish found in Greek cuisine although its origin is apparently not from that country. What a flavorful soup! It’s so creamy and velvety with a gorgeous combination of rice, lemon juice, chicken, etc.! It’s very easy to make and the results are simply spectacular.
Chicken is one of the main components in this recipe. After it’s cooked in a well-seasoned broth, the poultry is shredded finely in a stand mixer. If you don’t know about this incredibly easy kitchen trick, here’s the link… How to Poach & Shred Chicken the Easy Way. Once again, the meat has to be shredded “fine”; it’s a soup after all!
Just like Risotto and Rice Pudding, we DO NOT rinse the starch off the rice. The reason is we want the soup to be creamy and thick. This is an important factor to achieve a creamy texture. In fact, this is a major mistake made by many home cooks when making these kinds of recipes.
I incorporate a third of a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice in my eggs. I love the taste of lemon and the amount is perfect for this Avgolemono Chicken Soup recipe. Now if you’re the type of person who’s not a big fan of this fruit, simply reduce the amount down to a ¼ cup. Like I mention often, recipes, in most cases, are a guideline so adjust the ingredients to your liking.
With Greek Easter coming up this weekend (May 2nd, 2021), this Avgolemono Chicken Soup is definitely a must try. As the weather can still be on the cooler side, what’s more perfect than serving a nice hot bowl of this delicious soup over the weekend…
Bon Appétit!
Here are several more tasty Greek inspired recipes for you to enjoy…
– Greek Pizza
– Spanakopita
– Greek Dolmades with Avgolemono Sauce
– Chicken Gyros
– Greek Salad
– Prawn Saganaki
– Greek Ouzo Pork Kebabs
and for even more soup recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Soups
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Avgolemono Chicken Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 cups white onions, roughly chopped
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup celery, roughly chopped tips & tricks
- 1 tsp. whole peppercorns (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1 large bay leaf
- 9 to 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 3 large free-run eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste tips & tricks
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ground Himalayan sea salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add chicken, onions, carrots, celery, peppercorns, bay leaf and 4 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of chicken breasts reaches 165ºF. During the cooking time, skim off any foam on the surface.
- When it’s done, transfer the chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside. Drain the broth through a fine sieve sitting over a large bowl or large measuring cup; discard the solids.
- For the recipe, 9 cups is needed therefore add more broth to get the volume asked for and transfer the 9 cups of broth to a Dutch oven.
- Add lemon zest, stir and bring it to a boil. Add rice and cook for about 15 minutes or until done, stirring often.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken finely using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer; set aside.
- When the rice is plump, add the shredded chicken and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Slowly pour in the lemon juice, whisking constantly. Temper the egg mixture by adding the hot broth a little at a time, whisking constantly.
- When the eggs are warm, add the mixture to the broth and whisk very well.
- Turn off the heat and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt; taste and adjust if necessary. Add chopped parsley, combine well and serve.
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