Avgolemono Soup

We love Greek food, and one of my favorite Hellenic recipes is traditional Avgolemono, a Greek chicken soup made with egg (avgo) and lemon (lemono). Avgolemono soup is one of the few things my son actually eats, and I seriously could eat it every day. The lemon adds an incredible flavor twist to this delicious Greek soup, and it is thick enough to be considered more of a rich, flavorful stew than a soup. It’s also very nutritious.

How To Make Avgolemono “Egg Lemon” Soup

Ingredients
1 3 lb chicken
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup aborio or long grain rice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Place the chicken in a large pot with 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Skim water as needed.
2. When chicken is cooked through, remove from pot (save broth) and let chicken cool enough to clean meat from bones. Set meat aside.
3. Add the rice to the broth and simmer until almost cooked (about 20 minutes). Add the chicken pieces to the soup and stir in, cooking for another 10 minutes. Lower heat.
4. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice. Add some broth (at least one cup) from the soup to the egg/lemon mixture and whisk together, then add the egg/lemon/broth mix back into the soup pot, and stir together well, over very low heat (so eggs do not scramble).
5. Season avgolemono soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

My favorite way to eat avgolemono soup with with homemade bread, another family recipe I’ll share another time. An easier version of this soup includes using high quality chicken stock instead of water, and adding chicken breast pieces that have been shredded instead of cooking a whole chicken (a fine alternative for making avgolemono soup when you are in a time pinch).

I hope you enjoy this tasty dish with your family! Kali Orexi!