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avgolemono recipe greek lemon chicken soup orzo rice egg yolks traditional authentic

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

By Kimberly Killebrew
A traditional Greek lemon chicken soup that features a delightfully smooth and silky broth. It's Greek comfort food at its best!
4.98 from 45 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups shredded chicken breast or rotisserie chicken
  • 6 cups quality chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup uncooked orzo or rice (I'm using orzo)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 medium sized lemons)
  • 3 large eggs , at room temperature
  • For garnish:
  • lemon slices, coarsely ground black pepper, chopped fresh dill

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken broth in a medium-sized stockpot and add the orzo and salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the orzo is soft.  
    Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl.  Gradually add one ladle of warm soup to the eggs, whisking continually and vigorously to prevent curdling and until the mixture is smooth.  Add another ladle of soup, whisking continually.  Gently whisk the egg mixture back into the soup.  Add the chicken and heat through.  DO NOT simmer or the eggs will curdle.  Just heat until warm enough to eat. Add salt to taste.
    Serve immediately, garnished with slices of lemon and a sprinkle of coarsely ground black pepper and chopped fresh dill.  Serve with a salad and/or some crusty bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 30gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 538mgPotassium: 697mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 226IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 2mg
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine Greek, Sephardic Jewish
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