Description
Avgolemono Soup is a classic Greek lemon chicken and rice soup that combines tender chicken, fluffy rice, and a tangy egg-lemon sauce to create a comforting and flavorful dish perfect for any season.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauté Base
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 celery rib, chopped
Soup
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 ½ cup cooked white rice
Avgolemono Sauce
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 to 2 lemons)
Garnish
- chopped fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil and sauté aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and chopped celery and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
- Add broth and season: Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth, season the mixture with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then bring the soup to a simmer on medium heat.
- Prepare the avgolemono mixture: In a blender, combine the eggs, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the cooked white rice. Blend until smooth, about 20 seconds. While blending, slowly stream in 2 ladles of the hot broth from the saucepan to temper the eggs and prevent curdling.
- Incorporate lemon-egg mixture and finish soup: Stir the tempered lemon egg puree back into the simmering soup along with the remaining cooked rice and shredded chicken. Allow the soup to cook gently for about 5 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Do not boil to avoid curdling the egg mixture.
- Garnish and serve: Remove the soup from heat and garnish with chopped fresh dill before serving hot.
Notes
- To prevent the eggs from curdling, always temper the egg mixture by gradually whisking in hot broth before adding it to the soup.
- Use cooked leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to save time and enhance flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice gives the best bright flavor; avoid bottled lemon juice for authenticity.
- If you prefer a thicker soup, you can add a little more cooked rice or reduce the broth slightly before adding the avgolemono mixture.
- The soup should be served immediately after finishing to enjoy the creamy texture and fresh flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
