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22 January 2017 By Jane Kotsiris and Kenton Kotsiris 4 Comments

Avgolemono | Greek Egg Lemon Soup

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Avgolemono Soup | Greek Egg Lemon soup. A delicious and hearty soup made with rice and chicken.

Avgolemono soup (αυγολέμονο με κοτόπουλο), one of the absolute favorites! I remember it like it was yesterday, the gentle bubbling of the chicken filling the house with a nice aroma. Then watching as the yellow egg and lemon mixture was poured in. The house instantly smelling of delectable lemons.

The mix of chicken, rice, egg and lemon seems to work so pleasantly, you’ll quickly ask yourself why you’ve never made this before.

I personally make this soup at least 7-8 times a year. I love this stuff. It’s kind of like the Greek’s version of chicken noodle (sans noodles) mixed with lemon and eggs.

Avgolemono sauce (Ahv-go-lemen-o) is a very popular sauce that the Greeks use on many dishes. It’s very versatile and can be made  for soups or coating for dolmathes, or thickened and graciously placed over the top of a nice cooked chicken breast or baked fish.

It has a bit of a learning curve. Just remember to add hot water to the egg/lemon mixture before adding it back in to the pot. You need to heat up the eggs so they don’t curdle!

The soup (or sauce in general) should look like this picture. Nice and creamy and deliciously smooth.

Traditionally, when I was younger, I only had it with rice. It wasn’t until later in life that I added chicken. Now, I don’t cook it without the protein.  I think it adds a nice flavor and balances well with the avgolemono sauce.

Avgolemono | Greek lemon soup made with rice and chicken.

This “Egg Lemon Soup Recipe,” is best served with some nice baked bread (think french baguette). Dip it into the soup as you eat for a nice treat. The lemon broth really complements the flakiness of fresh baked bread.

As a side note, I’ve found that if you’re unable to add real lemons and have lemon juice on hand, it’s seems to do the trick.

Serve this as an appetizer or as a main course. It’s up to you!

Avgolemono Soup | Greek Egg Lemon Soup With Chicken
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
60 mins
Total time
1 hour 10 mins
 
I love this soup. It's the Greek's version of chicken noodle (kind of anyhow). It's amazing and you can make it thick and serve it over fish or chicken. καλή όρεξη (kali orexi – enjoy your meal!)
Author: Kenton & Jane
Recipe type: Greek Appetizer
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 5-7
Ingredients
  • 1 to 2lbs chicken
  • 6 cups (1 quart can + two smaller cans) chicken broth (or about 3 large bullion cubes)
  • ¾ cup Greek orzo (or white rice)
  • *Sauce*
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 lemons, juiced*
  • Sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Place skinless boneless chicken breasts in large pot and fill with broth (go about 1inch above chicken),
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 30-45 min (or until chicken is cooked).
  4. Once chicken in cooked, remove from water and set aside.
  5. Bring broth back to boil and add orzo and cook until pasta is tender (about 10min).
  6. Once chicken is cool enough, shred by hand.
  7. Add chicken back into pot and reduce heat to low
  8. **Avgolemono Sauce**
  9. Crack eggs into a bowl and beat until frothy (a few minutes).
  10. One frothy, stop and add in lemon juice.
  11. Take 1½ cups of hot broth and slowly pour into lemon-egg mixture, continually stirring.**
  12. Pour mixture back into soup, mixing well.
  13. Bring back to simmer and then remove from heat.
  14. Season with Sea salt. Serve!
Notes
* For the sauce: you may need to add more for a stronger lemon flavor. Taste and adjust to fit your preference.
** This is important. Don’t forget this step or the eggs will curdle when you add to soup.
3.5.3226

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Filed Under: All Greek Recipes, Blog, Greek Chicken Recipes, Greek Soups Tagged With: greek appetizer, greek recipe, greek soup, soup

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Hi! We’re Kenton & Jane. Lemon & Olives is a site dedicated to exploring Greek recipes and following the healthy Mediterranean lifestyle. We also explore the culture and travel destinations of Greece. So whether you’re Greek, interesting in Greek food, or searching for a childhood recipe – let’s connect and explore together! Oh, we hope you are hungry.

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Comments

  1. Beef says

    10 September 2013 at 7:26 pm

    Making this tomorrow. Can’t wait to consume it. It was THE recipe on this site that attracted me immediately. Greek food rules.

    Reply
    • Kenton Kotsiris says

      10 September 2013 at 9:05 pm

      That’s fantastic! Let us know how it goes 🙂 Also, we actually had this dish tonight for dinner.

      Reply
  2. Beef says

    11 September 2013 at 3:30 pm

    Just ate the soup, along with my own, homemade Pita bread and your tzatziki recipe. Satisfying and phenomenal.

    Reply
    • Kenton Kotsiris says

      12 September 2013 at 10:18 am

      That’s so good to hear! Thanks for the kind words. We are very glad you enjoyed it. I bet that homemade Pita sealed the deal with the tzatziki 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! We’re Kenton & Jane of Lemon & Olives. This blog is dedicated to exploring Greek food and culture, the Mediterranean lifestyle, and traveling Greece. We’ve collected many Greek recipes over the years from Greece and family members, and we’re still learning as we go! This blog is our way of documenting our journey…read more

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