Description
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono) is a creamy and tangy traditional Greek soup made with shredded chicken, rice, and a luscious egg-lemon sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ to 1 cup finely chopped carrots
- ½ to 1 cup finely chopped celery
- ½ to 1 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup rice (or orzo for variation)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cooked boneless chicken breasts, shredded (6–8 oz; store-bought rotisserie works)
Avgolemono Sauce:
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
Optional Garnish:
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and green onions. Sauté for 2–3 minutes, then stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Cook the Broth and Rice: Add chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then stir in rice (or orzo), salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Add Chicken: Stir in shredded chicken and let it heat through.
- Make Avgolemono Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk lemon juice and eggs. Slowly add 2 ladles of hot broth while whisking to temper the eggs.
- Incorporate Sauce: Slowly stir the tempered egg-lemon mixture into the soup. Remove from heat immediately to avoid curdling.
- Garnish and Serve: Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve hot with bread or a side salad.
Notes
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- If using orzo, reduce cooking time to about 7–8 minutes.
- Add Avgolemono sauce at the very end to prevent curdling.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: One-Pot
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 110mg