How are you guys today? With the change of seasons, I’ve been feeling the need for a big, hot bowl of soup which is my favorite comfort food. Cue this recipe from my (very) Greek grandmother: authentic Avgolemono Soup! To me this recipe is the ultimate comfort food… to the point where when I’m sick now I crave it more than any other remedy. It’s so easy to make and incredibly satisfying, especially on a chilly winter night. I hope you love it!
The Best Authentic Greek Avgolemono Soup Recipe (Lemon Egg Chicken Soup)
I don’t have an exact recipe for Yia yia’s Avgolemono Soup because, to her, it’s like second nature. I remember watching her put a little bit of this, a little bit of that into a pot and then in an hour or so, the most delicious, comforting soup imaginable would be put in front of me. She still makes it every time I go back to the east coast to visit! A few years ago, she gave me the pot and the wooden spoon she uses to make the soup, so I always use those pieces when I make this recipe. They feel like family heirlooms and are essential to the flavor of the recipe.
What is avgolemono soup?
Simply defined, authentic Greek avgolemono soup is a soup made with beaten eggs, lemon juice, and chicken broth made from scratch. The key is whisking and slowly adding hot broth into the egg so that they don’t curdle. The result is a rich, silky soup that has the brightness of lemon and the comfort of a traditional chicken noodle soup.
What kind of rice is used in avgolemono?
For my family’s recipe, we use orzo instead of rice. It’s just always the way we’ve done it! You can also use a long grain rice like basmati or jasmine. I’ve also seen people use brown rice for a heartier soup and arborio rice to make the soup even thicker.
Greek Avgolemono Soup Recipe (Lemon Egg Chicken Soup)
Ingredients
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 3 pounds chicken breasts and/or thighs skin removed
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1.5 cup carrots shredded
- 1 cup orzo
- 5 eggs
- 5 lemons juice only
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash the chicken and set aside. Prepare veggies by chopping them and shredding the carrots.
- In a large soup pot, combine chicken stock, chicken, onion, celery, and carrots. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover, simmering for about 45 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove the chicken with tongs. If you used chicken with bones, debone and then shred the meat.
- Put the chicken back into the pot and bring back to a boil, adding the orzo. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Slowly whisk in the lemon juice until the mixture is frothy, then add 3 cups of the hot soup broth 1 cup at a time to the egg mixture while whisking. Whisking during this entire step is essential because it will prevent the egg from curdling.
- Once all combined, pour the egg mixture into the soup pot and stir well.
- Serve with a side of saltine crackers like my Yia yia or some crusty bread (if you’re local to Seattle, definitely check out Chess Bakery delivery for the best fresh bread I’ve everrrr tasted).
Notes
Nutrition
The simple action of sitting at our dining table and eating this lemony, starchy soup helps me to feel more grounded and is perfect for cold winter days. I hope this recipes helps to soothe your soul just a little bit, too.
You might also enjoy:
Spiced Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
I love how easy the recipe is, plus it’s served up in pumpkin bowls, which will look so festive for my upcoming Friendsgiving dinner!
Rustic Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup Recipe
I really cannot tell you how GOOD the broth is in this recipe… probably thanks to the browned bits of sausage that were cooked with the butter and onions! You really can’t go wrong with that combo, in my opinion.
I just made it and it is delicious! I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing :)
I teared up at the part about your grandma giving you the pot and spoon she made it in. What treasures!
aww! they really are treasures :)
I follow you couple of years but I had not realize that you have Greek roots. I’m so glad for this! Avgolemono soup is my favorite also and I have so warm feelings when I eat it. My English are not very good and I do not know if you can understand what I’m saying!
http://www.artdecorationcrafting.gr
ya! so happy to hear from you :) I should talk about being half Greek more, huh? thank you so much for commenting. filakia.
Going to make this tonight to try to soothe my soul…. Thank you for always using your voice and for keeping it real. I respect you and love reading your posts (as well as telling you what good tv shows to watch and videos of your pets). I hope the soup and pet snuggles helped heal your heart a bit too.
Thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement, it really does mean a lot to me. I find it hard to share my thoughts at times, especially if they can veer toward the political side of things, but hearing from amazing readers like you really encourages me to stay true to what i believe in and use my platform to share. i hope you enjoy the recipe and that it helps to soothe you just as much as it helped me. xo
I’m here for all of this – the shock and outrage, the need to take a moment for ourselves, and for this soup.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, as well as using your platform to speak out against hatred and senseless death.
You’re my favorite.
thank you SO much for your kind words. i really believe that it’s best if we all stick together and act from a caring, loving place. you’re my favorite, too, and i hope you enjoy the recipe!