I love chicken soup, especially with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, which brightens and elevates it to another level. This Greek soup, known as “Avgolemono”, is a perfectly balanced combination of chicken, lemon, rice and egg. The soup is rich, tangy and absolutely delicious. It’s Mediterranean comfort food!
Bring chicken broth, leek, carrot, bay leaves and salt to a simmer.
Add chicken breasts, cover and gently simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts, let cool slightly and pull/shred or cut chicken into thin strips. Set aside. Strain soup and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add rice and reserved onions to the broth and bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken back into the broth. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the lemon juice, eggs, and pepper. Ladle 2 cups of hot broth into a measuring cup with a pour-able spout. While whisking, slowly pour the 2 cups of broth into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot. Check and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Stir well to blend. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.
We love the soup topped with some peppery arugula, to add some greens and freshness.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 carrot, peeled and quartered
- 1 leek, cleaned and quartered
- 2/3 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring chicken broth, leek, carrot, bay leaves and salt to a simmer.
- Add chicken breasts, cover and gently simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken breasts, let cool slightly and pull/shred or cut chicken into thin strips. Set aside. Strain soup and return to the pot.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add rice and reserved onions to the broth and bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 30 minutes.
- Add the chicken back into the broth.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the lemon juice, eggs, and pepper. Ladle 2 cups of hot broth into a measuring cup with a pourable spout. While whisking, slowly pour the 2 cups of broth into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot. Check and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Stir well to blend. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.
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