I can’t believe that we just had snow a few days ago when we are well into April! Well, that means that it’s time for some soup and a bright, longing for spring, soup, an avgolemono soup! Avgolemono soup is a Greek style lemon chicken soup with rice that is thickened with eggs. The recipe could not be easier where you pretty much just cook the rice in a bunch of chicken broth before adding the chicken and lemon along with the egg thickener. The egg is added after tempering it first by slowly whisking some hot broth into the eggs and then whisking the mixture back into the soup. The eggs are added this way so that they do not ‘cook’, turn white and stringy, like an egg drop soup, when added to the broth. Given how simple this soup is, I like to use quality ingredients including a tasty homemade chicken broth or chicken stock but store bought also works. Here’s hoping for some warmer spring weather and until it arrives I will be enjoying some of this avgolemono Greek style lemon chicken soup!
Add some feta!
Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
A light and bright Greek style lemon chicken soup with rice that is thickened with eggs.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 2 lemons, juice and zest
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste (optional)
- salt to taste
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and rice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is cooked, al-dente, about 15-20 minutes.
- Slowly pour 1 cup of the hot broth into the eggs while whisking and then slowly whisk the egg mixture into the soup.
- Add the chicken, lemon juice and zest and cook to warm, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, mix 1/4 cup of the hot broth with the miso paste and then mix the mixture back into the soup before seasoning with salt.
Option: Add garlic.
Option: Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill!
Note: The miso paste is not traditional but an amazing addition!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Avgolemono Sauce
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
Tom Yum Gai (Thai Hot and Sour Chicken Soup)
Spicy Roasted Corn and Jalapeno Avocado Soup
Colombian Chicken and Corn Soup (Ajiaco)
Chicken Fajita Soup
Creamy White Chicken Chili
Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)
Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
Egg Drop Soup
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
So, do you think that the soup was better with the cooked chicken, veggies and orzo? It sounds great the way you made it, but kind of overwhelmingly sauce-y with fewer ingredients. What’s your thought?
I really liked the avgolemono soup with all of the extra ingredients but I think that the version with fewer ingredients would also be tasty. Perhaps they each have their place. The lighter version as more of a side dish that is part of a larger meal. The heavier version might make for more of a lunch or a light meal.
This looks awesome. I just need to pick up some orzo.
I made your pasta with pancetta recipe – from the Presto Pasta Nights from a couple of weeks ago. it was really good!
What size of onion should I use, also should it be white, yellow, sweet?
Any kind of onion works, I usually use yellow or white onions but red also works. Use a medium onion. Enjoy!
I definitely love this kind of soup!!
This is something I will nearly always order in a Greek restaurant; I just love it. I made my own too a few years ago, and it turned out to be much easier to make than I’d imagined. One of my Greek friends tells me that the soup should only have stock, rice, and the egg-lemon mixture, but I put chicken in mine too.
I too would amp up the protein by adding chicken
I’ve never heard of this soup. It sounds yummy and something I would like to try very soon.
Bravo Kevinm the Avgolemeno looks superb.
You’re the honourary Greek of the week!
oh gosh….very hearty, perfect for cold winter nights 🙂
although it’s getting warmer here in hong kong 🙂
I never tried to make Avgolemono soup but i must say, after looking at the picture i might give it a shot. Looks delicious! Nice job!
Looks good, Kev 🙂
This looks delicious! I don’t think I have ever tried this soup at a greek restaurant. It seems easy enough! I will try it soon.
I think it looks beautiful, and adding the extra ingredients sounds like a good idea to me. More filling. And dill! Brilliant!
I am not a big fan of soup, I just like a few,mostly creamy soup. But I must admit that soup looks divine and I like the ingredients specially dill that I think that combine very well with chicken
This is Greek week for you with the chicken, the lemon potatoes and now avgolemono soup:D All have wonderful flavours. I love this simple and delcious soup with or without veggies:D
Nice additions to the classic soup, Kevin. Looks great! With the dill and the orzo are you sure you aren’t Greek? 🙂
Avgolemono is a soup I’ve wanted to try for ages and for some reason seemed so daunting. Yours looks beautiful and the picture is worthy of a frame.
This soup is probably my biggest kitchen disaster to date. I don’t know if my eggs curdled or if it was just the soup itself, but it tasted like the bottom of a cat’s foot. Or what I perceive to be the bottom of a cat’s foot. Yours looks delicious.
I ve never even of Avgolemono soup but it looks like I’ve been missing out. And so easy with pantry products. Another recipe bookmarked!
It has been so cold here lately and this soup goes perfectly with the weather. I will definitely be trying this soon. Great photo too!
Do you remember that commercial with Sally Struthers where the orphan says “I never met you but I love you”? Well…that is how I feel about this soup. Excellent!
I think I would like your recipe. I never make avgolemono soup before but I should give it a try.
I always get avgolemono soup when we eat at a Greek restaurant in the area. They also put chicken in it. I like your idea of adding the vegetables, too–it looks like a bowl of wonderful comfort food.
Kevin, Really I love this soup, but al you make is nice an looks delicious, I want make your french bread!!! When I se them Im hungry!!!xx Gloria
I have actually never even heard of this kind of soup. And I thought I had tried every kind of soup there was!!
Pure comfort food in a bowl looks and sounds amazing!
I’ve also never had this before, but it looks like something I definitely need to try. Very nice work
another winner kevin. this sounds mighty tasty.
Kevin;
You should submit a spicy vegetarian soup to this month’s edition of No Croutons Required. You know, you almost won last month’s challenge!
This soup looks fantastic! I can’t wait to make it.
interesting, i’ve never heard of this type of soup before…it sounds delicious though
I’ve been trying for several years now to mirror a favorite Greek restaurant’s Avegolemono Soup. Yours looks pretty close to what I’m looking for–more a hearty chicken soup MEAL, rather than an appetizer. I think my continued failures have been the fact that I let the soup simmer once the lemons have been added. Also, in years past I have been hesitant to add the eggs. I finally have faith in my cooking abilities not to botch it up.
I have made avgolemono before, the simple way and it was great, but I didn’t get the ratios quite right. I think yours is absolutely delicious. Thank you.
This is my first visit to your blog, so I will be back to try more of your meals.
I tried this out on Thursday. The flavors were really good 🙂 Thanks for posting it!
This was absolutely amazing! After some disappointing recipes at some restaurants, this was fantastic. Great quick, easy, delicious meal for the grad student on the go, I definitely think I'll be eating this all week. I added a little more chicken and orzo for heartiness. Thanks for posting!
Could this be frozen since there's no cream or milk in it?
Rookie Bebe: I have always finished this too quickly to freeze but I would imagine that it would freeze well.
My favorite soup to get from my grandmother when i was a little sick girl. Yours looks, and I bet tastes, beautiful.
You could also make the avgolemeno in a blender. Mix the eggs first and beat then add the lemon then add as much of the hot chicken broth.that will fit into the blender. Add the avgolemeno sauce to the rest of the soup and stir so it does not curdle. As far as freezing it does not freeze well.
yiayia: I will have to try it in the blender next time! Thanks!
This is my Greek husbands favorite soup- I will have to make it for him!
I am so excited to try this — the pretty yellow color feels so Summery!! xo
This should actually be more white than yellow.. Our family recipe (from Karpathos) didn't have onion or dill or anything. Any when you stir the lemon/egg mixture back in, do as the Greeks do, and stir in an X pattern to keep from curdling.
I can't wait to try this. A gyro place near my house used to make a great version of this. They've closed down, and I've wanted to find a version to make at home. Thanks!!
Kevin to the rescue, yet again! I found out the hard way that were onions in the soup after a reaction, while still at the restaurant. Onion allergy makes eating difficult. I found a packaged mix "Cugino's Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup," without onions, that I have been using. I can adapt your recipe with onion powder, and make my own. I am so excited!!! Thanks, Kev…hugs
Mmmm, I'm totally digging this chicken soup Kevin!
wow, i like chicken soup but its recipe is different i will make then i will share the taste.
Ohhh I've never had this before! It looks so good!
I love adding lemon to soup!
Great looking soup
My husband loves this stuff, from tbe late-night Greek restaurants in Chicago. This would be a fantastic dinner at home…a warm baguette & we would be set! Thanks!
I made this today, it was very good.
Cooked this tonight, It was lovely, although my lemons were pretty big and packed a hell of a punch. Wondering if there is a quantity of lemon juice you intend to go into this rather than the juice of two lemons — obviously that will vary …
I did add carrots, they need to go in before the eggs during the last few minutes while the rice is cooking.
Do you think this would work with lentils in place of rice?
Sarah: Replacing the rice with lentils would be different but it should be good! Enjoy!
It looks like the eggs weren't tempered because they look curdled and the broth shouldn't separate like that.
I wish I had checked to see if I had lemons before starting this. Didn't realize my husband had just used them all 🙁 I ended up with just chicken and rice soup. I tried adding the dill as suggested and that just made it worse. I also had a problem with some of my eggs scrambling even though I tempered them. I will try again since this looks delicious, but I will make sure I have lemons next time.
I´ve just cooked this .This is a wonderful soup.Tasty and very nutritious.Thank you from Brasil.
It has been very cold here lately (not as cold as Toronto:))but this soup is perfect for this weather. I love your additions from the traditional recipe. I have made this delicious soup with orzo and other times I've used Angel Hair. Always delicious, filling and healthy. Great photo too!
Did anyone else try to freeze the soup? Sounds like mixed results in the comments above. Is it the egg that causes the problem? Or the rice? I was thinking that I could wait to add the rice until I defrost and reheat?
Tried this today and it turned out AMAZING! Super lemony and authentic tasting- just like at my favorite restaurant. My adjustments: I used 5 cups of chicken stock instead of 6. Rice needed 15 minutes-I just white jasmine. I sautéed 3 cloves of minced garlic with the onion, and added some celery and carrots for a little crunch. Super easy!
OMG an online friend posted link to your recipe and ALL OF YOUR FOOD LOOKS SO DELICIOUS! I scrolled thru the greek section and drooled over every picture. You make clean eating looks absolutely delicious. Glad to have found you!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
It will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and in the freezer for longer. Enjoy!
This looks so good! What a perfect soup for spring, when you want something light & bright!
How do u cook the chicken for this soup? And Which part of chicken is the best ?
You can use leftover rotisserie chicken, roasted, poached chicken, slow cooker chicken, etc. You could also add chicken thighs or breasts in step 2 to simmer with the rice, remove and slice or shred before returning to the soup.
I’ve been using this recipe and making variations of this soup for over a year now. I love how easy it is to make and how amazing it tastes. I’ve been using just jasmine rice as it’s what I have and it’s been great so far. Mushrooms are a fun addition every now and then and I think I’d like to try it with a small amount of wild rice in there as well. Thanks for posting this recipe, I deeply enjoy it.
For whatever reason, my soup was super thick and I ended up almost doubling the chicken broth and adding juice from 2 more lemons. I also added diced feta, YUM!
This really recipe really looks tasty. What kind of feta do you use? Our International market has several from which to choose, including domestic feta.
I like to use a goat or sheep’s milk feta, either a locally made one or an imported Greek one. Enjoy!
I made this last night and am IN LOVE! I’ve always ordered this soup from Greek restaurants not realizing how easy and delicious it is to make at home! Two modifications I’d make next time- Immersion blend the onions into the broth before adding the chicken/lemon to help thicken the broth/even out the consistency, and maybe trying with even more lemon! I love lemon! Thank you for always having the tastiest soup recipes.
I love soup. I especially love this soup. This particular soup evokes so many childhood memories. My grandfather was Greek and quite a good cook. He would separate the eggs and add the yolks as you described. However, he would whip the egg whites until they formed soft peaks and fold the whipped whites into the soup at the very end. Delightful!
I made the soup exactly as the recipe says ~ SO GOOD!!!! Perfect for a summer evening. I’ll definitely be making this on repeat.
Kevin, I’ve been meaning to comment for quite some time. I love you recipes and really appreciate your creativity and thoughtfulness in each recipe.
This particular recipe (not yours, but the traditional Avgolemono Soup) was one of my mother-in-laws favorites growing up in Greece. Once she was unable to cook for herself (92) or husband, I decided to prepare your recipe for them. For this Southern girl m, who didn’t learn to cook until 50, to make a Classic Greek dish for a woman who was a master at Greek cuisine was a bit daunting. They loved it!!
Oh and the reason I didn’t cook was I married a wonderful Greek man who could cook!! Plus I was unsure about my skills! However, since food blogs and food shows, I’ve learned and it fun!! Thanks again for all your beautiful delicious recipes!! Oh, and your blog!!
I’m glad that you have been enjoying my recipes! Cooking is one of my great pleasures in life and I can remember when I first started! I learned to cook from food blogs and shows as well!
I love making homade soups but honestly this was the worst soup I’ve ever made. the Miso paste which I had never tried before gave it a nasty taste. The rice became overcooked very easily and when the soup cooled it coagulated which was just unappealing. After a few spoonful I wound up throwing the entire pot of soup away and I am not one who tupically waste food.
Followed the recipe exactly and result was very flat and watery. Added veggie stock and an extra lemon. It helped. It was a very thick soup.