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4.93 from 14 votes

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

This avgolemono soup recipe is comforting with bright flavors. Made with the classic egg lemon sauce, avgolemono, this Greek lemon chicken soup is so satisfying. Follow along for all my tips and instructions to make this authentic Greek chicken soup.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 264kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breast see notes
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorn
  • 1 onion cut into quarters
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 celery stalks cut into large chunks
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 large carrot diced
  • ¾ cup short grain rice such as arborio
  • 2 large eggs
  • cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

  • Place the chicken in a large pot with the peppercorn, onion, garlic, celery and salt. Add 8 cups of water to the chicken and cover with the lid. Turn the heat on to medium high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the chicken for about 40 minutes until it's fully cooked. Turn the heat off.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool completely then shred it. Discard the peppercorn, onion, garlic and celery so the broth is clear.
  • Turn the heat on to medium high and add the carrots and rice to the broth. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice and carrots are cooked completely. If the soup is too thick, add 1 cup water. Turn the heat off.
  • In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the lemon juice until combined. Slowly add 2 cups of the soup to the egg mixture and whisk constantly to temper the eggs. Then again, slowly add the tempered eggs back into the pot while stirring the soup.
  • Once all the tempered eggs are added to the soup, turn the heat on to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the shredded chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.
  • Serve warm topped with parsley if desired.

Video

Notes

  • You can use bone-in skin-on chicken breast or even a whole chicken. Make sure to discard the bones and skin before adding the shredded chicken to the soup. 
  • It's important to temper the eggs to make sure they don't cook or scramble immediately once added to the soup. The soup has to be added very slowly to the egg mixture while whisking constantly. 
  • You can use store-bought broth and leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken (boneless and skinless) for this recipe. If doing so, skip steps 1 and 2 and proceed with cooking the carrots and rice in the broth.
  • Store the leftovers in an airtight, preferably glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat the soup in a pot or saucepan over medium low heat with a few tablespoons of water to thin it out a bit.
  • To freeze this soup, let it cool completely then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a pot or a saucepan over medium low heat until warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 699mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3176IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg