Avgolemono

Greek Avgolemono (Chicken, Rice, Egg & Lemon Soup)

A silky Greek chicken and rice soup finished with an egg-lemon liaison that gives it body without curdling. It is the classic Greek cold-weather restorative.

Prep

15 min

Cook

45 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •1.4 kg (about 3 lb) whole chicken, skin on, use bone-in thighs/drumsticks if preferred
• •2.5 L (about 10 cups) cold water, plus extra if needed
• •1 whole medium onion, peeled, left whole
• •1 whole carrot, peeled, roughly chopped
• •1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
• •2 leaves bay leaves
• •5 whole black peppercorns
• •10 g (about 2 tsp) fine salt, to taste
• •150 g (about 3/4 cup) long-grain white rice, Greek avgolemono traditionally uses short-grain Carolina or arborio; long-grain is the easiest home substitute and is still authentic-tasting
• •2 large eggs, room temperature
• •80 ml (about 1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice, from 2-3 lemons, strained
• •15 g (about 1/4 cup) fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Make the broth: place the whole chicken in a large heavy pot with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and 2.5 L cold water. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skimming any foam that rises. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through (internal temperature 74°C / 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh, juices run clear). Do not boil hard or the broth will turn cloudy.
2. 2 Lift the chicken out and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot; you should have about 1.8 L / 7½ cups. Taste and adjust salt. Skim excess surface fat if you like, but keep a little for flavour.
3. 3 Pull the chicken meat from the bones, shred or cut into bite-sized pieces and discard the skin and bones. Keep the meat warm.
4. 4 Cook the rice directly in the strained broth: bring it back to a gentle simmer and stir in the rice. Cook at a low simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the rice is just tender. The soup should still look brothy, not porridgy; add a splash of hot water if it has thickened too much.
5. 5 Prepare the avgolemono liaison: in a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the lemon juice until fully combined. This is the moment that matters most - the liaison must be tempered or it will scramble.
6. 6 Temper the liaison: ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-lemon mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Repeat with another ½ cup. You are raising the temperature of the eggs gradually so they do not curdle.
7. 7 Pour the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the pot of soup in a slow, thin stream, whisking the soup continuously. Cook over very low heat for 2-3 minutes, whisking gently, until the soup is visibly silky and slightly thickened. Do not let it boil or the eggs will curdle; if you see lumps forming, immediately remove from heat and whisk hard.
8. 8 Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup and warm through for 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt and lemon - avgolemono should be brightly tangy.
9. 9 Serve immediately in warmed bowls, scattered with fresh dill or parsley and an extra wedge of lemon on the side.