The Ultimate and Authentic Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
Make my mother’s authentic recipe for this comforting and delicious Greek chicken-rice soup, avgolemono soup. Rice and chicken are enriched with the rich and creamy lemon-egg sauce.
I grew up with this delicious classic Greek chicken soup. Avgolemono which is pronounced av-g(w)o-le-mono means egg and lemon in Greek is a comforting soup is made with chicken broth, chicken, rice, carrots and then blended with this sublime avgolemono sauce, the result is a creamy and thick soup that contains no cream! This soup is deceptively light even though it appears so rich! The secret is in the sauce as they say.
This was a staple in our home in the winter, but also for holiday dinners like Christmas eve or Easter eve. It is great for those cold evenings or when you are feeling under the weather and just want something soothing that tastes good. You may have enjoyed this at your local Greek restaurant but believe me this homemade version takes it to another level.
Avgolemono Soup Family Recipe
This recipe comes from my mother. It is a family favorite. Using my step by step instructions you will master the authentic avgolemono recipe and make it like a pro.
What is Avgolemono Soup?
Avgolemono is a traditional Greek preparation/sauce that is made by blending lemon juice with eggs and warm broth resulting in a delicious creamy and frothy sauce. This preparation is added to chicken-rice soup resulting in avgolemono soup. But in traditional Greek cuisine it is also added to other dishes particularly pork dishes as well as stuffed vegetables.
Avgolemono Soup Ingredients
- Chicken: Use whole chicken pieces with skin and bones to make a delicious broth. If you do you use ready-made broth, at minimum add chicken meat from whole pieces of chicken, not boneless, skinless chicken.
- Rice: Rice should be a short or medium grain rice. Avoid using any aromatic rice such as basmati or jasmine, it will interfere with the flavors of this traditional soup.
- Vegetables: There are only 3 vegetables used in this soup: carrots and onion plus celery leaves. If you are unable to find celery leaves, just use some celery.
- Eggs: Use whole eggs at room temperature.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is key.
Nutrition Benefits of Avgolemono Soup: The Dietitian’s Take
Is Avgolemono soup good for you?
Yes! Even though this soup looks so creamy and rich, it’s actually a low fat dish with only 13% of calories coming from fat. This soup combines protein-rich chicken, hearty vegetables like celery, carrots and garlic providing antioxidants, and immune-boosting nutrients. The eggs add extra protein and healthy fats, and choline which is important for the brain and nervous system. Fresh lemon juice adds vitamin C for a stronger immune system. Together, these ingredients make for a balanced, comforting soup that is great for immunity and digestive health.
How do you make avgolemono soup?
See below my step by step instructions for making the best avgolemono soup:
1. Place the chicken in a large pot with celery leaves, 2-3 carrots, bay leaf and one whole onion. Add enough water (I measure how much water I add so that I can calculate how much rice to add later- I needed about 8 cups) to cover the chicken. Ideally the water should already be hot as it helps maintain the juices of the chicken. Simmer for about 1 ½ hour. Remove foam with a slotted spoon.
2. Once the chicken is cooked (chicken is ready when skin will easily come off and meat is tender), remove and place on a plate along with the vegetables, season with some salt and pepper. Discard the onion and celery leaves and keep the carrot. Leave broth in the pot.
3. Remove about 1 cup of broth, add the juice of 1 lemon and set aside.
4. Bring the rest of the broth to a simmer, add salt to taste, and add the rice. Add 1 to ½ tablespoons of short grain rice per 1 cup broth depending on how thick you want the soup. By adding more rice, you will have a thicker soup. Lower heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until rice is done. Turn off heat.
6. Shred the chicken and slice the carrots. Place shredded chicken and carrots in the soup, cover and set aside. *You may leave the chicken and carrots on a plate and serve separately.
Make avgolemono sauce
1. Separate egg yolks and whites. In a small bowl add only the yolks and the juice of 1 lemon-do not mix and set aside.
2. In another large bowl add the whites, whip with a mixer until stiff peaks develop, add the yolks to the egg whites and mix on low until blended.
3. Now add the broth that you had set aside gradually to the egg mixture while mixing on very low-make sure broth is not hot otherwise it will cook the egg, it should be lukewarm. Add about 2 tablespoons at a time until you have used all the broth that you had set aside.
4. Add the egg lemon broth mixture back in the pot to the rice and chicken. With a wooden spoon do about 2 swirls (do not mix more) to blend the soup with the avgolemono sauce. Heat, on very low heat for a few minutes to get soup warm.
5. Remove immediately from heat and serve.
Tips to Make the Best (and authentic) Avgolemono Soup
- Use chicken with the skin and bones. You will be removing the skin before eating, but that skin imparts a lot of flavor to the broth, and you are not really saving that many calories by not using the skin. Do not use boneless, skinless breast, or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken it simply will not be as good as the original.
- There is no sauteing in this recipe. The authentic way of making this recipe involves no sauteing the vegetables beforehand. The true flavors of this soup do not need to be enriched with frying and sauteing.
- There is no added fat to this recipe, apart from the fat in the chicken or the eggs.
- Rice is important. You need to use short or medium grain rice to get that silky and smooth texture. Please make note of the amount of rice you use, it is dependent on the broth you have made. You do not use basmati or other aromatic rice.
- Rice is cooked in the broth, not separately, this imparts even more flavor
- Make the avgolemono sauce correctly. Making avgolemono is an art, but you can master it! Don’t just mix the eggs, lemon, and broth all at once. You need to temper the eggs. That means that you add the warm broth gradually so that you don’t cook the eggs. See the directions for details on how to do this.
- Finally, let’s just clarify that there is no such thing as authentic avgolemono soup ready on 30 minutes. But the good news is that you can make it from scratch in about 2 hours with only 15 minutes of preparation the rest of the time is passive cooking time, not bad considering how absolutely delicious this soup is.
Leftovers
Once the soup is cool, you can store in the refrigerator in air-tight containers for up to 3 days. To reheat, place it in a pot, cover, and heat at a very low heat-(do not bring it to a boil) until the soup is warm. You may also add a squeeze of lemon to brighten it up.
Can You Freeze Avgolemono?
You can also freeze avgolemono soup. You may freeze in individual servings or in a larger container. The soup can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to defrost in the refrigerator and re-heat at a very low heat, stirring occasionally
What to Serve with Avgolemono Soup
Typically, we have this soup with a green Greek romaine salad and the soup is the main course. However, you can also serve it in small servings as a first course, especially for special occasions.
Nutritional Value of Avgolemono Soup
Even though this soup looks so creamy and rich, it’s actually a low fat dish with only 13% of calories coming from fat, in addition it’s a great source of protein. Pair with a salad and you have a very balanced meal.
You May Also Like These Recipes
- Quick Sautéed Lemon and Garlic Chicken
- One-Pot Greek Lemon Chicken with Potatoes – Kotopoulo Lemonato
- Greek Stewed Pork and Greens in Lemon Sauce – Fricassee
- Authentic Greek Lemon Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Authentic Avgolemono Soup – Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (700 g) chicken pieces with skin and bone
- 1 bunch celery leaves (or 2 celery sticks)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 medium carrots peeled
- 1 medium red onion quartered
- ½ – ¾ cup (90-135 g) uncooked short grain rice amount varies, please see recipe
- 2 whole eggs room temperature
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Salt/Pepper as needed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley optional for garnish
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large pot with celery leaves, carrots, onion and the bay leaf. Add enough hot water (I measure how much water I add so that I can calculate how much rice to add later- I needed 8 cups of water) to cover the chicken. Ideally the water should already be hot as it helps maintain the juices of the chicken. Simmer for about 1 ½ hour.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove and place on a plate along with the vegetables. Discard the onion, celery leaves and bay leaf. Keep the carrot. Leave broth in the pot.
- Remove about 1 cup of broth and add the juice of 1 lemon to it-set aside.
- Bring the rest of the broth to a simmer, add salt to taste and add the rice. Add 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of short grain rice per 1 cup broth depending on how thick you want the soup. By adding more rice, you will have a thicker soup. Lower heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until rice is done. Turn off heat.
- In the meantime, remove the skin from the chicken, add salt and pepper to taste and shred the chicken. Slice the carrot. Place shredded chicken pieces and sliced carrots in the soup, cover and set aside.
Make avgolemono sauce
- Separate egg yolks and whites. In a small bowl add only the yolks and the juice of 1 lemon-do not mix and set aside.
- In another large bowl add the whites, whip with a mixer until stiff peaks develop, add the yolks to the egg whites and mix on low until blended.
- Now add the broth that you had set aside gradually to the egg mixture while mixing on very low-make sure broth is not hot otherwise it will cook the egg; it should be lukewarm. Add about 2 tablespoons at a time until you have used all the broth that you had set aside. *You may leave the chicken and carrots on a plate and serve separately.
Assemble the soup
- Add the egg lemon broth mixture back in the pot to the rice and chicken. With a wooden smooth do about 2 swirls (do not mix more) to blend the soup with the avgolemono sauce. Heat, on very low heat for a few minutes to get soup warm.
- Remove immediately from heat.
- Serve warm. Season with black pepper and salt as needed. Sprinkle with chopped parsley (optional).
Notes
SAVE FOR LATER AND PIN IT!
This recipe is so easy and delicious, thanks for posting! The smallest chicken I could find was about 1.1kg. I added an extra litre of water and a stock cube for extra broth and with the 1.5 cups rice it was perfect the day of making but the rice has soaked up all the broth overnight. I think next time I will go with a 2/3 cup of rice next time to try and offset this. Overall totally delicious. I also used a pressure cooker to speed things up (30 min for a sectioned chicken with carcass and then followed everything else as written). It really hits the spot for something wholesome, tasty and easy to eat when feeling under the weather. 5 stars !
Thank you for sharing Deborah!