I can’t think of a more appropriate recipe to share with you as the first one of the year than this classic Greek avgolemono soup! This heartwarming soup of chicken broth, rice, and lemon is pure comfort in a bowl and is one of the most beloved soups among kids and adults alike in Greece.
This is probably the first recipe that my mom made sure I knew how to make when I left my hometown in Northern Greece to go to Athens for university. The reason is simple: This soup is considered to be the cure for everything! If you have a cold or just feel under the weather, this soup is sure to cure it. If you feel weak and in need of an energy boost, a bowl of this soup will take care of it. If you feel homesick, the comfort of a warm bowl of avgolemono soup will definitely help!
The Ingredients
To make this soup you will need:
- Chicken (for extra protein), or just good chicken broth
- Rice — a popular variation is substituting orzo (κριθαράκι) for rice
- Lemon
- Eggs
What is great about this relatively easy soup is that you can make it as simple as your time permits: If you have some time, simmer a piece of chicken to make a delicious and flavorful broth. If you are short on time, use some of your homemade chicken stock instead, or just purchase some very good quality store-bought stock.
Helpful Tips for the Classic Greek Avgolemono Soup
What really transforms this simple chicken soup is the traditional egg and lemon mixture called avgolemono, that is carefully stirred into the cooking liquid just before serving. Within minutes, the whole dish is transformed into a frothy, delicious, and very satisfying soup.
- The best rice to use for this soup is a short grain rice, or a medium grain rice like Arborio. The extra starch in this rice will ensure a rich and creamy consistency.
- Use only fresh lemon juice (bottled juice is diluted). Adjust the acidity based on your taste.
- Use the freshest eggs you can find.
- Prevent the eggs from curdling by slowly tempering the eggs; Do not add them directly to the hot broth!
- The addition of chicken to the soup is optional. Once you cook the chicken to make the broth, you can remove it and save the cooked chicken for another dish.
- Avgolemono soup is best to enjoy as soon as it is ready. If you need to reheat it, do it very gently and make sure it does not come to a boil.
I can not think of a more comforting soup to have on a cold winter day!
- 8 cups water
- 1 lb. skinless chicken thighs, or breasts (see note)
- ½ cup of rice or orzo
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 lrg. egg, at room temperature
- 2 lrg. egg yolks at room temperature
- 3-4 TBSP. fresh lemon juice
- Add the water and the chicken to a pot and bring to a boil. Cook under medium heat for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and falls off the bones. While the chicken cooks, skim off the foam as it forms, and discard.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to cool slightly. Cut it up in small, bite-size pieces, cover and set it aside.
- Meanwhile, bring the pot with the chicken broth to a boil again, stir in the rice (or orzo), add the salt and the pepper and simmer until the rice is cooked (or until the orzo is tender). Remove the pot from the heat. Pour about 1½ cups of the broth into a liquid measure from and set aside. It is ok if there is some rice or orzo in it.
- In a medium bowl, with a handheld mixer, whisk together the egg and egg yolks until frothy; then, add the lemon juice and whisk again until the egg and lemon mixture is well combined.
- Temper the egg mixture by gradually adding some of the reserved hot broth to the egg and lemon mixture, while you keep whisking with your other hand. Do this slowly so the eggs do not curdle. Then, stir in the whole mixture back to the pot, always off the heat.
- Add the chicken to the pot. Bring the soup to a very low simmer, whisking occasionally. Make sure you do not allow the soup to boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
- Enjoy immediately!
-- In general, the amount of liquid you need for a soup depends on how big is the pot you are using. Larger pots tend to have bigger evaporation and require more liquid than medium size ones. With that in mind, adjust the liquid as needed by adding some hot water.
-- If you use boneless chicken, then ¾ of a pound will be enough. Bone-in thighs are more flavorful and more tender than breasts. They also cook faster. If you use large chicken breasts, cut them in half so they cook faster.
A heartier variation of this soup is the Greek meatballs in avgolemono broth (youvarlakia) which is another popular recipe on the blog!
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In the “Ingredients” of the CLASSIC GREEK AVGOLEMONO SOUP recipe, the quantity of rice is missing. How much do we make per person?
P.S.
Love your recipes!
Hi Rose, good catch, the quantity of rice is now added to the recipe template! You will need 1/2 cup of rice for this recipe.
Hi Marilena,
Made this for lunch yesterday, with orzo. Nice and hearty. Thanks!
Kathy
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Kathy! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Marilena,
Excited to make this soup. do you ever add vegetables?
Hi Terpse,
You can add some carrots to the soup if you want, but, generally this recipe does not call for other vegetables!
I would like to subscrSliibe to your blog.
All you have to do, Joanne, is enter your email in the little box on the right column and click the “subscribe” button. Every new recipe will arrive straight to your inbox every time I publish it!
I have tried several recipes for avgolemonos, including the one from my favorite Greek restaurant, Mykonos, here in Miami, Florida. They also make the absolute best spanakopitas this side of heaven. However, I have to say that your recipe for avgolemonos is by far the best!! I’m making the broth even as I type. The avgolemonos with a Greek salad are the best dinner for tonight! Thanks for this recipe!
Wow! Thank you so much for your kind words, Raul! I am so happy you like my avgolemono soup recipe so much – it is my family’s favorite soup as well!
Hi Marilena!
Just wanted to let you know I am Greek! I cooked with my mom my Gia Gia all the time cooking Greek food making our own noodles and Filo dough with my Gia Gia! I love your recipe because this is exactly the way my mom used to make it when we were kids. She’s not alive anymore where I can call her up and ask hey Mom how do I make your Greek soup again!? She would say throw a little of this and a little of that in and then you got it. Thank you for bringing my soul back to my Mom and Gia Gia! My favorite Greek soup recipe…Greek version of the American chicken noodle soup and the cure of all ailments. And the heart of my Greek heritage❤️ Thank you! Very sincerely, Elaine
What I appreciate most about this soup, other than the fabulous taste, is that it is just about the only chicken soup that does not have onions and or garlic in its base. My lower GI tract is very sensitive to garlic and onions, they are high in an FODMAP called Fructans. So many soups, especially American chicken noodle soup recipe have the 2nd ingredient is onions and lower down the list is garlic. Thank you for a flavorful soup that doesn’t wreck my gut!
Yes, there are no onions or garlic in the classic Greek Avgolemono soup! Once you master the technique of tempering the eggs with the broth, the rest is pretty simple! Thank you for your comment!
Great soup! Only request would be to add cooking times and heat temps to everything
Hi Allix,
Thank you for your message. The recipe calls for cooking the chicken under “medium heat” for 40 minutes! I do not specify cooking time for the rice because some people prefer it softer and others a bit firmer. So cooking time is really a personal preference in this case!
I made this last night and it was delicious. Los Angeles is getting hit with rain and dropping temperatures, so this was a great dinner. I added double the lemon juice and it was perfect for me. Thanks for sharing.
That’s great, Kellan, I am glad you liked it! Yes, more lemon is always a good idea:)