Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup) is one of our all-time favorite soups! It’s bright and citrusy thanks to the delicious lemon sauce. Especially this time of year when it’s cold out and all you want to do is stay on the couch and snuggle. It’s so comforting! It brings us back to when we were young and not feeling well and our Yiayia would make this soup for us. It’s great for when you’re feeling under the weather!

This soup is packed with flavor from the simple vegetables blend of carrots, celery and onion. You could make your own broth and remove the veggies. We prefer the added flavor of using store-bought chicken broth (make sure you get a low sodium broth!) as well as the added nutrients of keeping the carrots and celery in the soup. And if If you’re in a time crunch you could use store-bought rotisserie chicken as well.

We use orzo pasta as our grain for this soup for its pillowy texture but traditionally rice is used. Either way, you really can’t go wrong!

Lemon & Egg Sauce

Is it true what they say, the secrets in the sauce? Well for this recipe is really is! Without it, it’s just chicken soup. The lemon gives it a brightness and the eggs make it silky smooth. The key is to go slow so that you don’t scramble the eggs!

Lemon, lemon and more lemon! If you’re new around here we LOVE using fresh lemons in our dishes so this soup is right up our alley. We used the juice from 3 lemons in this sauce so you can tailor the amount to your taste.

The only tricky part of this recipe is tempering the eggs. You don’t want scrambled eggs in your soup, gross! So here are our tips for ensuring a frothy smooth sauce.

In two bowls separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Allow them to come to room temperature. When the soup has fully cooked and you’re ready to make the sauce start by adding the egg whites to a blender. You could hand whisk it but let’s be real, that takes too long and can get messy. Give the egg whites a few pumps in the blender and then add in the egg yolks and lemon juice. Blend again. HERE’S THE IMPORTANT STEP. You want to keep the blender going while you slowly pour in the hot soup broth. If you move too quickly the eggs will scramble so take your time. We ladle in about 2 cups of broth adding 1 cup at a time. Then continuously stir the soup while you slowly pour the lemon egg sauce into the soup.

More soup recipes

• Youvarlakia (Greek Meatball Soup)
• Instant Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Creamy Mushroom Soup
• Crock Pot Italian Spiced Chicken Ozro Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

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Avgolemono – Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

A comforting Greek-style hearty chicken soup with a silky lemon and egg sauce.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean

Servings 6 servings

Calories 418 kcal

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2.5 lbs chicken breast
• 8 cups organic low sodium chicken broth
• 1 large white onion
• 4 stalks celery
• 4 large carrots peeled
• ¾ cup dry orzo pasta
• 2-3 lemons
• 4 eggs
• fresh dill optional
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In a large stockpot add 8 cups of chicken broth over high heat.
• Peel the onion leaving it whole and add to the pot.
• Chop the celery and carrots and add to the pot. Option to leave them whole for flavoring and remove later.
• Rinse the chicken, pat dry and add to the pot.
• Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Once the chicken has cooked move to a cutting board and chop or shred then return back to the pot. If the broth starts to evaporate too much just add water a cup at a time and return to a simmer.
• Add in the orzo pasta.
• Meanwhile, separate the eggs yolks from the egg whites in 2 small bowls and allow them to come to room temperature.
• Juice the lemons into a small bowl.
• Once the orzo is cooked start on the lemon sauce.
• Whisk the egg whites and add them to a blender and blend.
• Add the yolks and lemon to the blender and blend again.
• Keeping the blender on ladle in the hot soup broth (about 2 cups, ladling in a cup at a time) slowly and carefully to temper the eggs.
• Continuously stir the soup and slowly pour in the egg mixture.
• Serve immediately and top with fresh dill (optional).

Notes

• You can also make this recipe using a whole chicken instead of chicken breast. Using a whole chicken will add to the flavor of the soup. 
• If you don’t have orzo pasta you can sub with rice or any small pasta noodle

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 54gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 230mgSodium: 393mgPotassium: 1299mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 8246IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Avgolemono, Chicken, Dill, Greek, Lemon Chicken, Orzo, Soup

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