Avgolemono Soup is a fabulously lemony chicken soup made super creamy without any dairy! It’s classic Greek comfort food.
Avgolemono soup is a traditional Greek soup made by thickening hot broth with a mixture of eggs and lemon juice (avgó = egg, lemóni = lemon). The result is a silky, creamy texture without any dairy, balanced by bright lemon flavor. It’s most often finished with rice or orzo and tender chicken, both of which I added to my delicious version.
Chicken broth thickened with eggs and flavored with lemon is a Mediterranean idea so good that just about everyone claimed it in one form or another. You’ll find versions of avgolemono soup in Greece, Turkey, and Italy, as well as throughout Arabic and Jewish cuisines. The texture and flavor of the soup are remarkable ~ silky and lightly creamy (with no dairy whatsoever), balanced by a bright, pronounced lemon tang.
My lemon soup recipe is cobbled together from a handful of sources. I take what I love from each one until I get it just right for me ~ not too many eggs, extra lemon, no celery, and orzo instead of rice. Traditionally, this soup starts with a whole chicken simmered into broth, but I use a good rotisserie chicken and quality store-bought broth without sacrificing the character or flavor of this wonderful soup.
the avgolemono soup method
When you add the egg and lemon mixture to the hot broth, it immediately forms a creamy emulsion that thickens the soup without any dairy. To keep the soup smooth, add the mixture slowly and stir constantly, then keep the heat low ~ don’t let it boil, or the eggs may curdle.
This soup can be adjusted to suit your needs: keep it lighter with less chicken and rice, or make it more substantial by adding more of both. Its warm, lemony broth makes it an especially good choice for anyone who’s feeling under the weather.
The avgolemono soup technique to create a super lemony sauce thickened with eggs is one I’ve adopted time and again…
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Avgolemono Soup
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 4 large eggs, well beaten
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strain pips and
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked chicken, cut in chunks
- 2 cups cooked orzo or rice
- snipped chives or dill
Instructions
- Heat the stock in a large soup pot to simmering.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the 4 eggs well, and then whisk in the lemon juice, making sure the eggs are completely broken up and smooth.
- Slowly pour one ladle of the hot broth into the egg mixture, whisking all the while. Add another in slowly, and then a third. You are tempering the eggs so they don’t curdle when you add them to the hot broth in the soup pot.
- Off the heat, slowly, drizzle in the lemon egg mixture back into the broth, whisking constantly. (If you are good at that pat the head and rub the tummy trick, you’ll do fine with this…) The soup will turn a cloudy creamy color.
- Put the pan back on the burner and heat gently while stirring, I use a silicone spoonula for this. Don't heat too long, and don't bring to a simmer or boil. The lemon egg mixture will heat through and give the soup a silky body, but it won't get thick. Take off the heat and check the seasonings. I love to add lots of pepper, and you may need some salt.
- I like to put the rice and chicken in the individual bowls first, and then top with the hot soup. This way the orzo or rice doesn’t absorb too much of the broth and get soggy. Add the chives, and serve right away.
Nutrition
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Yummy it looks delicous!!! =D
-Adriana
This is one of my favorite soups and I’ll have to give your version a try. It looks wonderful. Your pictures aren’t too shabby either 🙂 I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
I love this soup. I use to order it everytime I was eating out at my local Greek Restaurant. Yours soup looks delicious. Great photos!
Barb checking in:
Hiya Sue, Your soup looks fab-u-lous! I only made it that one time and I congratulate you on shaving one day off the prep time by starting with a roasted chicken. My recipe came third hand from the sister of someone who was once married to a Greek guy. I’m sure you hit the nail on the head…and that’s how I do lots of my cooking , combining recipes from here and there. Love to all. xoxoxob
(For some reason I can’t comment from work.)
What fantastic photos these are!The soup looks very delicious and i am going to give it a try!
This soup is wonderful with the addition of mint. I add a teaspoon or more of dried mint along with a few tablespoons of uncooked rice to the broth. When the rice is cooked, I add the eggs and lemon.
I love this soup!
I’ve only had this once but still remember how silky and comforting it was! I definitely want to try making it myself, so thanks for the recipe!
The soup is such a beautiful color. I could see serving it at a wedding or baby shower. Or, with some luscious scallops. Is it lunch yet?
What an interesting combination of flavours.
This would be a lovely cold weather soup and I would serve it with a rustic peasant bread.
You could write a cookbook Sue!
Hello Sue:
We love anything lemony and know that we should find this soup absolutely delicious. Our housekeeper already makes a marvellous chicken broth, so now all we need to be able to do is explain the other bits. How is your Hungarian?!!!