Avgolemono: Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Serves 18

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ½ to 3 cup finely chopped carrots

1 ½ to 3 cup finely chopped celery

1 ½ to 3 cup finely chopped green onions

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

24 cup low-sodium chicken broth

6 bay leaves

3 cup rice

Salt and pepper

6 cooked boneless chicken breast pieces, shredded ( about 18 to 24 oz store-bought rotisserie chicken will work)

1 ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

6 large eggs

Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery and green onions, toss together to saute briefly then stir in the garlic.

2. Add the chicken broth and bay leaves then raise the heat to high. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, add the rice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now stir in the cooked chicken.

3. To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking add 2 ladles-full of the broth from the cooking pot (this helps temper the eggs). Once fully combined, add the sauce to the chicken soup and stir. Remove from the heat immediately.

Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like. Serve with toasted baguette.

Notes

1. Make sure to temper the sauce. To make avgolemono sauce, you’ll need to whisk two eggs with ½ cup of lemon, and while whisking with one hand, pour in two ladles of the hot chicken broth from your soup. That’s really the trickiest part of this soup, but it’s not that difficult.  And if you need to,  ask someone to help you pour in the broth, while you do the whisking. 

2. Add avgolemono sauce to the soup at the very end, and immediately remove from heat. This is your very last step in the process, be sure to remove the soup from heat immediately or the eggs might begin to cook and the soup separates (you’re not looking for an egg drop soup here.)