Avgolemono — Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion (medium, diced)
• 1 carrot (medium, diced)
• 2.5 celery stalks (diced)
• 2.5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 oz chicken breasts (about 350g total)
• 6 cup chicken stock
• 0.75 cup orzo
• 1 lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
• 2 egg yolks
• fresh dill (a handful)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 8-10 minutes over medium heat until softened.

2. 2

   Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the bay leaves, chicken and chicken stock.

3. 3

   Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Take out the chicken breasts and bay leaves.

5. 5

   Add the orzo to the pot and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Shred the chicken with two forks and add it back to the pot.

7. 7

   While the orzo is cooking, whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl.

8. 8

   Take out 1-2 ladles of soup and pour it over the egg-lemon mixture to temper it. Add this mix to the pot and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

9. 9

   Stir in the fresh dill, adjust the seasoning and serve immediately, with some extra fresh dill on top if you like.

Notes

Make sure you don't skip the tempering the eggs step - it's essential to avoid scrambling. Ground turkey also works well as a substitute for chicken. To make the soup creamier and richer, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil. If freezing, it is recommended to freeze without the orzo to maintain texture.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• soup
• chicken
• lemon
• avgolemono
• greek
• comfort food
• stovetop