Avgolemono Soup
A silky Greek chicken and rice soup thickened with an egg and lemon emulsion rather than cream. Sharp, restorative, and made almost entirely from things you already have.
Photograph credit: Avgolemono soup by robin.norwood · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Avgolemono is a warm emulsion of egg and acid, and it will scramble if the eggs meet hot stock too quickly. Tempering — whisking ladlefuls of hot broth into the egg mixture very gradually — raises the temperature slowly enough that the proteins thicken smoothly instead of setting into curds.
Photograph credit: Avgolemono - Sarah Stierch by Missvain · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Avgolemono Soup: Step by Step
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Sweat the onion and celery in the olive oil over low heat for 8 minutes until soft and translucent.
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Add the stock and bring to a simmer, then add the rice and cook for 15 minutes until tender.
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Stir in the shredded chicken and season with the salt and white pepper. Take the pot off the heat and let it stand for 3 minutes — the broth must stop boiling before the egg goes anywhere near it.
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Whisk the eggs in a bowl for a full minute until pale and frothy, then whisk in the lemon juice.
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Now temper: add a ladleful of hot broth to the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Repeat with three more ladlefuls, one at a time.
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Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot in a slow stream, stirring continuously.
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Return to the lowest possible heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the soup thickens slightly and turns opaque and velvety. Do not let it boil.
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Stir through the dill and parsley, taste for lemon and salt, and serve immediately.
Related guides: Choosing rice · Ingredient substitutions.
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Tips That Matter
- If it does curdle, blitz the soup with a stick blender — it will not be quite as silky but it is entirely salvageable.
- Orzo makes a more substantial soup; rice makes a lighter one.
- It thickens further on standing, so serve it slightly looser than you think you want.
Pairs Well With
A cold Assyrtiko or simply water · Serve with crusty bread and olives · Follow with grilled fish
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Horiatiki Greek Salad, Briam.
Keeping and Reheating
Refrigerate 3 days but reheat only very gently below a simmer, or the emulsion will break. Do not freeze.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Gluten-free when made with long-grain rice rather than orzo.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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