This Greek style chicken soup called avgolemono is a great soup for Spring. Lemon and egg in the broth make it taste light but still hearty!
I love this authentic Greek soup, it is so delicious and healthy for you! It is also very calming for your stomach if you are not feeling well. The signature flavor of this soup is the combination of eggs and lemon juice. They are added to the broth at the end of cooking. This combination is delicious and makes it feel like the perfect soup for Spring. Lemons add airiness to the dish, while the brown rice and chicken make it hearty at the same time!
What Do I Need to Make Greek Style Avgolemono Chicken Soup?
The method to make this avgolemono soup very simple. It also reminds me somewhat of another favorite comforting soup of mine, Portuguese canja!
While the full recipe details are below, here are some tips to consider while gathering your ingredients.
- Chicken: I recommend that you use bone-in, skin on chicken thighs for this recipe. This is important, because the skin and bones add so much flavor to your soup! We will boil the thighs in the broth and then will shred them once they are cooked. At this point, we will remove the skin and bones. You don’t need to worry about having soggy chicken skin in your soup!
- Chicken Broth: Because this soup is going to have lots of strong flavor from the lemon juice, we need to match it with a stronger broth than in my canja recipe. For this reason, I recommend using chicken broth to boil the chicken thighs instead of water. To keep this soup as healthy as possible, use a low sodium chicken broth. If you find your soup is too thick at the end, add water until you reach the right consistency.
- Brown Rice: While I prefer to cook with brown rice, you can use white rice if you prefer. If you swap for white rice, make sure you reduce your cooking time so that you don’t overcook your rice in the soup! Also be sure to add the chicken before you add the rice, because it will need more time than the rice to cook in the boiling broth.
- Eggs and Lemon Juice: The eggs and lemon juice are extremely important for this recipe, because they add distinct flavor to this soup! The Greek translation of avgolemono is egg-lemon, which is the basis for the broth.
Tips for Reheating Your Avgolemono Soup
While reheating soup in the microwave is generally the most convenient way to reheat your soups, it is not ideal for leftover avgolemono soup. This is because the microwave cooks the egg in such a way that it ruins the consistency of the soup. The best way to reheat your leftover avgolemono soup is to add it to a saucepan over medium heat, and stir in additional chicken broth or water – I usually use a mixture of both. Gradually heat the soup in the sauce pan and stir occasionally, adding more broth and water as needed. Once heated through you can enjoy your leftovers!
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Greek Chicken Soup (Avgolemeno)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Greek
Description
This Greek style chicken soup called avgolemono is a great soup for Spring. Lemon and egg in the broth make it taste light but still hearty!
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups brown basmati rice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the chicken thighs and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the rice and reduce heat to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, remove the chicken from the soup and keep simmering the rice in the broth. remove the skin and bones from the chicken thighs, and shred the chicken apart. Add the chicken back to the soup. If there is not enough liquid in your soup, add a cup of water (or more) until you reach the right consistency and continue to simmer.
- Once the rice is fully cooked, you will need to prepare your eggs. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. Slowly add a ladle of the hot broth to the mixing bowl, whisking constantly. Repeat this until you have added 2-3 ladles of broth to your eggs. This is called tempering your eggs, which will prevent them from scrambling when adding them to your soup. Add the egg, lemon, and broth mixture to your soup and mix it in. Simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. Pour into bowls and enjoy!
Notes
- The best way to reheat your leftover avgolemono soup is to add it to a saucepan over medium heat, and stir in additional chicken broth or water – I usually use a mixture of both. Gradually heat the soup in the sauce pan and stir occasionally, adding more broth and water as needed. Once heated through you can enjoy your leftovers!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of yield
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 321mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 168mg
Keywords: Greek Chicken Soup, Avgolemono, Egg and Lemon Chicken Soup, Easy Chicken Soup, Comforting Chicken Soup, Spring Soup, Lemon Soup, Easy Family Soup
The nutrition information provided is an estimate generated using a third party online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
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