Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup with a Silky Egg-Lemon Finish)

Avgolemono (αυγολέμονο, pronounced av-go-LEH-mo-no) is Greece's classic lemon chicken and rice soup: a light chicken broth thickened not with cream or flour but with eggs whisked together with fresh lemon juice. The result is silky, tangy and bright, yet warming enough to be the soup Greek families reach for at the first sign of a cold or a chilly evening. That makes it ideal for autumn, when you want something comforting that still tastes fresh.

Three things make this recipe work. First, poaching bone-in chicken thighs builds a rich broth in under 30 minutes, and thigh meat stays tender after shredding (a shortcut with good stock and rotisserie chicken is in the tips). Second, the rice cooks directly in the broth, so its starch gives the soup body before the eggs go in. Third, and most important, the eggs are tempered: hot broth is whisked into the egg and lemon mixture one ladle at a time before it goes back into the pot, and the soup never boils afterward. Follow that rule and you get a velvety soup with no scrambled bits.

Finish with plenty of black pepper and fresh dill, and serve with crusty bread. The whole pot takes under an hour and uses ingredients you probably already have.

Ingredients

• 600 g (1.3 lb) bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 4)
• 1.5 liters (6 cups) cold water
• 1 medium onion, peeled and halved
• 2 celery stalks, cut into large pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into large pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 120 g (2/3 cup) long-grain white rice, rinsed (or 120 g orzo)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons), plus lemon wedges to serve
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more to garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to serve
• Shortcut option: 1.2 liters (5 cups) good chicken stock and 300 g (10 oz) shredded rotisserie chicken in place of the first seven ingredients

Instructions

1. Put the chicken thighs, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and salt in a large pot and add the cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then lower the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and pulls easily from the bone.
2. Lift out the chicken and set it aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a sieve, discard the vegetables and bay leaves, and return the broth to the pot; you should have about 1.2 liters (5 cups), so top up with water if needed. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the bones.
3. Bring the broth back to a boil, stir in the rice, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes, until the rice is tender. Orzo needs only 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the shredded chicken and the olive oil and simmer for 2 minutes to heat through. Turn off the heat and let the pot stand for 2 to 3 minutes so it stops bubbling; broth that is hot but not boiling is exactly what you want for the next step.
5. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs for about 1 minute until pale and frothy, then whisk in the lemon juice.
6. Temper the eggs: whisking constantly with one hand, ladle about 120 ml (1/2 cup) of the hot broth into the egg mixture in a slow, thin stream. Repeat with 3 more ladles, one at a time, until the bowl feels warm and the mixture looks like thin custard.
7. Slowly pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pot while stirring. Return the pot to the lowest heat and stir gently for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the soup thickens slightly and turns creamy and pale yellow. Do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.
8. Taste and season with salt and the black pepper; the soup should taste clearly lemony, so add another squeeze of lemon if you like. Stir in the dill, ladle into bowls, and serve with more dill, pepper and lemon wedges.

Tips

• Substitutions: orzo (kritharaki) is just as traditional as rice. For the 30-minute shortcut, skip steps 1 and 2, bring 1.2 liters of good chicken stock to a boil at step 3, and add 300 g shredded rotisserie chicken at step 4. Boneless thighs work too; poach them for 15 minutes instead.
• Use room-temperature eggs and take your time with the tempering; the bowl should feel warm before anything goes back into the pot. If a few threads of egg do appear, a few seconds with an immersion blender smooths them out.
• Storage: the soup keeps in the fridge for 3 days, but the rice keeps absorbing liquid, so loosen it with a splash of stock or water and reheat very gently over low heat, never boiling. Don't freeze the finished soup; instead, freeze the broth, rice and chicken (through step 4) for up to 3 months and temper fresh eggs when you reheat it.
• Serve with crusty bread or warm pita, a bowl of olives and feta, and a simple Greek salad (horiatiki). It also makes an elegant first course before roast lamb or lemon potatoes.
• Fresh lemon juice only; bottled juice tastes flat here. If you like it extra sharp, add up to 2 more tablespoons at the end, and finish each bowl with a little grated lemon zest.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is an estimate only: about 390 kcal, 33 g protein, 17 g fat, 25 g carbohydrate per serving.