Avgolemono: Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice

Avgolemono is a traditional Greek soup made with lemon, egg and broth. I tried this simple recipe for it from Food and Wine over the weekend and it's definitely going into the regular rotation. It's fresh and light, while being deliciously comforting. The most important thing about is to not allow the soup to boil once the egg is added or it will curdle. The easiest way to do this is to heat the broth first, then scoop out a cup or so. Let it cool just a bit and then slowly whisk in the egg and lemon. This is then added back into the larger pot of hot broth. It will become frothy and thicken slightly. Yum!

Avgolemono Chicken Soup with Rice  

from Food and Wine

4 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth


Salt and freshly ground pepper


2 cups cooked white rice, warmed

2 large egg yolks


1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled from the bones and coarsely shredded (1 pound)


1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

In a large saucepan, season the stock with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Transfer 1 cup of the hot stock to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the rice, the egg yolks and the lemon juice and puree until smooth. Stir the puree into the simmering stock along with the chicken and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of rice and simmer until thickened slightly, 10 minutes. Stir in the dill and serve.

Note: If you plan to have leftovers, I would add the warm rice as you serve it. I found that if you store it with all the rice added, it absorbs too much of the broth.