Avgolemono Soup (Greek Egg-Lemon Chicken Rice Soup)
Quick answer
Avgolemono - from the Greek avgo (egg) and lemoni (lemon) - is a soup with roots reaching back to Sephardic Jewish communities of the Byzantine Empire who brought egg-lem...
What makes this special
- Greek Avgolemono Soup balances silky egg and bright lemon in a savory chicken and rice broth.
- Tempering with ladle-by-ladle hot broth keeps egg smooth, not curdled
- Egg and lemon juice emulsify into a pale yellow velvet broth
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Pour 1000ml chicken broth into a pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- 2 Lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- 3 Add 200g chicken breast and keep the soup at a gentle simmer for about 8 minutes.
Avgolemono - from the Greek avgo (egg) and lemoni (lemon) - is a soup with roots reaching back to Sephardic Jewish communities of the Byzantine Empire who brought egg-lemon sauces to the eastern Mediterranean, where they were absorbed into Greek cooking and eventually became one of the country's most enduring culinary signatures. Chicken broth is simmered with short-grain rice until the grains swell and release enough starch to give the liquid a faint body before the egg mixture even goes in. The defining technique is tempering: beaten eggs and freshly squeezed lemon juice are whisked together until frothy and unified, then ladles of hot broth are drizzled in one by one while whisking constantly, gradually raising the temperature of the egg mixture without allowing it to set. This tempered liquid is then stirred back into the pot with the heat off, transforming the broth into a pale-yellow, velvet-smooth cream. Lemon acidity registers first on the palate, clean and forward, followed by the warmth and body of the chicken stock settling in behind it. The soup must never return to a boil after the eggs are incorporated - even a brief simmer will cause the proteins to seize and turn the broth grainy and opaque. Shredded poached chicken stirred in at the end makes it a complete, sustaining meal, and a final grating of lemon zest over each bowl sharpens the citrus note for those who want more brightness. In Greece, avgolemono is considered the default remedy for cold days and illness, made more often in home kitchens than ordered in restaurants.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Pour 1000ml chicken broth into a pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add 80g rice, stir once to separate the grains, and scrape the bottom so the rice does not stick early.
- 2Control
Lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Stir occasionally until the rice grains look plump, the center is tender, and the broth has a light body from the released starch.
- 3Control
Add 200g chicken breast and keep the soup at a gentle simmer for about 8 minutes.
When the center turns opaque and fully cooked, remove it, cool briefly, and shred it along the grain.
- 4Prep
In a bowl, whisk 2 eggs with 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
Beat steadily until the yolk streaks disappear, the mixture looks unified, and a layer of small bubbles forms on the surface.
- 5Prep
Drizzle hot broth into the egg mixture one ladle at a time, very slowly.
Whisk without stopping so the eggs warm gradually, and slow down immediately if any small curds begin to appear.
- 6Season
Turn off the heat, stir the tempered egg mixture back into the pot, then return the shredded chicken.
Season with 0.5 teaspoon salt and 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, warming gently without boiling to keep the soup smooth.
After the steps
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