Avgolemono soup is a traditional Greek recipe known for its creamy texture and big, bright lemon flavor. It’s made with simple, wholesome ingredients for comfort food that makes you feel good too!
Avgolemono soup: the only thing harder than pronouncing the name is typing it out. But setting that aside, this recipe is the perfect example of how you can take simple, humble ingredients and transform them into something truly special. The name translates to “egg-lemon,” so you won’t be surprised to learn that those are two of the key ingredients! The creamy texture is from the egg, which adds richness without the need for heavy cream. Then, the lemon juice adds brightness and balances some of that richness. Chicken and rice make it satisfying, and there’s plenty of veggies in here too!
Why Avgolemono Soup Is a Classic
So what makes avgolemono soup so popular? Here are some of the reasons it's so darn good:
- Bright lemon flavor. The star of the show is undoubtedly the big, bold, and BRIGHT lemon juice. As I mentioned, it balances the richness of the egg, but it also adds depth and dimension. Totally magical!
- Creamy texture. Kind of like egg drop soup, avgolemono soup has a luxurious and velvety texture, which comes from tempering eggs with hot broth. This method creates an emulsion that thickens the soup without any of the typical ingredients you use for thickening.
- Chicken soup, elevated. There’s no denying that avgolemono soup is a comfort food, but it’s a little more elevated than your average chicken noodle soup. Don’t get me wrong, I love chicken noodle soup too, but avgolemono feels a little fancier!
What You’ll Need
The ingredients for avgolemono are super simple! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the Chicken:
- Olive oil
- Chicken – I use skinless and boneless chicken breasts.
- Lemon wedge
- Chicken broth – I like to use this Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth.
- Salt and pepper
For the Soup:
- Olive oil
- Vegetables – Carrots, onion, parsnip, celery, and garlic add flavor and make the soup more satisfying.
- Salt and pepper
- Chicken stock
- Bay leaf
- Rice – Like Arborio. Another option is to use orzo, which is used instead of rice in some avgolemono soup recipes.
- Cooked chicken breasts
- Egg
- Lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is absolutely a must! Bottled juice doesn’t taste nearly as good.
- Fresh parsley – The perfect finishing touch. It adds color and a nice herbaceous flavor.
How to Make Avgolemono Soup
The full instructions for making avgolemono soup are in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview of the steps involved.
- Cook the chicken. Let the chicken come to room temperature for 20 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and add it to a hot skillet with the olive oil. After cooking both sides for about 5 minutes, add the lemon wedge and broth; cover and cook 10 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165ºF.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Discard the liquid and let the chicken cool to room temperature before shredding it.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the carrots, onion, parsnip, and celery. Once softened, stir in the garlic.
- Rinse the rice. Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse with water until it runs clear.
- Simmer. Add the stock and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, then add the rice and reduce the heat. Simmer until the rice is tender, then stir in the chicken.
- Temper the egg. Whisk the egg in a bowl with the lemon juice. Continue to whisk and slowly pour in ½ cup of the hot broth to temper the egg.
- Finish. Stir the egg mixture into the soup, then remove the soup from heat. Garnish with parsley.
Tips and Variations
Here are some pointers to help you make sure your avgolemono turns out perfect!
- Swap in leftover chicken. You don’t have to cook the chicken first if you have leftovers! Sometimes I’ll use leftover Instant Pot Whole Chicken; just shred it and add it to the soup. Another option is to use rotisserie chicken.
- Don’t cook once you add the egg. After stirring the egg back into the soup, you need to remove the soup from the heat immediately to keep it from separating.
- Make it meatless. You can make a vegetarian version of avgolemono by omitting the chicken or replacing it with drained and rinsed white beans or chickpeas.
Serving Suggestions
This soup pairs beautifully with fresh, crusty bread or even Gluten-Free Quinoa Flour Naan. You can also serve avgolemono with Quinoa Greek Salad with Chickpeas or Vegan Cucumber Noodle Greek Salad to keep with the Greek theme.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store any leftover avgolemono in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
- Reheat: To reheat, gently warm the soup over low heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally until heated through. Do not let it boil or the soup may separate.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
Avgolemono Soup
Avgolemono soup is a traditional Greek recipe known for its creamy texture and big, bright lemon flavor. It’s easy to make and so delicious!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 (5-ounce) chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 1 lemon wedge
- ½ cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup diced carrots
- ¼ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup diced parsnip
- ¼ cup diced celery stalk
- 2 small cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup rice like Arborio
- 2 (5-ounce) cooked chicken breasts
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the heated oil and cook for 5 minutes per side. Add the chicken broth and lemon wedge and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF at the thickest part.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and discard the cooking liquid.
- Let the chicken cool to room temperature. Then, shred it with two forks or a chicken shredder.
Prepare the soup:
- Dice your veggies into evenly-sized pieces. Mince the garlic.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the carrots, onion, parsnip, and celery stalk. Cook the veggies for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Rinse your rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Then, place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and set it aside.
- Add chicken stock and bay leaf to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil. Once it boils, add rice and reduce heat. Simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir in the cooked chicken.
- Whisk the egg in a bowl with lemon juice. While whisking, gradually pour in ½ cup of the cooking/soup liquid to temper the egg.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the soup and stir. Remove the soup from the heat.
- Ladle the soup into a bowl. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Notes
- This avgolemono soup is made with rice, but if you want something different, you can use Kritharaki. This small rice-shaped pasta is very popular in Greece, and you may also know it as Orzo. If you want to use this pasta instead of rice, reduce the cooking time to 8-10 minutes or according to package directions.
- If you have some leftover chicken, cooked or rotisserie, you can use it in this recipe.
- Once you whisk in the egg and lemon mixture, remove the soup from the heat immediately. If you leave it on the stove, the eggs and the soup may separate.
- The easiest and fastest way to shred the chicken is by using a chicken shredder, but if you do not have one, you can use a stand mixer. Add the chicken into the bowl of your stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, you can shred chicken within 15 seconds.
Nutrition
Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 650mg | Potassium: 745mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1459IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
