Sniffles & Sneezes Mean Avgolemono . . .

. . . otherwise known as Greek Lemon Chicken Soup!

My son has been a little under-the-weather with a head cold this week. I think almost everyone agrees that there's nothing like a bowl of chicken soup when you aren't feeling well and I was feeling a little adventurous. This soup was the perfect meal to help him feel better. The addition of lemon takes ordinary chicken soup up a notch and the eggs provide a silky smooth, almost sauce-like quality to the broth. It's a wonderful culinary experience that I intend to repeat!

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)

Serves:  4 - 6


6 cups water

4 tbsp. chicken base (or bouillon) 

3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 lemon, juiced (be sure to remove seeds)

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 bay leaf

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. pepper (use white pepper, if you have it)

2 tbsp. butter, softened

2 tbsp. flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup rice, cooked

lemon slices (for serving)

chopped fresh parsley (for serving)


Add the water, chicken base, and chicken breasts to a large saucepan or stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to a simmer. Skim the foam as it forms on top. Continue simmering for 20 - 30 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, bay leaf, and pepper. Simmer until 30 - 45  minutes before serving. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and bay leaf from the broth; discard the bay leaf and cut or shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Mash the flour into the butter until thoroughly combined and add to the chicken broth. Stir to be sure all the butter/flour mixture has melted and mixed into the broth.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks until they become a slightly lighter color. Slowly (very slowly) add small amounts (I started out with 2 tbsp.) of the hot broth to the yolks. Be sure to stir the yolks the entire time you are adding the hot liquid (this is known as tempering the yolks) because you don't want to turn the yolks into scrambled eggs. Add about a cup of the broth to the yolks (a little at a time), making sure you are stirring while adding the broth. Pour the yolk/broth mixture back into the soup broth; add the rice and chicken. Continue simmering until the soup is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. 

To serve, ladle the soup into a serving bowl, sprinkle with chopped parsley (if you like) and place a slice of lemon in the bowl. This soup makes a beautiful presentation at the dinner table.

Enjoy!

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