Description
Avgolemono, pronounced ah-vgo-leh-moh-noh, is a traditional Greek soup renowned for its creamy texture and zesty lemon flavor. This comforting dish combines tender chicken, orzo pasta, and a velvety egg-lemon sauce, offering a delightful balance of flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Soup:
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 8 cups cold water
- 1 large unpeeled yellow onion, quartered
- 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup dried orzo
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
For Serving:
- 1/2 medium lemon, thinly sliced
- Fresh dill or oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken and Make the Stock:
- In a 5-quart or larger Dutch oven, combine the chicken thighs, cold water, onion, black peppercorns, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface during cooking.
- Strain the Stock:
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl, discarding the solids. If there is excess fat in the stock, skim it off with a spoon or use a fat separator. Reserve 2 cups of the stock for later use. Return the remaining stock to the Dutch oven and keep warm over low heat.
- Shred the Chicken:
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces using your hands, discarding the skin and bones.
- Cook the Orzo:
- Bring the stock back to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the dried orzo and cook until al dente, about 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken and reduce the heat to low.
- Prepare the Egg-Lemon Mixture (Avgolemono):
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until they are light in color and frothy, which should take about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Gradually add the reserved 2 cups of warm stock to the egg-lemon mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling.
- Finish the Soup:
- Pour the avgolemono (egg-lemon mixture) back into the pot with the chicken and orzo. Stir everything together and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the soup thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the soup boil.
- Serve:
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with thin lemon slices, freshly chopped dill or oregano, and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
Be careful not to boil the soup after adding the egg-lemon mixture to prevent curdling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Category: soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 210mg