This Lemon, Orzo and Chicken Soup is a classic Greek Soup also known as Avgolemono And is one of my all time favorite soups.
This classic Greek soup thickened with eggs, loaded with rice, chicken and flavored with lots of lemon is, for sure, without question, the best soup in the world. I grow up In Bulgaria which is Greece neighbor and let me tell you I’ve been eating this delicious soup since I was a little girl.
Every time I make this hearty delicious soup brings back my childhood memories and the time when I was In Greece. Hands down one of my favorite soups and I bet will be yours too. Chicken and rice soup, which is made of emulsified eggs, lemon juice, and hot broth, total comfort at best. And if you want to make your life easier use up your leftover roast chicken to make this moreish lemon chicken soup.
I don’t know about you but in our household its a soup season all year round. Avgolemono is everything you’d ever want out of a soup. It’s simple and light, yet hearty and satisfying.
What is Avgolemono Sauce?
It means egg-lemon sauce (avgo=egg; lemono=lemon). In this case, it’s stirred into chicken and rice soup. You can also serve avgolemono sauce over grapeleaves (dolmathes), chicken, lamb, meatballs, etc. It’s kind of like a citrusy sauce. In Bulgaria we make it extra decadent and creamy by adding a Bulgarian yougurt. It makes soups and sauces taste amazingly and with a little bit of a tang and sourness from the yogurt. We call this “Zastroyka” or here in America you probably know it as a “liaison”. I always added at the end of the most soups I make.
Some people are intimidated by making avgolemono sauce. Done right, it’s extremely smooth and creamy. But the eggs can curdle sometimes. If you are planning to freeze the soup skip making the sauce in the beginning and adding to the whole pot of soup. Make a litlle and added as you serve.
I have some foolproof tips for making the smoothest, most perfectly emulsified Avgolemono sauce for this soup. It’s actually really easy to do and so satisfying!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS AND TECHNIQUES
- Use a blender! A Blender mixes the eggs and lemon juice at such a high speed, and it’s easy to gradually pour the hot broth into the mixture while the blender is on.
- No blender? Use an electric hand mixer
- Make sure the broth is Hot. I make sure the broth is hot but not boiling hot before I add it to the sauce. And add it extremely gradually to the egg/lemon mixture so it doesnt curdle.
- If you are adding a spoon of Bulgarian yougurt add a a little bit a flour and mix well together everything. By adding the flour guarantee that the mixture will not separate or curdle.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE?
- Comforting Soup
- Ready in about 30 -45 minutes
- Easy Weeknight Dinner
- Simple and affordable ingredients
- Spicy, warm, rich and healthy soup
Now is the time to enjoy a healthy meal that will make you feel great from the inside out! This soup is full of aromatics and flavors, amazing to heat you up during the cold winter days. To be honest with you I am making this soup at least once a month, even during the hot summer days, that’s how much we love it.
I am a soup lover girl all year round. It doesnt matter if its hot or cold I love it. I know that not every one share my love for soups but this one its a winner. It is easy to make and perfect for Easy Weeknight Dinner and only takes 30 minutes and it really is that delicious!
In a lots of the recipe you will find online the soup is made with rice, but my version is with Orzo. I am telling you its much much better with orzo. The Orzo absorbs all the goodness from the broth and takes only 7-8 minutes to get cooked, much faster than rice.
Avgolemono Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion - chopped
- 2 medium carrots - chopped
- 1 stalk celery - chopped
- 3 chicken thighs
- 6-7 cups chicken stock
- 1-11/2 tsp. salt - or to taste
- 1- 11/2 tsp. black pepper - or to taste
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. vegeta - vegetable seasoning (optional)
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice - or to taste
- 2 tbsp. Bulgarian yougurt - optional
- 1- 1/2 cups Orzo Pasta
Instructions
- In a Large soup pot or Dutch oven add chicken broth and chicken thighs, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and vegeta. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. In mean time chopped onion, celery and carrot and added to the pot/ Dutch oven and cook for about 2 minutes or until all vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked.
- Remove the chicken when is cooked and shredded with a fork.
- Add the orzo and let it cook it takes 7-8 minutes. Add the shredded chicken to the pot.
- In a small bowl whisk the eggs and lemon juice and if you are adding yougurt together or use a blender.
- Add slowly a little bit of the broth to the egg and lemon mixture so that way doesnt curdle. Add the mixture slowly to the soup.
- Adjust seasonings to your liking. I like a lots of lemon in my soup. Finish the soup with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- If you want to add some Bulgarian yougurt to the soup add a little bit if flour so it doesnt curdle.
- Use chicken thighs instead breast. so much flavor
- If you are planning to freeze the soup don’t add the avgolemono sauce to the whole pot, the egg will separate and curdle when defrosting. Add the avgolemono sauce as you serve.
- by using Orzo pasta you are speeding the cooking process.
- VEGETA- all purpose seasoning- this is a seasoning use a lot in the European cuisine.
Nutrition