Description
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, or Avgolemono, is a creamy, comforting dish made with tender chicken, orzo pasta, fresh lemon juice, and whisked egg yolks. This Mediterranean favorite delivers rich, tangy flavor and a velvety texture—without using cream.
Ingredients
Scale
- YouTube
- Make sure you don’t skip the tempering the eggs step -it’s essential to avoid scrambling. You don’t want to end up with egg drop soup.
- Make the soup creamier and richer by adding 1-2 tablespoons of butter with theolive oil.
- Serve this Greek lemon soup with a bit of freshly crackedblack pepperand extra dill on top if you like.
- 1 tablespoonolive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2–3 celery stalks, diced
- 2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2bay leaves
- 2 chicken breasts (about 12 oz / 350 g total)
- 6 cups (1.5 liter)chicken stock
- ¾ cup (175 g)orzo
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 egg yolks
- A handfulfresh dill
- Salt and freshly groundblack pepperto taste
- I made hollandaise sauce this morning and have some left over, do you think I could use about 1/2 cup. It had egg yolk water lemon juice and butterReplyHello Wendy, even though I’ve never tried it, I think you can use your leftover hollandaise in the Avgolemono soup. The egg yolk and lemon juice in it should complement the soup nicely. Just be mindful of the butter content as it may slightly alter the texture.
- Hello Wendy, even though I’ve never tried it, I think you can use your leftover hollandaise in the Avgolemono soup. The egg yolk and lemon juice in it should complement the soup nicely. Just be mindful of the butter content as it may slightly alter the texture.
- Simply delicious! I have always wanted to make this soup myself because it’s one of my favorite menu items to order when I’m dining in a Greek restaurant. But frankly, I was intimidated for some reason. Well it is so much easier than I thought! My only edits were I used the whole egg for extra protein; Arborio rice instead of orzo to make it gluten free; and closer to 4-5 tablespoons of lemon. Thank you for this recipe. It will be in regular rotation at my house!Reply
- I typically use the juice of a regular-sized lemon, which is about 2-3 tablespoons. You can adjust to your taste, though.ReplyOh wow! One of my new favorite dishes for sure! Lazy me put thighs in the air fryer with some Greek seasoning, then shredded it and added it. This is a beautiful soup.
- Oh wow! One of my new favorite dishes for sure! Lazy me put thighs in the air fryer with some Greek seasoning, then shredded it and added it. This is a beautiful soup.
- Yes, it should still be 3/4 cup.Reply
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil for 8–10 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic, bay leaves, chicken, and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
- Remove chicken and bay leaves. Add orzo; cook 10 minutes.
- Shred chicken with forks and return to pot.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with lemon juice. Slowly add 1–2 ladles of hot soup to temper, whisking constantly.
- Stir egg mixture into the pot. Cook 5 more minutes. Add dill, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Notes
- Always temper the eggs slowly to prevent curdling.
- Use fresh dill and lemon juice for authentic Greek flavor.
- Orzo should be just al dente; it will continue to cook in the hot soup.
- For gluten-free, substitute with rice or gluten-free pasta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 300 calories
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: avgolemono soup, greek lemon chicken soup, chicken orzo lemon soup, Mediterranean egg lemon soup, creamy lemon soup