Name: Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice - Avgolemono
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 3-pound chicken; 1 medium Onion, quartered; 3 cloves Garlic; 12 cups Water; 2 tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Paste; Kosher Salt; 3 lg Eggs; 2 Lemons, juiced; 1 cup Basmati Rice; Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, for serving; Olive Oil, for serving

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This super simple soup really surprised me the first time I made it. It is so easy to make and BEYOND delicious! Traditionally known as Avgolemono, this Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice couldn't be easier to make and is one of the tastiest soups you will ever get the chance to enjoy.

Greek Avgolemono Lemon Rice Soup in a white bowl ready to eat.

What you need to make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice or Avgolemono in Greek

I have said it many times, and I am saying it again, the shortest ingredient lists bring THE most flavor. This soup is so good and it uses the humblest ingredients. Just a handful of things your might already have in your kitchen and you have the most decadent soup that you will crave over and over again!

ingredients needed to make Greek Lemon Rice Soup.

All about the Temper

The key to the success of this soup is tempering the eggs. What that means is you are going to warm up the eggs slowly and gently, without scrambling them. Introducing boiling liquid to eggs must be done while whisking CONSTANTLY. This is not a hard task it just must be done slowly with non-stop movement.

Making Avgolemono

When I make this soup I usually start with a whole chicken, and boil it down for a few hours till it is fall off the bone tender. I like to start the soup this way because it gives the base more flavor and you get the health benefits of bone broth by boiling the whole bird and getting all the collagen and fat into the stock.

Then pull the chicken off the bones and place it into your strained stock, add in some rice, then your tempered eggs. It is really that easy. This is a soup that you could whip up any day of the week for a warm hug in a bowl.

Make this soup even faster by using 2 boxes of chicken stock and a rotisserie chicken. If you use the quick method you can have this soup on the dinner table in 30-45 minutes. I love to serve this with a nice slice of crusty bread to round it out, or a side salad or sandwich. Soup, Salad, and/or Sandwich and you have stunning lunch or luscious dinner.

More Greek LOVE

Greek Chicken Salad

Lamb Burger

Mediterranean Saffron Chicken and Mushrooms

Quick and Easy Greek Chicken

Greek Meatballs

Did you make this recipe? Let me know by leaving a review or comment! And be sure to sign up for my newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

📖 Recipe

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice - Avgolemono

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This super simple and AMAZINGLY delicious soup will become one that you will crave again and again!

Ingredients

1 3-pound chicken
1 medium Onion, quartered
3 cloves Garlic
12 cups Water
2 tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Paste
Kosher Salt
3 lg Eggs
2 Lemons, juiced
1 cup Basmati Rice
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, for serving
Olive Oil, for serving

Instructions

In a large pot, place the whole chicken, onion, garlic, and water to cover the chicken. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 2-3 hours until the meat on the bird is ready to fall off the bone. When the chicken is tender, remove it from the water and set it aside to cool. Strain the chicken broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or second pot. Return the stock to the pot.
Add 4 cups more water to the pot, bouillon paste, and a teaspoon of salt, and bring the stock back to a boil.
While the stock mixture is coming to a boil, pull the chicken off the bones when it is cool enough to handle. Also, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice and set aside.
When the chicken stock comes to a boil, add in the pulled chicken and the rice. Cook for 5 minutes and bring the mixture back to a simmer.
While the rice is cooking, temper the eggs/lemon mixture by dripping in a cup of the broth, while whisking constantly, a teaspoon or so at a time (don’t pour too much hot broth too quickly or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs). Whisk the egg mixture into the simmering stock/chicken/rice mixture, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking the soup till it thickens and gets velvety, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove the soup from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes to thicken up slightly.
Divide the soup among bowls and top with a few cracks of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

To make a simple version of this, boil 2 quarts of chicken stock and use the meat of a rotisserie chicken. Follow the remaining instructions.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 459Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 230mgSodium: 594mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 44g