Greek recipe

Avgolemono Chicken Soup

Name: Avgolemono Chicken Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek cuisine
Ingredients: 1.2 kg bone-in chicken thighs; 2.5 L cold water; 150 g onion, halved; 180 g carrots, thickly sliced; 120 g celery, sliced; 2 bay leaves; 150 g short-grain rice; 3 large eggs; 90 ml fresh lemon juice; 15 g fine salt, divided; 3 g black pepper; 15 g fresh dill, chopped

Chicken broth, rice and shredded chicken are thickened off the boil with eggs and fresh lemon. Proper tempering makes the soup silky and pale rather than scrambled, with bright acidity balancing the rich stock.

Greek home-soup tradition

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hr 5 min
Total: 1 hr 35 min
Servings: 6

Silky Greek avgolemono chicken soup with rice and shredded chicken — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by MissvainSource page · Original file · CC BY 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1.2 kg
bone-in chicken thighs
2.5 L
cold water
150 g
onion, halved
180 g
carrots, thickly sliced
120 g
celery, sliced
2
bay leaves
150 g
short-grain rice
3
large eggs
90 ml
fresh lemon juice
15 g
fine salt, divided
3 g
black pepper
15 g
fresh dill, chopped

Method

01
Build a clear chicken broth
Put the chicken, water, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and 8 g salt in a large pot. Bring slowly to a bare simmer, skim the foam, and cook gently for 45 minutes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Lift the chicken and strain
Lift the chicken to a tray and cool for 10 minutes. Strain the broth, discard the spent vegetables and measure 1.8 L broth back into the clean pot.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Cook the rice in broth
Bring the 1.8 L broth to a gentle simmer, add the rice and cook for 15–17 minutes until tender but still distinct.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Shred the chicken
Remove the skin and bones from the cooled chicken and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Keep 500 g shredded chicken for the soup.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Whisk eggs and lemon
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until uniform, then whisk in the 90 ml lemon juice. Keep the mixture moving so the acid disperses evenly.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Temper the avgolemono
Remove the soup from the heat. While whisking constantly, add 300 ml hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture in 3 additions, about 100 ml at a time.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Thicken without boiling
Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot while stirring. Return to very low heat for 3–4 minutes, keeping the soup below 80°C so it becomes silky without scrambling.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Warm the chicken and serve
Fold in the 500 g shredded chicken, remaining 7 g salt, pepper and dill. Warm gently for 5 minutes without boiling, then serve immediately with extra lemon if desired.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Keep beans and braises at a steady gentle simmer so their centres soften before the liquid reduces too far.
Finish acidity and salt near the end of cooking, especially after olives, feta, stock or preserved ingredients have contributed seasoning.

Common mistakes

Hard boiling can split beans, tighten meat and reduce the sauce before the centre is tender.
Adding cold liquid late in cooking interrupts the simmer and lengthens the time needed for beans or meat to soften.

Substitutions

Use a similar dried bean of comparable size when the named Greek bean is unavailable and cook to tenderness rather than by the clock.
Unsalted stock can replace part of the water in savoury soups and stews; season only after it has reduced.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Avgolemono is both a sauce technique and a family of soups in Greek cooking. Eggs and lemon thicken hot liquid by tempering, giving creaminess without dairy.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Avgolemono - Sarah Stierch — Photograph by Missvain; CC BY 4.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Greek recipes

Avgolemono Chicken Soup

Ingredients

Method

Build a clear chicken broth

Lift the chicken and strain

Cook the rice in broth

Shred the chicken

Whisk eggs and lemon

Temper the avgolemono

Thicken without boiling

Warm the chicken and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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