Avgolemono Greek Lemon Chicken Soup has all the deliciousness of a cream-based soup with zero cream! Healthy comfort food to the max.
Okay, so where should I start with this soup?
Let’s start with the name, which is pronounced Ahv-go-leh-MAN-o.
I think.
It’s Greek, and I am Irish-American, and so I am on shaky ground here. I’ve now written the recipe, tested the recipe, photographed the recipe, eaten the recipe, and I am STILL asking the Southern husband how to both pronounce and spell it.
What I DO know is that it is a warm, hearty, comforting, creamy, dreamy soup…that has no cream in it. Not a drop.
It is the perfect thing to plan for lunch when you wake up, look out the window and your car looks like THIS.
(Full disclosure: this is my mama’s car at my little sis’s house in upstate New York. MY car is lounging around snow-flake free here in North Carolina.)
What is avgolemono soup?
In it’s purest form, it is a Greek soup made with chicken broth, lemon juice and chicken broth, usually with shredded chicken and rice, and sometimes carrots or other veggies.
So it’s basically your favorite chicken soup, but the magical part comes with the addition of the lemon juice and egg, which come together to create that silky creaminess. More on that below, because adding those two is a super important step!
Ingredients need to make this glorious greek lemon soup!
Here’s how you make Avgolemono Greek Lemon Chicken Soup!
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
Bring 6 cups of chicken broth and a handful of chopped dill to a boil in large pot and add ½ cup of orzo.
(Side note: orzo is a rice shaped pasta that you can find pretty easily in your supermarket, but you can also use rice – it will just add a little to the cooking time).
Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove one cup of broth from the pot (without any orzo/rice in it – this is going to help with adding the lemon and egg) Let the pot cool for 5 minutes.
Next! Put 4 eggs and 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice in a blender and let it rip until everything is smooth and frothy.
With blender on, slowly pour the one cup of cooled broth that you removed from the pot into the blender through that handy opening in the blender lid and process until smooth. (This step is to thin out the eggs a little more so they will blend into the soup obediently later on.)
Add a cup of shredded carrot, a pinch each of salt and pepper and 8 ounces of cooked shredded chicken to the broth and orzo in the pot.
Bring it all to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until orzo is tender – if you are using rice, you might need it to simmer a little more. Reduce heat to low.
Here comes the magical part! Slowly pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly, until soup is creamy and just the right amount of thick and all heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
Do not let it boil or it may curdle a little. If it does, remind yourself that it is still going to taste just fine.
Ladle into bowls and serve at once.
As you can see, this soup is as healthy as you can get – the ingredients are pretty much chicken broth, a few eggs, lemon juice, chicken, shredded carrots, a handful of that orzo pasta and some herbs – but because of how it is put together, it comes out in this rich, creamy format that feels positively sinful.
more tips for making this classic greek soup!
My favorite are the kind that come in boxes, and they live right next to the canned chicken broth in your supermarket. The Pacific and Imagine brands are particularly tasty, and there is something about the box packaging that doesn’t give you that, well, canned taste.
If you have the time, my favorite way to get myself a pile of cooked chicken is to pop a few chicken breasts in the slow cooker with about 2 cups of chicken broth and let it cook for 8 hours on low. It will be amazingly tender.
Or, you can put the chicken in a pot of water, bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let the chicken cool completely. This is called poaching the chicken and again…so tender.
OR, you can buy a rotisserie chicken at your supermarket, or use leftover chicken. So many choices!
Pop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
If you didn’t know better, you would swear that there was a boatload of heavy cream lurking in this one…but there isn’t! Not a drop!
That in and of itself makes this worth a try. That and coming in from shoveling 34 feet of snow off your car.
Love you, my Northern friends!
OTHER EASY SOUP RECIPES WE LOVE!
Avgolemono Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Avgolemono Greek Lemon Chicken Soup has all the deliciousness of a cream-based soup with zero cream! Healthy comfort food to the max.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth (I like the boxed Imagine and Pacific brands)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (optional but delicious!)
- 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Bring broth (and dill if using) to a boil in large pot and add orzo. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove one cup of broth from the pot (without any orzo in it.) Let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Put eggs and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth and frothy. With blender on, slowly pour the one cup of cooled broth that you removed from the pot into the blender and process until smooth. This is to thin out the eggs a little more so they will blend in to the soup obediently later on.
- Add carrot, salt and pepper to the broth and orzo in the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until orzo is tender. Reduce heat to low and add the shredded chicken.
- Slowly pour in egg mixture, stirring constantly, until soup is heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Do not let it boil or you may get the dreaded curdling. If you do, remind yourself that it is still going to taste just fine.
- Ladle into bowls and serve at once.
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!
Eileen says
Made this soup years ago when I saw the recipe in a North NJ paper. OMG absolutely delicious. Make this exactly as written, do not change a thing. Thank you!!!
Eileen
Eileen! Thank you so much – it’s a family fave in our house too. :)
Martha in KS says
I don’t have a blender. Have you ever made this using an immersion blender? I’ve always wanted to make this soup so I’ll give it a try. Merry Xmas from Kansas!
I haven’t, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t! It’s one of our very favorite soups – hope you love it too, and merry Christmas from North Carolina! :)