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Avgolemono Soup

Avgolemono Soup – a classic Greek soup that is light, delicious and the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.  A lemon chicken and rice soup you are going to love!

On a cold day I really crave a warm bowl of soup, doesn’t really matter what kind, just something that will completely warm you up!  Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup is one of the most requested in this house. But this Chicken and Rice Soup totally takes me back to childhood, and I love it!

I will be the first to admit I loved a condensed soup as a kid. Chicken noodle and Chicken & Rice were my 2 favorites. This is so much better than the canned version, plus it has the perfect amount of lemon to really elevate the flavor.

lemon chicken and rice soup in a white bowl

 

What You’ll Need

  • Olive Oil
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Chicken Broth
  • Long Grain White Rice
  • Lemon Juice
  • Cornstarch
  • Egg
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Shredded Chicken
  • Parsley
avgolemono soup ingredients

What is Avgolemono Soup? 

It is a Greek chicken and rice soup that is believed to cure anything!  It is often called the Greek Penicillin, because they believe it has such healing powers. The broth is velvety and smooth thanks to the egg in there.  It is creamy and tart with the lemon juice. 

You can make this with either orzo or rice, both works well. Just trust me and take a walk on the Greek side!  This Greek Avgolemono soup will change your mind about chicken soup.

pot of avgolemono soup

How To Make Avgolemono Soup

  1. Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over a medium high heat. Once the oil is warm, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until you can start to smell it.
  2. Add in the chicken stock, and bring to soup to a boil. 
  3. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. 
  4. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, cornstarch, salt, pepper and egg. Slowly pour egg mixture into broth, stirring constantly. 
  5. Add chicken to the soup and cook until it thickens and rice is tender, about 3 minutes. 
  6. Top each bowl with parsley to serve.
a spoonful of lemon chicken and rice soup

What To Serve With Avgolemono Soup

Recipe Tips

  • Use fresh lemons. Nothing beats a fresh squeezed lemon, and you only need about 1 here, if it is not very juicy, you might need 2. But it isn’t much work for much better and brighter flavor.
  • Rotisserie chicken is super easy to have on hand and use in this soup. I love to pick up an extra rotisserie chicken at the store, shred it, and then freeze in about 2 cup portions, so I can just take it out and add to soups or pasta for quick dinners.
  • Be sure to really stir the soup as you are pouring in the egg mixture. Obviously you need the egg to cook, but you want it to be in a nice stream, not just a clump of scrambled eggs in the middle of your soup.
  • You can use brown rice here if you want, your cooking time will just increase. Make sure the rice is almost cooked before stirring in the lemon juice mixture and adding your chicken.
  • Orzo is another common substitute for rice. You can usually reduce the cooking time a little when using orzo, as it cooks much quicker than rice.
close up avgolemono soup for pinterest

More Comforting Soup Recipes

Yield: 4

Avgolemono Soup

cropped picture of chicken and rice soup

Avgolemono Soup - a classic Greek soup that is light, delicious and the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.  A lemon chicken and rice soup you are going to love!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 whole large egg
  • 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until you can just start to smell it.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to boil. Stir in rice, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. 
  3. In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, cornstarch, salt, pepper and egg. Slowly pour egg mixture into broth, while stirring constantly. 
  4. Add chicken to the soup. Cook until it the soup thickens, the rice is tender, and the chicken is warmed through; about 3 minutes. 
  5. Top each bowl with parsley to serve.

Notes

Recipe from Cooking Light

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 263Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 97mgSodium 456mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 27g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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Catalina

Tuesday 13th of September 2022

I love to try new dishes. I am so curious to try this soup! Love all the ingredients!

Allyson Zea

Tuesday 13th of September 2022

Wow I've never heard of this but now I'm definitely gonna have to try it! It looks delicious!

Erik

Tuesday 13th of September 2022

Never heard of this before, so fun to discover it!

Beti | easyweeknightrecipes

Tuesday 13th of September 2022

I can't wait to try this soup! It looks and sounds incredibly delicious!

katerina @ diethood.com

Tuesday 13th of September 2022

Such a warm and comforting soup! It sounds absolutely amazing!

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