Avgolemono soup
Silky Greek avgolemono — lemony, egg-thickened chicken soup with orzo and shredded chicken. Bright, comforting, quick and utterly moreish.
Avgolemono is the Greek answer to ‘a hug in a bowl’ — bright lemon cheer tempered by an egg for a silken broth. It’s a brilliant midweek supper when you want something light but very satisfying.
This version poaches chicken in stock, cooks orzo straight in the broth, then uses a tempered egg-and-lemon mix to thicken and shine the soup. It’s quick, modestly fussed and sings with a wedge of lemon on the side.
Ingredients
- 350 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1.2 l chicken stock — use low-salt if possible
- 1 brown onion — peeled and halved
- 1 carrot — halved
- 1 celery stalk — halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns
- 75 g orzo
- 3 eggs — separate 2 whole eggs and 1 extra yolk
- 2 lemons — zest and juice
- 15 ml olive oil — plus extra to drizzle
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- 10 g fresh parsley — finely chopped, for garnish
Equipment
- fine-mesh sieve
- measuring jug
- ladle
- small heatproof bowl
Instructions
Put the chicken stock into a large saucepan with the boneless skinless chicken thighs, brown onion, carrot, celery stalk, bay leaf and black peppercorns. Add the olive oil. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skim any scum with a spoon, then reduce to a low simmer and cook until the chicken is just cooked through.
Lift the chicken out onto a plate and set aside to cool slightly. Keep the stock at a very gentle simmer.
Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan to remove the vegetables and aromatics; return the strained stock to the hob and bring back to a gentle simmer.
Add the orzo to the simmering stock and cook until just tender — about 8–10 minutes. Stir occasionally to stop the orzo sticking.
While the orzo cooks, shred the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces using two forks or your fingers.
In a medium heatproof bowl whisk the eggs with the lemon zest, lemon juice and the sea salt until smooth and frothy.
Temper the egg mixture: ladle about 150 ml of the hot stock into the egg mixture in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. When warmed, pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pan with the orzo and stock, off the heat or on the lowest possible heat. Stir gently until the soup looks silky. Do not let the soup boil after adding the egg or it will curdle.
Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and warm through gently for 2–3 minutes without boiling. Season with black pepper and more sea salt if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls, scatter over the fresh parsley and finish with a small drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Temper eggs slowly: always add a small amount of hot stock to the eggs first, whisking constantly, then add back to the pot to avoid curdling.
- For a clearer broth, strain the stock after cooking the chicken — it makes the soup look more elegant.
- Make ahead: cook the stock and shredded chicken up to 24 hours ahead; reheat the stock and finish with tempering just before serving.
- If you prefer a gluten-free bowl, cook rice separately and add to the soup at the end (see substitutions).
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 48 hours; reheat gently and do not boil to preserve the silky texture.
Substitutions
boneless skinless chicken thighs → boneless skinless chicken breast, same weight; reduce initial simmer by 2–3 minutes as breast cooks quicker
Stays closeorzo → 100 g cooked long-grain rice (add at the end), or 75 g small pasta like ditalini
Noticeably differentchicken stock → vegetable stock, 1200 ml
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 330
- Calories
- 24 g
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 750 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make avgolemono vegetarian?
Use good-quality vegetable stock and omit the chicken, or add cooked chickpeas for texture. The flavour will be lemony and lovely but not quite the same as the chicken version.
Why did my eggs scramble in the soup?
Scrambling happens if the eggs are added to boiling liquid or if hot stock is mixed in too quickly. Temper the eggs slowly and keep the pot off the boil after adding them.
Can I freeze avgolemono?
Freezing is not ideal — the egg-thickened broth can separate. Freeze only the cooked chicken and stock separately; finish with fresh lemon and egg when reheating.
How do I make the soup thicker?
For a creamier finish, increase to 3 whole eggs plus 1 yolk (temper as instructed). Do not boil after adding or the texture will go grainy.
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