This delicious avgolemon soup is an easy weeknight version of the classic Greek Lemon Chicken soup recipe with chicken and lemony egg sauce. I don’t always feel up to making my Traditional Avgolemono soup version using a whole chicken and long simmering time. So when a craving strikes or when im feeling lazy or when I don’t want to make a huge pot of it I make this version – just as delicious and made in half or even less than half the time. It is a great weeknight version that we make all the time. It’s creamy comforting and lemony – totally a Greek hug in a bowl!
What is Avgolemono (av-gho-lé-mo-no)?
Avgolemono is a Greek sauce made from eggs, lemon, and warm broth. It’s a staple in Greek cooking. It’s added to everything from soups to meat dishes, dolmathes, roasted veggies, and over fish. It’s a really nice base for any dish that will blend well with lemon. It’s simple to make and can be found widely in not only Greek, but also in general Mediterranean cuisine. It’s so versatile, that you can add it to just about anything – there are so many recipes out there that have been avgolemonized and I love seeing it as my love for avgolemono runs deep!
Simple Avgolemono Soup Recipe Ingredients
- OLIVE OIL: I use extra virgin olive oil to saute the veggies
- ONION & GARLIC: I usually use a yellow onion but shallots will work and use as much or as little garlic as you prefer.
- CARROTS & CELERY: The perfect blend of veggies for the soup base.
- CHICKEN BROTH: I use low sodium broth or chicken stock for this recipe
- CHICKEN: I usually use skinless boneless chicken breast but skinless boneless chicken thighs will work here too. I usually use 2 large chicken breasts or 4-5 chicken thighs.
- RICE: Typically I use arborio rice or risotto rice and that is what I recommend for this recipe. The most traditional rice for avgolemono is actually Round Grain Rice (Glasse) but I don’t always have it in my pantry but the one I use and my mom always uses as a substitute or standard rice for avgolemono is arborio. I don’t recommend using orzo pasta as it cooks faster (if you want a super quick lemon chicken orzo soup try my other recipe for it)
- EGGS: You will need 2 eggs at room temperature and egg whites and egg yolks separated for this recipe.
- LEMON JUICE: You will need the juice of 2 lemons. I always recommend juice from fresh lemons for best flavor. Feel free to add the lemon zest for more flavor.
- EXTRA ADD INS: Some recipes call for adding bay leaves to the soup – feel free to to add one to add its signature flavor.
How to make Lemon Chicken Orzo soup:
- SAUTE VEGGIES: Start by sautéing your mirepoix (this time the combination is onions, carrots, celery and garlic) until veggies are tender.
- ADD RICE, BROTH & CHICKEN: Add broth, rice and chicken and simmer away until chicken is cooked through.
- RESERVE BROTH: Remove 1-1½ cups of the hot broth and set aside
- SHRED CHICKEN: Remove pot from heat then remove chicken and shred, return to pot.
- MAKE EGG & LEMON SAUCE: Whisk egg whites vigorously in a medium sized bowl until frothy then whisk in the egg yolks, followed by the lemon juice and the warm broth.
- STIR SAUCE INTO SOUP: Slowly drizzle sauce/ egg-lemon mixture into the soup while stirring
- WARM SOUP: Return pot to heat over low heat and cook soup until heated through
- SERVE: Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, more lemon juice and chopped fresh herbs – I recommend fresh dill
Tips on making delicious no fail avgolemono every-time
- Always make sure your eggs are room temperature
- It’s important to whisk your eggs vigorously so they get nice and light and frothy – I often use my stick blender to do this part – makes it easy and quick.
- Remove the soup from the heat before you begin tempering and never bring the soup back to a boil once the eggs have been added.
- Reserve enough broth to add to the egg mixture to bring up the temperature of the eggs enough to add into the whole pot of soup. I usually ladle out and reserve 1-1½ cups of it
