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This Greek lemon chicken and rice soup is a smooth, silky warm chicken soup delight that is so delightful and easy to make!

Simple ingredients such as a rotisserie chicken, rice, chicken stock, dill, lemon, carrots, parsley and pepper.

You will be delighted how velvety and smooth the broth will taste with a zing of fresh lemon. I think this could be one of the best soups of all time

Avgolemono

Avgolemono is the Greek word for the Lemon chicken and rice soup. Avgolemono is a traditional Greek soup known for its creamy and tangy flavour.

The name is derived from the Greek words “avgo” (egg) and “lemono” (lemon), highlighting the key ingredients that give the soup its distinctive taste and texture.

The soup typically consists of shredded chicken, chicken broth, rice or orzo pasta, beaten eggs, and fresh lemon juice. The eggs are whisked into the broth, creating a velvety and luscious consistency. Avgolemono soup is a beloved dish, celebrated for its comforting warmth and bright, citrusy notes.

Tip: I purchased this awesome Chicken Shredder Tool for shredding chicken breasts. It is great for getting your chicken shredded quickly and all into uniform sized pieces. It is a great tool to use for shredding chicken in this recipe.

Here's the Trick to Making the soup Velvety

The process for making this soup is slightly different than that of a classic soup recipe. The difference between a classic soup and this chicken, lemon and rice soup is the addition of eggs and fresh lemon juice, tempered with the hot chicken stock and then added to the soup off the heat.

Here are the proper steps involved for tempering eggs into the broth.

Temper the Eggs: Take a ladleful of the hot soup broth and slowly pour it into the egg and lemon mixture, whisking continuously. This gradually raises the temperature of the eggs without causing them to cook too quickly or curdle.
Gradual Incorporation: Repeat the process, adding another ladleful of hot broth while whisking. Continue this gradual incorporation until you have added enough hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture. This helps bring the temperature of the eggs closer to that of the soup, preventing curdling.
Introduce the Mixture to the Soup: Now that the egg-lemon mixture is tempered, slowly pour it back into the main soup pot while stirring the soup gently. This step ensures a smooth and creamy consistency.
Simmer and Serve: Allow the soup to simmer for a few more minutes, stirring gently. This helps thicken the soup slightly. Avoid boiling the soup vigorously at this stage to prevent curdling.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 2 cups)
6 cups water
2 onions peeled
2 carrots, peeled and cut once
2 stalks celery
1/4 lemon for the soup stock
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. oregano
3 tbsp. powdered chicken stock
peppercorns
parsley
1 cup orzo pasta
2 large eggs
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh or dried dill for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare the Chicken:
- Shred the rotisserie chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Set aside
Make the Broth:
- In a large soup pot, add onions, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, peppercorns, lemon wedge, parsley, and thyme (optional).
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the soup through a fine meshed sieve and return to a clean stock pot
- Reserve the carrots and dice into small cubes.Discard the other vegetables
- Add in the chicken, orzo, and carrots and simmer 20 minutes to allow the orzo to cook through.
Prepare the Avgolemono Sauce:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until well combined.
Temper the Eggs:
- Carefully ladle a cup of hot broth from the soup into the egg-lemon mixture, whisking continuously. This tempers the eggs, preventing them from curdling when added to the hot soup.
Add Avgolemono to Soup:
- Gradually pour the egg-lemon mixture back into the soup, stirring constantly. This adds a creamy texture to the broth.
Season and Garnish:
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add fresh dill for garnish.
Serve:
- Ladle the Avgolemono Soup into bowls and serve immediately.

Let's make the soup together!