Before you cook
Background Recipe story & origin
Avgolemono (egg-lemon) is Greece's signature sauce and soup, dating to Byzantine or earlier times. The technique-tempering eggs with hot liquid, then combining with lemon juice-may have Sephardic Jewish origins, as similar preparations exist in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisines. Greek avgolemono soup consists of chicken broth thickened with egg-lemon liaison, often with rice or orzo and shredded chicken. The key technique is tempering: hot broth is slowly whisked into beaten eggs to raise their temperature gradually, preventing curdling. The lemon adds brightness that cuts through the richness. Every Greek cook masters avgolemono; it's fundamental to the cuisine.
Before you start Equipment you'll need
- large pot — Provides capacity for simmering chicken and soup
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make the broth
Place chicken in large pot with onion, carrots, celery, and salt. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Cook 45-60 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, shred meat and set aside. Strain broth, return to pot.
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Cook the rice
Bring strained broth to simmer. Add rice, cook 15-18 minutes until tender.
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Make the avgolemono
Remove pot from heat. Whisk eggs until frothy. Slowly whisk in lemon juice. Temper by slowly adding a ladleful of hot broth while whisking constantly. Slowly pour egg mixture into soup, whisking constantly. Do not boil after adding eggs. Add shredded chicken and dill. Serve immediately.