Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono in 30 Minutes!)
Jump to Recipe
When I first tried the genius soup that is avgolemono, I knew I had to get this Greek lemon chicken soup into my rotation. With so few ingredients, the flavour is so unique and comforting – it was such a hit with my flatmates.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
Comforting – It’s no secret that chicken soup is one of the most popular comfort meals. But I feel like avgolemono is Greece’s best kept secret. The flavour is vibrant whilst being intensely savory, making it verstitle to eat all year round.
Dairy free – Although this is a creamy Greek lemon chicken soup, there is no cream! Similar to how a carbonara gets creamy, this recipe utilizes whole eggs to give the authentic creamy colour of the broth.
Fast – By using roasted chicken/rotisserie chicken, the prep/cook time of this lemon chicken soup is super speedy – it’s whipped up in around 20 minutes!
One pot – less mess, less washing up, maximum flavours!
If you have leftover chicken, consider making one of these yummy soup recipes; Green Chili Chicken Soup, Wagamama’s Chicken Ramen or Chicken Pho
What is Avgolemono?
Avgolemono is a Greek lemon chicken soup, with it’s unique flavour coming from the creamy broth made with eggs.
The direct translation for Avgolemono is egg-lemon, which are the two significant ingredients in this heavenly soup.
It’s the name of the sauce that is used in many soups and stews (either with meatballs, chicken etc).
If you love Greek inspired recipes, you’ll need to try my; Greek Chicken Salad, Greek Chicken Bowls and Easy Tzatziki
Ingredients
Roasted chicken – Using pre-roasted or rotisserie chicken makes this recipe even easier. I like to batch roast my chicken for different recipes so that I can reserve the chicken fat and use it to amp up the flavour!
Fresh dill – This is authentic to a classic Greek lemon chicken soup but if you’re a dill hater, you can substitute with parsley.
Eggs – High quality eggs would be best if you can afford for this recipe to maximise the flavour. Also keep them at room temp.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/Adaptations
Switch up the grain – If you fancy making this Greek lemon soup a little healthier, you can opt for brown rice to increase the fibre and nutrients.
Other grains such as bulgar wheat and giant couscous would also be good. I’ve seen others enjoy avgolemono with orzo too as a substitute which looks really good as well.
Add more veggies – the simplicity of this dish is why I love it so much, but you can definitely do a fridge raid and add any vegetables into the broth that you need to use up. Bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, extra carrots etc, would all work fabulously.
Make it vegetarian- although lots of the flavour comes from the chicken fat/ roasted chicken, you can enjoy this dish as a vegetarian by omitting the chicken. You could simply leave it out or add some tofu as a replacement.
Pair this yummy Greek lemon chicken soup with one of these sides; Easy Flatbread Recipe, Air Fry Frozen Dumplings and Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli
How to make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Note: I used the reserved chicken fat that was at the base of my air fryer after cooking the roast chicken. This really adds a depth of flavour so if you can do this, I highly recommend it!
- Start by adding the chicken fat or oil, onion and garlic into a large/deep frying pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and fry over a medium/low heat for 5 minutes (Image 1).
- After this time, add the garlic and the zest of one lemon. Gently fry for a further 2 minutes (Image 2).
3. Then add the chicken stock, rice and optional turmeric for colour. Stir to combine then reduce the heat to a low simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the rice is tender (Image 3).
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl (Image 4).
5. Add the chicken when it’s the final minute of cooking time. Once the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the juice of ½ to 1 lemon (depending on preference) and the finely chopped dill. Stir to combine (Image 5).
6. Slowly add two ladles of the soup into the egg mix whilst continuously stirring. This will temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling. Once combined, stir the egg mix into the pan and stir to combine (Image 6).
Serve the soup with a crack of black pepper, a sprinkle of dill and a lemon wedge. Dive in!
Tips for the best result
Biggest mistake – scrambling the eggs
To prevent this, temper the eggs before adding them to the soup. This is where you slowly transfer some of the broth into the bowl with eggs whilst continuously stirring. Do this for a a couple of ladles, then slowly mix into the soup off of the heat.
Chicken Fat
Use chicken fat instead of oil to increase the savouriness of the Greek chicken soup.
Seasoning
Season in stages for the best results.
Rince the rice
Rinse the rice thoroughly before adding to the pan to prevent the excess starch going into the broth.
Need inspiration for some main meal recipes? Try my; Cajun Dirty Rice, Nando’s Mac and Cheese and Delicious Lentil Bolognese
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerator – Store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freezer – Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat – Important! Do not microwave this soup to reheat, it’ll cause the egg to scramble within the broth which will alter the texture and flavour of the soup. Slowly reheat in a pan over a low/medium heat until heated through.
To cook from frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight and follow the same method to reheat.
Pair this yummy high protein soup, with a vegetarian main dish for a tasty meal; Best Aubergine Parmigiana, Cottage Cheese Pasta and Easy Gochujang Eggplant
FAQs
You can, however it wouldn’t be traditional anymore. If you hate eggs, you could use a splash of milk or cream to get the creaminess/correct colour of the broth.
To balance the amount of lemon in the Greek chicken soup if you’ve added too much, add more egg or a splash of cream/milk. You can also dilute the broth further by adding more chicken stock.
You can! I prefer to serve it straight away as I don’t have to then worry about scrambling the eggs when reheating. But if you follow the instructions above, then you can definitely make this lemon chicken soup ahead of time.
Due to the eggs and rice being more delicate to cook with, I think this recipe is best made using the stove top.
If you tried this Greek Lemon Chicken Soup recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced (£0.15)
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (£0.39)
- 1-2 lemons (£0.30x2)=(£0.60)
- 1 carrots, peeled and chopped into cubes (£0.12)
- 300 g roast chicken (£2.80)
- 200 g white rice, rinsed thoroughly (£0.52/2)=(£0.26)
- Handful of fresh dill, half finely chopped/ half reserved for garnish (£0.60)
- 3 eggs, whisked (£1.50/2)=(£0.75)
Cupboard Essentials
- 3 tbsp olive oil or chicken fat
- 1.4 litres chicken stock
- Optional ¼ tsp turmeric for colour
Method
Note: I used the reserved chicken fat that was at the base of my air fryer after cooking the roast chicken. This really adds a depth of flavour so if you can do this, I highly recommend it!
- Start by adding the chicken fat or oil, onion and garlic into a large/deep frying pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and fry over a medium/low heat for 5 minutes.
- After this time, add the garlic and the zest of one lemon. Gently fry for a further 2 minutes, then add the chicken stock, rice and optional turmeric for colour.
- Stir to combine then reduce the heat to a low simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the chicken when it’s the final minute of cooking time. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl.
- Once the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the juice of ½ to 1 lemon (depending on preference) and the finely chopped dill. Stir to combine.
- Slowly add two ladles of the soup into the egg mix whilst continuously stirring. This will temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling. Once combined, stir the egg mix into the pan and stir to combine.
- Serve the soup with a crack of black pepper, a sprinkle of dill and a lemon wedge. Dive in!
Notes
- Prevent scrambling eggs by tempering: slowly add hot broth to the eggs while stirring before mixing into the soup off the heat.
- Use chicken fat instead of oil to enhance the soup's savouriness.
- Season in stages for optimal flavour.
- Rinse the rice thoroughly before adding to remove excess starch.
Nutrition
Leave a comment and a rating!
- Weekly meal plans with a £20 budget
- 150+ exclusive recipes
- Personal dashboard
- Exclusive step by step videos
- Shopping list tools
- Advert Free experience
Comments