Soup season is officially here and I am also here for it. There is nothing better than a really nice bowl of chicken soup. Today I decided that it is time to make some comforting Greek lemon chicken soup. Also known as Avgolemono, this soup gets its creamy texture from raw eggs, beaten and tempered with hot broth. Imagine if egg drop soup didn’t have any actual egg drops. But the whole consistency is silky and smooth and adds another level of flavor.
Most good soups start with a nice and rich broth. There is no reason you can’t use store-bought chicken stock. But, since you will need boiled or roasted shredded chicken, it is simple to make the stock, drain it and use the chicken in the soup. I had these 2 chicken legs that I simmered for an hour with some spinach stalks, odd ends of onions, 2 cloves of garlic, a parmesan rind and some spices. Add salt and pepper cautiously if you are going to use them later. Better to adjust the salt in the end. This Greek soup is simple to make and doesn’t require much time or ingredients. Once served with some nice and toasted crusty bread, it is extra comforting.
While this soup can be made with orzo and rice, I chose to make it with Israeli or pearl couscous. While couscous isn’t that far from pasta and technically it is made from durum wheat. Just don’t call it pasta or you will offend some folks. It is a universal pantry staple that goes with a lot of foods. I like it for that reason. Herbs, butter, and lemons are also a staple in this greek lemon chicken soup. The lemons, parsley, and dill give it freshness and tang.
The trick to tempering the eggs is to slowly add super hot broth from the soup itself, and whisk it all into submission. This is one of many Greek soups and in no way is my play on it authentic. It is inspired by the whole idea which was foreign to me until now. I am all about creamy soups but have you ever seen me adding ACTUAL CREAM to anything? Butter? Yes. Flour? Yes. Even milk and spoons of sour cream. But heavy cream, double cream, or call it what you want, I dislike. There are so many great ways to achieve texture and silky smoothness in dishes and this is a genius one.
If you are feeling lazy and don’t want to spend time making chicken stock or it is simply not your thing, don’t worry, you can buy everything at the store. As for the shredded chicken, either buy it, use some leftover chicken from a day before, or another recipe. Or, make a broth as I did. It is all up to you. Just remember, every soup gets better once served with a nice piece of bread. I usually like to toast my bread in the oven for a few minutes but anything else works too. A warm pita would be great too. If you wanted to make this extra luxurious, I would add a spoon of sour cream. That together with the fresh dill would make your taste buds dance.
This Greek lemon chicken soup is definitely going on my dinner rotation simply because it takes so little to make it, and it is full of flavor, texture and great reheated.
Greek lemon chicken soup
Ingredients
- 3 boiled chicken thighs or breasts shredded
- 50 g butter
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- Bunch of spinach
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 100 g pearl couscous
- 1 l chicken broth
- 500 g water
- 3 eggs well beaten
- 70 g fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Parsley for serving
- Dill for serving
- Toasted crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot
- Add the onions and carrots and cook for 2 minutes while stirring
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute
- Add the broth and water, and the cous cous
- Simmer for 5 minutes
- Add the chicken and simmer for 5 more, remove from heat
- Remove 200 g or 3 ladles of broth and slowly pour in the eggs while still whisking, to temper them
- Pour the mixture back in the pot
- Add the spinach, stir it in and serve
- Serve with toasted crusty bread for ultimate comfort