Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)

If you want flavor this is the soup you need! This egg-lemon soup is packed with flavor and not calories. Ready in under 30 minutes.

Greek Egg Lemon Soup with lemon

In this Post: Everything you need for Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)


Greek food is one of my favorite cuisines from around the world. Of course, given that most dishes involve lemon juice, garlic and olive oil that probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to you.

Traditional Greek Salad

With an emphasis on fresh herbs, clean flavors and heart-healthy ingredients like yogurt and walnuts, Greek food is a perfect example of healthy made delicious. Just look at this Greek salad!

Greek Egg Lemon Soup In a Bowl

Growing up just 3 hours from Chicago, home to one of the nation’s largest Greek populations, I have had countless opportunities to dine on some of the best Greek food around.

Greek Village Salad with Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese - a fast and easy side dish recipe

In college, I had the pleasure of traveling to Athens, Greece with a few of my classmates. The atmosphere and the food was everything you would expect and more. Salty cheeses, briny olives, juicy lemons, fragrant herbs… it was heaven.

Adding Rice to Soup


In lieu of traveling to Greece this winter, I decided to create a light and healthy version of avgolemono soup which literally translates to “egg-lemon” soup.

Greek Egg Lemon Soup In a Bowl High Resolution

Restaurant versions typically use triple the number of eggs and thicken the broth with a heavy roux full of butter and white flour. You’ll be pleased to learn that my version is completely dairy, gluten-free and requires only 2 eggs.

Tempering WEggs

Frequently asked questions:

How do I temper eggs?

To temper, slowly add about 1-2 tablespoons of a hot liquid to the eggs as you whisk them. This slowly raises the temperature which will prevent you from simply cooking the eggs in the hot liquid which is when you end up with scrambled egg strands. The goal is to slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.

What is tempering?

Tempering is the method of mixing together two liquids of varying temperatures together without altering the texture. Read: avoiding curdled /scrambled eggs in the broth. You’ve probably heard the term when it comes to chocolate but I use the method when making this Greek egg-lemon soup as well.

How long will this soup keep for?

This Greek egg-lemon soup will last up to 4 days stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Don’t worry – it’s easy!

Greek Egg Lemon Soup Recipe

For added brightness, lemon juice is whisked into the soup as well. I love to serve the soup with extra lemon wedges for people to add more at the table if they wish.

Adding Chicken to Soup

To save time, I love adding shredded rotisserie chicken towards the end of the cooking process. Not only does it add a ton of flavor but it turns this soup into a hearty, protein-packed entree. Serve it with a Greek salad and dinner is done. You can keep the chicken out and leave it vegetarian as well.

Homemade Avgolemono Soup

Recipe substitutions:

Orzo can be substituted for rice if you wish.

Liz Eating Soup

Your spoon is waiting.

Oopah!

Avgolemono Soup Recipe

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)

4.05 stars average
A traditional Greek soup, avgolemono is an egg-lemon soup packed with shredded chicken and white rice. Freezer-friendly and ready in under 30 minutes.
PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 20 minutes
TOTAL: 25 minutes
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Servings: 4

Ingredients
 

  • 6 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
  • ¾ cups uncooked white rice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 2 eggs (whisked a small bowl)
  • 8 ounces cooked chicken breast (shredded – rotisserie works well)
  • thinly sliced scallions (optional garnish)

Instructions
 

  • In a large soup pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add rice, salt and pepper and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove one cup of the broth from the pot and pour into a medium bowl. Add corn starch and whisk until dissolved. Pour in lemon juice and whisk once more.
  • To temper the eggs, slowly add the whisked eggs to the broth/cornstarch/lemon juice mixture. Whisk constantly so that the eggs gradually come to temperature. Continue until all of the eggs are fully incorporated.
  • Pour the warmed egg/broth mixture back into the large soup pot and stir until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
  • Add shredded chicken breasts and cook until heated through. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve with sliced scallions if you wish.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 30.7gProtein: 24.8gFat: 4.4gSaturated Fat: 1.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.3gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 605mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 1g

Check out more healthy soup recipes on my Pinterest board!

78 thoughts on “Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)”

  1. Stefanie Ferraro

    Just whipped this recipe up for lunch and it’s delicious! So comforting and hearty, without all the calories! Will definitely be making this again.

  2. DELICIOUS! Lemony, thick, tasty… as good as in the Greek restaurant!!
    My whole family loved it! I did 1-1/2 recipe to have leftovers. Was very easy to temper the eggs- thanks for the instructions! Made it with a big Greek salad and pita! YUM!!!

  3. Tasha Pappas Gates

    FYI: Greeks would NEVER put cornstarch or butter (read your butter comment) for that matter in Avgolemono soup. Nor would we use Rotisserie chicken, which is too rich tasting for this soup.

    The traditional Greek recipe for this soup is light to begin with. It is exactly like your recipe minus the cornstarch. And most Greeks just use the egg yolk.

    1. Thanks Tasha! This was just my quick version of making the soup and I think it happens to taste delicious. The traditional Greek versions that I’ve had are super heavy but that’s just my opinion. Either way I appreciate your feedback!

      1. I come from a long line of Greek chefs. Corn starch was and is still used in our avgolemeno soup. Yes, many just use the egg yoke. We use the whole egg too. Delicious!!

  4. Hello! I’m from Cyprus and I’ve always made my avgolemono just like your recipe minus the chicken breast. I was wondering, if this is the lightened version what is the heavy one? I would sure like to try that as well!

    1. Hi Christina – The traditional version is often just made with a lot more eggs and sometimes I see a lot of cream soups added and such. I don’t have a traditional recipe but I’m sure you could Google for one!

  5. This is the perfect solution when you’ve got leftover chicken soup and grilled chicken from a traditional Friday night dinner. Was delicious.

  6. Wow, easy and delicious! I used veggie broth, brown rice, arrowroot (didn’t have cornstarch) and didn’t add the chicken. Creamy, light, lemony and really hit the spot! Amazing Liz, THANK YOU!

  7. I’ve never actually heard of a greek egg soup before, so thanks for the recipe for me to pick apart and learn a bit about it – it both looks and sounds delicious, and I think I’m going to have to try your recipe for it at some point.

  8. I’m so happy. I used to order this soup at restaurant all of the time and now I can make it at home! It tastes even better the next day! Thank you :)

    1. I always liberally add feta cheese just before serving…not to incorporate into the soup, but to garnish it.

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