Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
This healthy Avgolemono Soup has a silky broth full of flavor! A rich, comforting bowl of this Greek lemon chicken soup is easy, healthy, and convenient by using cooked, shredded chicken.
The beauty of this classic Greek soup is that it brings two perfect dishes together: chicken soup and avgolemono sauce. This sauce is a Greek invention made from lemon juice and eggs; it brings an instant brightness and smooth, velvety texture to any dish! It’s common to pair it with roasted chicken and vegetables. Naturally, it makes sense that it works perfectly in a delicious chicken soup!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- SIMPLE – This recipe uses common ingredients that you can find in nearly any store. You can even swap out the fresh veggies for frozen or canned mixes, so you can keep these staples stocked year-round.
- HEALTHY – This recipe is low in calories and fat, and it uses minimally or non-processed ingredients. It’s a great source of several B vitamins, Vitamin A, and Magnesium. Using low-sodium broth helps reduce the sodium content, too. It is SO perfect for anyone experiencing a sore throat, stomach issues, headaches, or other ailments.
- MEAL PREP FRIENDLY – This soup is even better the second day after the flavors have settled, so it’s perfect for making ahead of time! It also freezes and reheats easily, so make a double or triple batch. It’s the perfect freezer meal to provide to new parents, sick neighbors, or folks who just need a wholesome cheering up.
Ingredients for Avgolemono Soup
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card below.
- Olive oil, Onion, Celery, Carrots, Garlic – I used fresh vegetables, but you can use frozen pre-chopped veggies to make your prep easier, faster, and cheaper.
- Shredded chicken, Chicken broth – This recipe uses cooked, shredded chicken, so you can use up a store-bought rotisserie or prep your chicken thighs or breasts in a slow cooker or Instant Pot to make this very low-maintenance.
- Basmati rice (rinsed) – I don’t recommend substituting a different type of rice. Even though they may look similar, there are so many differences! Basmati works best in this recipe because of its firm-yet-fluffy texture and a slight nutty flavor. Other types of rice can be too sticky, causing the soup to have a gummy, gloopy texture.
- Eggs, Lemon juice – This forms the avgolemono sauce that gives this soup its amazing flavor and texture! You can use pre-whisked eggs from a carton if that’s more convenient for you. Bottled lemon juice is fine and convenient, but fresh juice will provide more flavor.
- Fresh dill, Salt, Pepper – Add to taste. The bright flavor of the dill brings out the best in the lemon and veggies! Other fresh herbs work great for garnishing.
How to make Greek Lemon Rice Soup
All you need for this delicious soup is a pot and a mixing bowl. Here’s a step-by-step guide for making this delicious Greek chicken soup.
Sauté vegetables
In a large pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add diced onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until the onions have softened (about 4-5 minutes), making sure to stir occasionally for even cooking.
Add chicken and broth
Place the cooked, shredded chicken into the pot, then the chicken broth (or stock). Raise the heat to medium-high, bringing the broth to a boil.
Add rice
Once the broth is boiling, add the rinsed (important!) rice and stir well. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking uncovered on the stovetop to simmer. Stir occasionally to ensure the rice isn’t sticking together and the pieces on the bottom aren’t burning. Cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to low.
Make Greek sauce
In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs and lemon juice together. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the warm broth from the soup and VERY SLOWLY pour it into the egg and lemon mixture, whisking as you pour. Repeat this two more times until you have poured 1 1/2 cups of broth in to create your egg-lemon sauce.
*Note: It is VERY IMPORTANT to work slowly! This process tempers the eggs, making sure you don’t end up with little pieces of scrambled eggs in your soup. Working too quickly will add unappetizing egg clumps and ruin the luscious, silky texture we want.
Combine
Now that your eggs are tempered, carefully and slowly pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup with the chicken and rice. Stir while you do this to evenly incorporate this beautiful texture into the soup. Serve immediately with fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Provide lemon wedges so guests can add additional citrus flavor if they prefer.
Serve
We love this Greek lemon chicken soup with a good bread! Consider this Gouda Jalapeno Bread, Keto Rolls, or my favorite Cheesy Cornbread. A simple salad (like this Arugula Salad with Parmesan) is a nice pairing as well. To stretch the meal further, serve some Air Fryer Broccoli (perfect with those extra lemon wedges) or give your guests this Greek Cucumber Salad as a tasty appetizer beforehand!
STORAGE & REHEATING
- FRIDGE – Allow soup to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Pouring leftovers into individual-sized containers is great fo grab-and-go lunch packing!
- FREEZER – Allow soup to completely cool, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Make sure to leave enough room for the soup to expand as it freezes, or your container may burst! This soup is best eaten within 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- REHEATING – Reheating is very simple either in the microwave (best to operate on 50% power to prevent messy bursts) or on medium low in a pot on the stove. The rice often soaks up moisture during the cooling process, so consider stirring in extra broth or water to the soup while reheating.
Avgolemono Soup FAQs
Eggs can cook super quickly, so we have to temper the eggs before adding them to the soup! The key is working very slowly. First, whisk your eggs with your lime juice. I like to start with room temperature eggs because they are easier to mix and they receive less of a “shock” from the hot broth. SLOWLY pour in a small amount of the hot broth with the eggs and juice, continuously whisking the entire time.
This process slowly raises the temperature of the egg mixture, allowing it to “cook” without turning into scrambled eggs. This becomes a beautiful, velvety sauce that adds an incredible texture to the soup.
The tempered egg sauce creates a super creamy, smooth texture for your soup without requiring any cream or butter. It’s rare to find such a rich, thick soup without dairy or high-calorie substitutes! This keeps the soup feeling decadent while still being healthy.
If you don’t temper the eggs, they will basically turn into scrambled eggs in chicken soup.
It’s Greek for egg-lemon. That is what separates this soup from all the other chicken soups you may see. The tempered egg lemon sauce provides a unique taste and texture you can’t achieve otherwise.
Yes, if you don’t have any pre-cooked chicken, you can easily use raw chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe! To do this, shave a few minutes off the vegetable sauteing time and increase the broth boiling time. Boil until the chicken reads 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer, then continue on with the rest of the recipe.
More great chicken soups:
Get the Recipe: Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Rice Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 5 large eggs
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh dill for serving
- salt and pepper to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and minced garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
- Add the cooked, shredded chicken and the chicken broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the broth to a boil
- Add the rinsed rice and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to medium and allow the rice to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
- Once the rice is tender reduce the heat to low.
- In a bowl whisk the eggs and lemon juice together. Scoop 1/2 cup of the hot broth out of the soup and very slowly pour it into the egg and lemon mixture as you whisk. This tempers the eggs and ensures you do not have tiny bits of scrambled eggs in your soup.
- Continue this three times until you have incorporated 1 1/2 cups of broth with the eggs.
- Once the eggs have been tempered, slowly pour them into the soup pot with the chicken and rice, stirring as you do this.
- Serve the soup immediately with fresh dill, salt, and pepper to taste and lemon wedges.
