Soups
Chicken Avgolemono Soup Recipe
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Yield
4 -5
This delicious chicken Avgolemono Soup Recipe is the perfect comfort food. It's creamy, lemony, and hearty. 🍋
Avgolemono soup recipe is a hearty, comforting Greek soup that is really lemony, creamy, and honestly so dang good. It’s great for when you’re sick, for a chilly day, or when you need something to warm you from the inside out.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Avgolemono Soup Recipe
- Comforting: Nothing says comfort food more than a big, warming bowl of soup
- Flavorful: I LOVE the combination of flavors in this traditional Greek soup. The lemon is so tasty
- Versatile: You can make this soup vegan too to fit your dietary needs
🍲 Ingredients
Chicken Breasts: You can also use chicken thighs here if you prefer darker meat, or you only have thighs on hand.
Lemon Juice: You’ll want to use freshly squeezed lemon juice here. It’ll produce the best, authentic flavor vs. the stuff bought in a bottle at the store.
👩🍳 How to Make Avgolemono Soup
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and set aside. Into a large stock pot add olive oil and turn to medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and sear, 2 minutes per side, then remove to a bowl or plate.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the chicken stock paste and bay leaf. Then, add the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, once simmering add the chicken breasts (along with any juices) and the rice. Stir and then keep at a simmer at medium-low heat with the lid mostly on the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken breasts and rice are cooked.
- Once the chicken breasts and rice are cooked, turn the heat off and remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Leave the lid on the pot to keep the soup warm and use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup along with the fresh dill.
- Remove the soup pot from the heat completely. Scoop out 1 cup of stock into a measuring cup and set aside (try to scoop out just the liquid stock).
- Make the avgolemono: Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate bowls. Whisk the egg whites vigorously until they develop a foamy consistency on top. Gradually add egg yolks to the egg whites and continue to whisk to combine. Keep whisking and gradually pour in the lemon juice until combined. Slowly pour the 1 cup of stock into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
- Add the egg mixture into the pot of soup, constantly stirring until combined. Taste and adjust seasong with salt and pepper, a big pinch of each if desired! Serve in bowls topped with fresh dill, pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil.
🗒 Substitutions
- Vegan Version: If you love this soup but are looking for a vegan version, try our Creamy Vegan Greek Lemon Rice Soup (Avgolemono)
- Chicken Stock Paste: You can use chicken broth then instead of water but be sure to adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This can be a great soup to meal prep.
🤔 Common Questions
Avgolemono is a Greek soup that is creamy, and lemony, and contains both chicken and rice to make it a hearty, well-rounded dish.
The translation is egg-lemon which perfectly describes two of the main ingredients in this creamy soup.
For Greeks (like me), this soup has gotten me through so many illnesses. It’s hearty, comforting, and perfect for when you are sick as it’s packed with nutrients to help get you better quickly.
Definitely. Avgolemono soup is made with whole, hearty ingredients. It can make a great, well-rounded dish.
Chicken Avgolemono Soup Recipe
Your Greek mommy that is. 😍 Step into my kitchen to learn how to make yummy Greek food. 🍽️💃
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp chicken stock paste
- 8 cups water
- 2 chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice or other rice of your choice (i.e. basmati, short grain)
- 2 tbsp – 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
For the avgolemono
- 3 eggs, separate egg yolks and whites
- juice of 3 lemons
- 1 cup soup stock
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and set aside. Into a large stock pot add olive oil and turn to medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and sear, 2 minutes per side, then remove to a bowl or plate.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the chicken stock paste and bay leaf. Then, add the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, once simmering add the chicken breasts (along with any juices) and the rice. Stir and then keep at a simmer at medium-low heat with the lid mostly on the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken breasts and rice are cooked.
- Once the chicken breasts and rice are cooked, turn the heat off and remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Leave the lid on the pot to keep the soup warm and use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup along with the fresh dill.
- Remove the soup pot from the heat completely. Scoop out 1 cup of stock into a measuring cup and set aside (try to scoop out just the liquid stock).
- Make the avgolemono: Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate bowls. Whisk the egg whites vigorously until they develop a foamy consistency on top. Gradually add egg yolks to the egg whites and continue to whisk to combine. Keep whisking and gradually pour in the lemon juice until combined. Slowly pour the 1 cup of stock into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
- Add the egg mixture into the pot of soup, constantly stirring until combined. Taste and adjust seasong with salt and pepper, a big pinch of each if desired! Serve in bowls topped with fresh dill, pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Notes
- If you love this soup but are looking for a vegan version, try our Creamy Vegan Greek Lemon Rice Soup (Avgolemono)
- Don’t have chicken stock paste? You can use chicken broth then instead of water but be sure to adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
Oh my goodness, this soup was perfect. My husband and grown up children loved it , as did my in-laws that I cook for. My father in law had to go into hospital and the food left a lot to be desired. I took him a flask of this everyday when I visited him , and he wolfed it down . Its his favourite, i make it every week for easy lunches for work and we haven’t gotten fed up of it yet, and i cant wait until autumn when its soup weather again , to make it again . All of your recipes, that I have tried have been so flavourful and wonderful that you are my go to. Thank you so so much for all of your hard work .
Thank you so much, Linda! that makes me so happy, thank you for sharing this with your FIL. I hope all is well now and he can enjoy this in the comfort of his lovely home. If you have time, please leave me star reviews for the other recipes you’ve tried from the site. The reviews mean the world to me. Thank you for trusting me!!!
I am making this for a second time since it was so good. Confession: I use Costco rotisserie chicken which I buy to make my own stock and use in this recipe. I also use short grain arborio rice since that is what I had on hand. Honestly, this is better than the last restaurant that I had this soup.
There is no right way to do this my friend!! I am so glad you tried this recipe!!!
Made this tonight! It was absolutely fantastic! To be honest, I was intimidated by the egg portion, but by following the instructions, it turned out perfect!!!
Highly highly recommend!
Love to hear this, Jill!!!
Perfect flavor and so easy! My husband and I loved it!
Thank you, Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed this!
I can’t say enough good things about this recipe. I made it last night for a group of friends and served it as the starter course; immediately they all said they had lost interest in the upcoming courses because the soup was so delicious, some even opted to have another bowl for dessert. This is the type of recipe that is too easy to be true and honestly, I have had to purposefully decide that I won’t let myself over-make it for fear of getting sick of it… so good. Thanks Maria!
This review gave me goosebumps! Thank you so much my love! It means so much to me.
Can’t wait to make this recipe! Just wondering if chicken stock paste is better than bouillon?
YES! exactly!
I’ve made this recipe 3 out of the last 5 weeks as a meal prep and still am not sick of it. Hands down my favorite soup recipe. Its GIVING!
THANK YOU SO MUCH JESS!!
So delish and so filing! Easy meal prep, but feels like you’ve been in the kitchen all day. The flavours are amazing.
Thank you so much, Haley!!!!!
Such a delicacy, I’m going to pass this recipe onto my kids!
this makes me so happy, thank you !!!!
I made this soup the other day and it was AMAZING!! It was full of so much flavor and so creamy! This is my new favorite soup and will be a go to recipe. I’ve already passed the recipe along to my friends and family. 🙂
Thank you so much hun! I love this soup recipe SOOO MUCH!