Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono Soup)

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is a hearty, comforting Greek soup that is lemony, creamy, and so dang good—known as Avgolemono Soup grew in popularity outside of Greece as Greek families immigrated to other countries and spread their traditions. This soup was traditionally served after Christmas Eve church services and there are several variations depending on the region your family/ancestors came from. This soup is 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 Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

• Comforting: Nothing says comfort food more than a big, warming bowl of soup. This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is one of my fav comfort dishes during the colder months or when you need something hearty that’ll warm you from the inside out.
• Flavorful: I LOVE the combination of flavors in this traditional Greek soup. The lemon is so tasty, it’s creamy, and yet still so hearty.
• Versatile: You can make this soup vegan too to fit your dietary needs. You can also play with it, as I mentioned, there are many variations of this soup across Greece. Some even use orzo in it!

🍲 Ingredients

Chicken Breasts: You can also use chicken thighs here if you prefer darker meat, or you only have thighs on hand. This can be a great soup to use up leftover rotiseree chicken too.

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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 Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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).
6. 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.
7. Add the egg mixture to the pot of soup, constantly stirring until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, a big pinch of each if desired! Serve in bowls topped with fresh dill, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a 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

• Greek Cabbage Salad
• Fennel Salad
• Greek Meatball Recipe

👝 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 for meal prep.

🤔 Common Questions

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)

4.96 from 66 votes

This delicious Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (also known as Avgolemono) is the perfect comfort food. It's creamy, lemony, and hearty. 🍋

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Greek-Inspired

Servings 4 -5

Calories 373 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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• 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

Garnish

• fresh dill
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

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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.

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.4g | Protein: 39.2g | Fat: 15.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.9g | Cholesterol: 285.6mg | Sodium: 766.6mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 4.1g

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