Greek Avgolemono (AKA Egg-Lemon) Soup with Optional Chicken

This is a refreshing and creamy soup that can be eaten any time of the year…but if your experiencing a cold day where you are it especially hits the spot. It’s warming and comforting yet healthful.

This can be made with rice or with orzo, depending on what you are craving at the time. Also, if you want to make it vegetarian then leave out the chicken and substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth…and if you want, throw in some cannelloni beans for extra protein.

You can make your own chicken broth by boiling a chicken (or chicken pieces) with some herbs (such as thyme or rosemary), aromatics (i.e. garlic, onions, carrots, celery) , salt and pepper and boil for an hour…then you will also have the chicken meat to add into the soup later. If going vegetarian, leave out the chicken and just boil some onions, carrots, celery, and herbs with some salt and pepper. When it’s done, strain the liquid out to remove the veggies/herbs, you will not use the veggies in the soup because all the flavor will have gone into the broth…but if you have dogs, they may enjoy your chopped up carrots and celery (not the onions though…those can be toxic to dogs).

Also, sometimes I pre-sauté the veggies and the rice and sometimes I just throw them into the broth raw…just depends on your time. I also may or may not add garlic or thyme. Either way, it’s still tasty and warming to the soul!

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3-5 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2-3 ribs celery, cleaned and diced
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 cup rice, rinsed and drained (whatever type you have/like, but I like using a medium to short grain so it makes the soup real thick), or orzo
• 16 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if going vegetarian), homemade or boxed, room temperature if you had made fresh and put it in the frig
• 4 cups of chopped chicken, white and/or dark meat (optional)
• 2 cans cannelloni beans (optional, if making this vegetarian)
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 lemons, juiced (at least 1/4th cup) and zested (zest is optional)*
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed (optional)*
• 3 sprigs of thyme (optional)*
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Heat oil in large pot and throw in diced carrots, celery and onion.
2. Add a little salt to sweat the veggies and a little bit of pepper, to taste.
3. After a few minutes, add in the rice and stir with the vegetables and let cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Let it cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is done and the veggies are tender to your taste.
5. In the meantime, whisk your eggs until frothy then slowly add in the lemon juice as you continue to whisk.
6. Remove about 2 cups of the hot broth from the soup and add in the chicken or beans (if using) and stir. Turn off heat and set pot aside.
7. Slowly drizzle reserved broth into your egg-lemon mixture as you whisk. You are tempering the eggs, so don’t pour all the hot liquid at once or it will scramble them. Take about 2 minutes to add in the two comes as you whisk.
8. Slowly pour in your egg-lemon-broth mixture into your pot, as you stir. Once it is fully incorporated, put the pot back onto the heat, on low to medium, and bring to a simmer as you stir. The top may look frothy but as it cooks the froth will dissipate.
9. Once it comes back to a simmer (about 5-7 minutes on low-medium) turn it off and let it sit for about 10 minutes then enjoy!
10. You can top it with some crackers or make homemade crusty bread to dip into the juices.

*Note: I used the zest, thyme and garlic in making my own broth, if you don’t make your own you can throw those into boxed broth and heat for 10-15 minutes to extract the flavors into the broth, then strain before using it in the soup. If you have lemongrass, you can also throw a couple 4 inch pieces into the broth for extra flavor.

Kali Orexi!