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Greek Avgolemono Chicken Soup

SUBMITTED BY: dimitra      PHOTO BY: Dimitri

"This is the traditional recipe made in Greek kitchens. The basic Avgolemono (broth and lemon) can be varied for other similar Greek recipes. Serve with bread. Bread bits can be dipped into the soup. The soup will last in the fridge for a number of days or can be frozen. To reheat, place in microwave or heat on the stove."
PREP TIME  15 Min
COOK TIME  1 Hr
READY IN  1 Hr 15 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 6 servings
    
About  scaling  and  conversions

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (3 pound) whole chicken
  • 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 egg, beaten
  • 2 lemons, juiced

DIRECTIONS

  1. Rinse the chicken and remove any organs that may be inside. Place in a pot large enough for the chicken to move around, but not too much room or the broth will be watery. Add the chicken neck if that is included with your chicken. Fill with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming the fat from the top as it collects.
  2. When the chicken is done, the meat should pull from the bones easily. Transfer the bird to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Add the rice, and season the broth with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes, or until rice is tender.
  3. Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. Whisk one ladle full of hot broth into the eggs slowly so the eggs do not curdle. Gradually whisk in more broth until the egg mixture is heated. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly. The result should be a creamy, cloudy looking soup. You may season with additional salt, pepper or lemon juice at this point.
  4. You may add pieces of chicken to the soup before serving or serve soup with salted chicken on the side.

Note

The soup should be filling, salty and slightly sour, so I use 2 juicy lemons although the flavor may be too sour for non-Greeks. Grocery store lemons tend to not be as juicy as organic lemons or lemons from a Hispanic/Mexican grocery store.

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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Nov. 14, 2007 by SWEET_MARY_SUNSHINE
This is one of my favorites. My guests have be thrilled when I've served this refreshing soup! A few tips - to get more juice from the lemons, microwave them whole for 10 seconds before squeezing them. I always garnish this soup with nutmeg. You also can cook and shred boneless chicken breasts if that's more convenient.

5 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 12, 2007 by tasteeone
This is my all time favorite soup. It's exactly the way my yiayia taught me how to make it when I was a young girl. It's now my nephew's favorite soup and he asks for it all the time. I wouldn't change a thing. If you are short on time, use a pressure cooker to cook the chicken. I also use chicken leg quarters and skim the fat that rises to the top.

2 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 24, 2008 by Miranda
This soup had a very unique taste! I found it difficult to skim all the chicken fat, and for that reason I think my soup had too much of an "oily" texture. I loved the lemon taste though, and will definitely make this again! I served this at a staff meeting and those brave enough to try something new really enjoyed it!

1 user found this review helpful


 
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NUTRITION INFORMATION

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 589

  • Total Fat: 36.9g
  • Cholesterol: 276mg
  • Sodium: 257mg
  • Total Carbs: 16.5g
  •     Dietary Fiber: 1.9g
  • Protein: 46.9g

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