Avgolemono (Greek Cypriot Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup)
The word Avgolemono means egg lemon as this soup features eggs for its creaminess and lots of lemon. Growing up Greek Cypriot, as soon as the cooler weather arrived, my mum always made this soup. It was a big hug of comfort when we needed it the most. With a few ingredients and no time to put together, its perfect for fall and our Canadian winter months. It has become a tradition in my family and my girls love this soup, especially with lots of crusty bread for dipping. This soup is also celebrated during Orthodox Easter. After midnight mass and fasting, its enjoyed as a welcoming comfort food served with our Tsoureki sweet bread and the cracking of our Red Easter eggs to celebrate the resurrection. A very special and spiritual time of year for us Orthodox. Hope your family enjoys it as much as my family does.
Enjoy
xoxo
Greek Cypriot Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup (Avgolemono)
Materials
- 1 whole small chicken wash
- 1 cup uncooked short grain white rice
- 2 cube chicken bouillon
- 1/3 cup celery leaves finely chopped
- 2 large farm eggs room temperature
- Juice of 2 fresh lemons
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken and place in a large soup pot.
- Fill pot with water just enough to cover chicken and bring to a boil, skimming off chicken fat from top with a spoon.
- When water has come to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium- low and simmer for 45 minutes .
- The chicken is done, when the meat pulls from the bones easily. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
- Add the rice, 2 cups of hot water, celery and the bouillon cubes. Turn off heat and cover.
- Remove bone and skin from chicken. Shred chicken meat and add to pot.
- Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl. 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.
- Turn on the heat to medium and continue to cook the soup until the rice has softened, 5-6 minutes. Cover with lid and let stand for 10 minutes to slightly thinken.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a side of crusty bread and extra lemon.
Posted in Soups
