Egg-Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)
A silky, golden chicken broth thickened with whisked eggs and brightened with fresh lemon juice, finished with tender rice and shredded chicken. The ultimate Greek comfort food, gentle enough for a cold or a bad day.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Simmer the broth
Put the chicken, water, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam that rises, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is fully cooked through (no pink near the bone, juices clear).
- 1.5 kg chicken pieces
- 2.5 litres water
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the chicken is cooked through and the broth smells rich and savoury
Strain and shred
Lift out the chicken and set it aside to cool a little. Strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, discarding the vegetables and bay leaves. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
✅ Done when: the broth is clear and the chicken is shredded, skin and bones discarded
Cook the rice
Bring the strained broth back to a boil over medium heat. Add the rice, lower the heat slightly and simmer until the rice is tender but not mushy.
- 150 g short-grain rice
✅ Done when: the rice grains are soft all the way through
Temper the eggs
In a bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy, then whisk in the lemon juice. Ladle in about a cup of the hot broth very slowly, whisking the whole time, to warm the eggs gradually. This step is the secret of : warming the eggs slowly stops them from scrambling when they meet the hot soup.
- 3 eggs
- 80 ml lemon juice
Combine off the heat
Take the pot off the heat completely, this is important so the eggs do not curdle. Slowly pour the warmed egg-lemon mixture into the soup, stirring constantly, then stir in the shredded chicken. Return the pot to very low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, just to warm everything through without ever letting it boil (a hard boil will turn the silky soup grainy).
✅ Done when: the soup is warmed through, silky and lightly thickened, with no sign of bubbling
Season and rest
Taste and season with extra salt and white pepper as needed. Let the soup sit for about 5 minutes off the heat, it will thicken slightly more as it rests. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped dill if using.
- to taste white pepper
- 2 tbsp dill
✅ Done when: the soup has a thick, velvety texture that coats the back of a spoon
Simmer the broth
Put the chicken, water, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam that rises, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is fully cooked through (no pink near the bone, juices clear).
- 1.5 kg chicken pieces
- 2.5 litres water
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the chicken is cooked through and the broth smells rich and savoury
Strain and shred
Lift out the chicken and set it aside to cool a little. Strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, discarding the vegetables and bay leaves. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
✅ Done when: the broth is clear and the chicken is shredded, skin and bones discarded
Cook the rice
Bring the strained broth back to a boil over medium heat. Add the rice, lower the heat slightly and simmer until the rice is tender but not mushy.
- 150 g short-grain rice
✅ Done when: the rice grains are soft all the way through
Temper the eggs
In a bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy, then whisk in the lemon juice. Ladle in about a cup of the hot broth very slowly, whisking the whole time, to warm the eggs gradually. This step is the secret of : warming the eggs slowly stops them from scrambling when they meet the hot soup.
- 3 eggs
- 80 ml lemon juice
Combine off the heat
Take the pot off the heat completely, this is important so the eggs do not curdle. Slowly pour the warmed egg-lemon mixture into the soup, stirring constantly, then stir in the shredded chicken. Return the pot to very low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, just to warm everything through without ever letting it boil (a hard boil will turn the silky soup grainy).
✅ Done when: the soup is warmed through, silky and lightly thickened, with no sign of bubbling
Season and rest
Taste and season with extra salt and white pepper as needed. Let the soup sit for about 5 minutes off the heat, it will thicken slightly more as it rests. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped dill if using.
- to taste white pepper
- 2 tbsp dill
✅ Done when: the soup has a thick, velvety texture that coats the back of a spoon
The Story Behind the Dish
Avgolemono, the technique of thickening a hot liquid with whisked eggs and lemon, is one of the oldest tricks in Greek cooking, used long before flour-based thickeners became common. It turns a simple chicken broth into something rich and velvety without any cream or butter.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Every Greek family has its own version of this soup, made for Sunday lunch, for feeding someone with a cold, or as the comforting first course of a big meal. The balance of savoury broth and bright lemon is instantly recognisable as home cooking.
💡 Fun Fact
The same avgolemono technique is used far beyond this soup, Greek cooks use it to finish stews, dolmades and vegetable dishes, always added off the heat so the eggs stay silky instead of scrambling.
Greece
37.98°N, 23.73°E
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