Kotosoupa avgolemono – Greek chicken and lemon soup Recipe
Kotosoupa avgolemono is a warming Greek soup with chicken, rice and a lemon-egg sauce that gives it a gently creamy texture without any cream. In Greece it’s often served when someone has a cold or simply needs a comforting “mom’s soup”. It tastes a bit like a cross between chicken broth and a light lemony sauce – filling yet still fresh.
This classic Greek avgolemono soup combines the comfort of chicken broth with the brightness of fresh lemon and the silkiness of an egg-thickened sauce. It’s naturally creamy without any dairy and feels both nourishing and light at the same time.
Chef's tips
Keep the heat very low once you add the egg-lemon mixture – even a brief boil can cause it to split. Temper the eggs slowly with hot broth and whisk constantly. If you’re unsure, you can take the pot off the heat completely while adding the mixture, then return it to the lowest heat just to warm through.
How to serve
Serve in warm bowls, topped with plenty of fresh parsley and freshly ground black pepper. A side of crusty bread, pita or simple garlic toasts works well for dipping. For a fuller meal, add a Greek-style salad with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and olives.
Ingredients
- chicken preferably leg quarters or drumsticks on the bone - 600 g
- water - 2 l
- carrot peeled, sliced - 2 piece
- celery stalk chopped into pieces - 2 stalks
- onion peeled, halved - 1 piece
- rice short-grain or risotto rice - 80 g
- egg at room temperature - 2 piece
- lemon freshly squeezed juice - 2 piece
- bay leaf - 2 piece
- allspice berry - 4 piece
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- olive oil for cooking - 1 tablespoon
- parsley chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Rinse the chicken under cold water. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the chicken pieces and brown them for 5–7 minutes over medium heat, turning until lightly golden.
- Pour in the water, add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, allspice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 35–40 minutes, until the meat is tender and comes easily off the bone. Skim off any foam from the surface with a spoon.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool slightly. Take the onion, bay leaves and allspice out of the broth and discard them. Add the rice to the pot, stir and cook over low heat for 12–15 minutes, until the rice is tender but not mushy.
- In the meantime, remove the chicken meat from the bones and cut it into small pieces or shred it with your fingers. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs with a whisk or fork for about 1 minute, until well combined. Slowly pour in the lemon juice, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth, lightly frothy mixture.
- Ladle some hot broth (without rice) from the pot and very slowly pour it in a thin stream into the bowl with the eggs and lemon, whisking vigorously all the time. Repeat this 2 more times – the goal is to warm the eggs gently without scrambling them.
- Reduce the heat under the soup to the lowest setting. Slowly pour the egg-lemon mixture into the pot, stirring the soup with a spoon for about 1–2 minutes. The soup should thicken slightly and become creamy, but must not come to a boil – make sure it only steams gently.
- Add the chicken pieces back to the soup, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat for another 2–3 minutes over very low heat, without letting it boil.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped parsley. If the soup thickens after standing for a while, you can add a little hot water or broth and stir gently.
Storage
Zupę przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku i podgrzewaj bardzo delikatnie na małym ogniu, nie dopuszczając do zagotowania, aby jajka się nie ścięły. Przed podaniem możesz dodać odrobinę świeżego soku z cytryny, żeby odświeżyć smak.
