You’ll love this authentic Greek Avgolemono Soup Recipe. Ah-vgo-le-mono, as the Greeks pronounce it, is a silky, rich, fragrant chicken soup, prepared Greek-style with avgolemono sauce (lemon-egg sauce.) Best part, this weeknight version comes together in just over 30 minutes.
A couple of important tips make all the difference, be sure to read through this post and watch my video for how to make Greek avgolemono.
Chicken soup is one of those nostalgic dishes known as a home remedy to comfort the sick or relief the cold chill in the air. It’s also one of those universal foods every culture, and every household, has some version of–noodles or not.
I’ll never pass up a warm bowl of homemade chicken soup, but one of my favorites for sure is the Greek version: the egg and lemon soup known as Avgolemono.
Avgolemono is no ordinary chicken rice soup. There is just something special, and extra luxurious, about Avgolemono, a combination of egg and lemon that’s used in many Greek dishes, from this soup to Youvarlakia (Greek Meatball Soup). Here, the fluffy and lemony combination makes for a decidedly rich, comforting chicken soup with a silky broth that’s heavily scented with lemon. Delicious!
I’m telling you, if you have not tried Greek avgolemono soup, you are in for a treat!
What is Avgolemono?
Avgolemono, pronounced ah-vgo-le-mono (the “g” is there, but it’s a lighter g…almost silent), refers to the tasty Greek sauce from which this chicken soup gets it’s name. Avgolemono sauce is a silky and fragrant sauce made of eggs, lots of lemon, and warm broth.
Greek cooks use avoglemono sauce to augment or dress a number of things from Avgolemono soup, to roast chicken, vegetables, and even dolmades (grape leaves.) Avgolemono sauce does make a difference, infusing a dish with richness and bright notes of lemon.
30-Minute Weeknight Avgolemono Soup
Avgolemono soup may start like any ordinary chicken soup–onions, carrots, celery, broth, chicken etc.
But–at the very end–is delightfully transformed into a silky, tangy, absolutely unforgettable bowl chicken rice soup, thanks to the addition of Greek avgolemono sauce (egg-lemon sauce.)
Now, to make traditional avgolemono soup, Greek yiayias would spend more than two hours–starting from scratch to make homemade chicken stock from a whole chicken, then shredding the chicken to be used in the soup.
But in my 30-minute weeknight version, I two major shortcuts: ready chicken stock or broth (low-sodium, preferred); and store-bought rotisserie chicken. Since I often have leftover rotisserie chicken on hand, avgolemono is a great way to put it to use.
This weeknight avgolemono never disappoints, and it is as comforting and authentic-tasting as the traditional version.
Two Important Tips for Making Avgolemono Soup:
So, it’s the avgolemono sauce that makes all the difference in this chicken soup, providing a silky thick consistency and adding that extra zing. Two important tips when it comes to this sauce and making avgolemono soup:
1. Make sure to temper the sauce. To make avgolemono sauce, you’ll need to whisk two eggs with 1/2 cup of lemon, and while whisking with one hand, pour in two ladles of the hot chicken broth from your soup. That’s really the trickiest part of this soup, but it’s not that difficult. And if you need to, ask someone to help you pour in the broth, while you do the whisking.
2. Add avgolemono sauce to the soup at the very end, and immediately remove from heat. This is your very last step in the process, be sure to remove the soup from heat immediately or the eggs might begin to cook and the soup separates (you’re not looking for an egg drop soup here.)
Let’s get to the step-by-step of how to make Greek avgolemono soup, and you’ll see how easy it is…
Step-by-Step for Greek avgolemono soup:
1- In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute carrots, celery and green onions…and, a couple minutes later, add garlic.
2- Add broth and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil, then add the rice (Tip: I like to soak rice in water for a few minutes before using, this helps it cook quickly and evenly.) Season with kosher salt and pepper.
Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now, stir in shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken.)
3- Prepare the avgolemono sauce (egg-lemon sauce). In a medium bowl, whisk two eggs with the lemon juice. While whisking, add in 2 ladles-full of the broth from your cooking pot (this is to temper the sauce.)
Add the sauce to the chicken soup and immediately remove from heat (this is important you do not want the eggs to cook and the soup to separate.)
Can you use orzo instead of rice in this Avgolemono recipe?
Yes, orzo is fine to use instead of rice in this recipe. You can use 1 cup orzo, and watch cooking time as orzo will cook more quickly (about 7 minutes or so)
Leftovers. Can You Freeze Avgolemono?
To store leftover avgolemono soup, make sure the soup cools to room temperature. Transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Because this is a cream-free soup, you can also freeze avgolemono soup, particularly if you make a larger batch. Whether you freeze a large family-size amount or in small individual servings, be sure to leave enough room the freezer-safe containers to allow for soup to expand.
Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat; it helps to add a little bit of liquid, broth or water. Heat until warmed through and be sure to stir regularly (it can tend to separate.)
What to Serve Along?
For a simple dinner, my family enjoys avgolemono soup and Greek salad. But this comforting chicken and rice soup can also be served as a warm starter to a special Greek feast! Browse our Greek Recipes collection for more delicious recipes!
Watch this video for How to Make Avgolemono
More Recipes to Try
Mediterranean-Style Shrimp Stew
Browse more Greek recipes our top Mediterranean diet recipes. All Mediterranean recipe.
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Avgolemono: Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Description
Greek Avgolemono Soup Recipe. Silky, rich, fragrant chicken soup, prepared Greek-style with avgolemono sauce, which is a Greek lemon-egg sauce with warm broth. Best part, this weeknight version comes together in just over 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Private Reserve Greek olive oil)
- 1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped carrots
- 1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup rice
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cooked boneless chicken breast pieces, shredded ( about 6 to 8 oz store-bought rotisserie chicken will work)
- 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery and green onions, toss together to saute briefly then stir in the garlic.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaves then raise the heat to high. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, add the rice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now stir in the cooked chicken.
- To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking add 2 ladles-full of the broth from the cooking pot (this helps temper the eggs). Once fully combined, add the sauce to the chicken soup and stir. Remove from the heat immediately.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like. Serve hot with your favorite bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip for Rice: Be sure to rinse the rice well. And it helps to soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes or so or until you are able to break one grain of rice easily. The rice will cook quickly and evenly.
- Can you use orzo instead of rice? Yes, orzo is fine to use. You can use 1 cup orzo, and watch cooking time as orzo will cook more quickly (about 7 minutes or so)
- Important Tips: 1. Make sure to temper the sauce. To make avgolemono sauce, you’ll need to whisk two eggs with 1/2 cup of lemon, and while whisking with one hand, pour in two ladles of the hot chicken broth from your soup. That’s really the trickiest part of this soup, but it’s not that difficult. And if you need to, ask someone to help you pour in the broth, while you do the whisking. 2. Add avgolemono sauce to the soup at the very end, and immediately remove from heat. This is your very last step in the process, be sure to remove the soup from heat immediately or the eggs might begin to cook and the soup separates (you’re not looking for an egg drop soup here.)
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- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in January 2016 and has recently been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.
Absolutely amazing! I cooked the chicken breasts in the broth, but followed thr rest exactly. It was one of the best soups I’ve had!
Yay! Thanks, Danielle!
I absolutely loved this however, the eggs gave it a rotten smell and taste after two days. How do I avoid this in the future?
Hi, Christine. I’ve never had that happen before, so I don’t really have a solution for you. Perhaps making sure your eggs are very fresh, and try storing in the freezer (if you didn’t this time) would help.
I don’t think I’ve ever left a review on a recipe before, but I had to for this one. For once, I followed a recipe to the letter and it is probably the best soup I’ve ever made, and so simple at that. It will definitely be a part of the regular rotation in our house. Thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks, Marissa!
I found this exact recipe (minus the bay leaf for some reason) in a magazine from our local grocery store a few weeks and I have made it seven or eight times for my husband and me and it lasts us two days and we have never had a drop left over…it is SO good…he says it’s now his favorite. And it’s easy and very quick to make. To go with it I usually tear up some pita into small pieces and drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle on oregano and toast in the oven for a few minutes until lightly crispy.
Made it last night! so delish!
I did make some adjustments:
– added riced cauliflower to have an extra veggie in the soup
– added both white and green onion
– doubled the lemon and the garlic (my own preference because YUM!)
– drizzled a little extra lemon on top with the parsley (because you can never have too much lemon in this soup!)
Overall, I really enjoyed it and so did my boyfriend! We ate 2 bowls each! 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Rose!
So since the egg doesn’t cook, does it get hot enough to kill salmonella? I have an immono-compromised family member, should we not eat this?
Hi, Lee. If you have any doubts about the safety of this recipe for your immunocompromised family member, then, yes, I would recommend avoiding it.
Made a few changes:
+ 3x lemon juice
+ sprig of fresh oregano, pinch of thyme
+ bone broth in place of chicken broth
-didn’t have enough parsley, and ran out of chicken broth so added veggie broth (not sure if this is a no no)
Overall the soup base was a GREAT flavor. For all beginners (I’m not a great cook at all) I overlooked shredded chicken breast, so make sure to heed this advice. My bf loved the soup but wasn’t to fond of the chicken pieces I put in the soup that were wings lol.
Thanks for sharing your adaptations, Karina!
Will reheating this soup cause the egg to cook
Hi, Shelby. I have never had issues reheating over medium heat until warmed through.
I had this soup at a Greek restaurant and fell in love. I just made it and it was so easy and delicious. I made it with orzo. My husband loved it and it was only 3 points on my WW plan!!
Wonderful!
So easy and so good!
Thanks, Becky!
This soup is delicious! I used the orzo because my husband doesn’t care for rice. Will be making it again soon!
Thanks, Susan!
This soup is so delicious, and I can’t believe how easy it is to make. My husband and I are trying to transition to the Mediterranean diet for health reasons. However, it has been difficult since my husband is an extremely picky eater. We both agreed that this recipe is outstanding, though. It’s definitely something I plan make regularly in the future. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for giving this one a try!
Hi! I’m pregnant and can’t eat raw eggs but I want to make this soup so bad! Do the eggs continue to cook once in the soup?
This is an execellent recipe. Thank you for posting it! I was introduced to Greek Cusine while in school in Detroit. My classmate’s Uncle was the Head Chef at the best Greek Resturant in Greek Town. We always had special attention when we dined there. This soup reminds me of the citrusy smooth Avgolemono, chicken lemon rice soup we enjoyed at the resturant!
If your not going to eat all the soup at once, placing the cooked rice in a bowl and adding the soup is a great way to have that fresh made presentation for the soup.
Thank you for taking the time to share, Gregoria! So glad you enjoyed my version of Avgolemono!
This soup is awesome!!!! If I could give it more than five stars, I would. It tastes almost exactly like a Greek restaurant’s soup.
Thanks, Maria!
My son and I are egg intolerant, but this looks so delicious! Is there an option for how to make it without the eggs or using an egg replacement?
Hi, Corie. Eggs are a part of this soup traditionally for texture and flavor, but you can simply omit the egg, which turns it into a chicken rice soup with lemon. A bit different, but still delicious.
There is a vegan substitute called “Just Egg” that is so much like the real thing it’s scary! More &more local grocery chains are starting to sell it but they also have it at health food stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Better Health, etc. I’m sure you can find it online as well. Good luck!
Delicious soup. I had a couple large cans of chicken from Costco that I used insead of rotisserie, etc. Never thought I’d buy canned chicken, but it worked out great.
I also used canned chicken breast from Costco – perfect for this! I sadly didn’t have orzo but I used white rice and it was delicious. I had to add nearly 6 more cups of water after the rice cooked due to the rice absorbing the liquid easily but no problem. The whole family loved it and I went not only for seconds but thirds!
Thanks for sharing, Ana!