Description
This classic Greek soup is dairy-free, yet velvety smooth. Loaded with lemon and dotted with chicken and rice, this is a perfect way to use up leftovers from last night’s dinner.
Scale
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, use low-sodium commercial broth in a pinch)
- 3/4 cup slivered cooked chicken (optional)
- 3/4 cup cooked rice
- 2 large eggs, room temperature (3 if using commercial chicken broth)
- Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (don’t use bottled)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, bring stock to a gentle boil. Add the rice and chicken. Heat until it just begins to boil again. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
- In a medium, heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.
- Slowly, slowly, slowly pour a ladle of hot stock into the eggs, whisking as you pour.Slowly add a second ladle of hot stock. (This warms the eggs gently. If you add the hot stock too quickly the eggs will curdle.)
- Remove the pot of stock from the heat and slowly pour the warmed egg mixture into the soup, stirring well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Why the extra egg with commercial broth? A good homemade chicken stock is gelatinous when chilled and produces a full-bodied soup. Commercial broth might have flavour, but is liquid and watery. I find avgolemono made with homemade stock needs only 2 eggs, but commercial stock needs a third.