Avgolemeno: Greek Chicken & Rice Soup

When I was growing up, my mom and I would often go to this restaurant called Greek Islands and I would always get a bowl of the egg-lemon-chicken soup — avgolemeno. I started making a version of it last winter and I’m pretty happy with this recipe. Some of the recipes I found called for a whole chicken, while I decided to just use a few chicken breasts. I think it makes enough of a “stock” that way and I usually have chicken breasts on hand. A whole chicken? Not so much. I also like to shred the chicken meat, rather than dice it. Whichever way you choose to do it, this is a great, winter soup for a cold night!

Or a cold day, as I am bringing some leftovers from last night to work for lunch!

Avgolemeno
3 chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
10 cups cold water
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 leeks, cleaned and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and quartered
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2/3 cup arborio rice
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a 6 to 8-quart stockpot, combine the chicken, water, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; immediately reduce the heat to a very low simmer, and skim the foam from the surface. Add one of the leeks, one of the carrots and bay leaves. Continue to simmer with the chicken until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, and you have a stock — about 45 minutes to one hour.

Meanwhile, dice the remaining quartered leek, carrot and garlic. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leek, garlic and carrot and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove chicken from the broth, and allow meat to cool. Strain the broth and skim the fat. (Place the broth in the refrigerator to make it easier to skim.)

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart and shred it. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Return the broth to high heat, add the rice and sautéed veggies and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken and reduce the broth to a low simmer.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the lemon juice, eggs, and pepper. Temper the egg and lemon mixture: Ladle 2 cups of hot broth into a measuring cup with a pourable spout. While whisking, slowly pour the 2 cups of hot broth into the egg mixture. Pour the broth and egg mixture back into the pot. The egg and lemon will make the soup creamier and a lighter yellow color. Salt to taste.

If soup seems too thick, you can always add a bit of packaged chicken stock. Garnish with some fresh thyme or oregano leaves.