This Greek lemon chicken soup – kotopoulo soupa avgolemono is delicious and can be used for healing purposes 🙂 or pure comfort and delight. It is a much loved traditional Greek soup.
When I was little and felt under the weather my mother would keep me home from school and would put on the stove a large pot of chicken lemon rice soup. A bowl would soothe my sore throat and calm my raging chest. Despite feeling ill I loved these moments of being home alone with my mother, tucked in bed with my books and my favorite soup.
What is in a Greek lemon chicken soup?
Greeks call it kotopoulo soupa or kotosoupa avgolemono. Apart from chicken it can include carrots, celery, avgolemono and rice. There are varieties with orzo pasta, however orzo is rarely used in the traditional Greek chicken soup.
What is Avgolemono?
Avgolemono is a lemon and egg sauce. Greeks use avgoglemono in chicken soup, stuffed grape leaves, meatball soup etc. It adds rich and bright flavors in the dish.
In this chicken soup avgolemono is added at the very end of cooking.
To make avgolemono sauce, you’ll need to whisk eggs with freshly squeezed lemon juice. While whisking constantly, slowly pour some of the hot chicken broth into the eggs. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup, whisking continually, so the eggs don’t curdle. Stir well, turn off heat, and your avgolemono soup is ready for serving.
Ingredients for Greek lemon chicken soup
- Chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Sticky Rice
- Bay leaf
- Dry oregano
- Fresh herbs like thyme and sage
- Eggs
- Lemons
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
How to make the chicken broth
I make my broth in a 7 quart dutch oven. This recipe yields 10 cups of broth.
- A 4 lb chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
- A large onion cut in half
- 2 medium carrots peeled and quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- fresh herb sprigs like thyme and sage
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 10 peppercorns
Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Skim the foam and reduce the heat to low. Add the onion, carrots, the bay leaves, fresh herbs sprigs, 2 tablespoons of sea salt and about 10 peppercorns. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
Transfer the chicken on a plater. Let it cool a little. Discard the skin and bones and cut into bite size pieces. Cover the plater and set aside.
Wash the pot and add back the stock. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the chicken and the sticky rice. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 12- 15 min.
Make the avgolemono
While the rice cooks zest and juice the lemons.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks very well.
Gradually add the lemon zest and lemon juice while continuously whisking until the mixture thickens a little and becomes creamy.
Slowly add 1/2 cup of the soup broth to the bowl while whisking vigorously. Add about another cup in the same way.
Keep whisking. Turn off the heat and add the lemon-egg mixture into the pot. Stir thoroughly.
Add salt, fresh ground pepper and extra lemon juice to taste.
Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves, chili flakes.
Tips & substitutions
- The trickiest part when you are making avgolemono soup is to pour the chicken broth slowly in the egg mixture. If you need to, ask someone to pour the broth slowly, while you whisk.
- Chicken broth can be refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 2-3 months.
- Instead of making the broth you can use free range organic broth.
- You can substitute rice with orzo, ditalini or pastina. Some add couscous or quinoa. You also have the option to leave rice and pasta out completely.
- Instead of rice or pasta you can add diced potatoes. Just make sure the pieces are diced small enough to cook evenly with the rest of the vegetables.
- You can add 1 cup grated ripe tomatoes in the broth when you add the rice. It makes a delightful pink soup!
You may also like
- Check out this tomato soup with feta & basil, an ideal partner to crusty bread.
- The traditional white bean soup is a staple that generations of Greeks grew up with and still enjoy today.
- This hearty heirloom bean soup it is slow cooked with lots aromatics, fresh herbs and veggies.
- This chicken stew with lemony beans will satisfy and comfort.
Check all the pantry items a Greek kitchen wouldn’t go without.
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Greek Lemon Chicken Soup – Kotopoulo Soupa Avgolemono
Ingredients
For the broth
- 4 lbs chicken thighs and/or drumstikcs bone in
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into 1/3 inch slices
- 2 stalk celery diced
- 2 bay leaf
- fresh thyme leaves
- fresh sage sprigs
- fresh rosemary
- 1 red onion halved
- 10 peppercorns
For the soup
- 2 carrots cut in thick coins
- 1 celery stick diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 cup sticky rice
- dry oregano
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
For the egg and lemon sauce
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 lemons juiced and zested
For serving
- fresh thyme leaves optional
- chili flakes optional
- freshly ground pepper optional
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Skim the foam and reduce the heat to low. Add the onion, carrots, the bay leaves, fresh herbs sprigs, 2 tablespoons of sea salt and about 10 peppercorns. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
- Wash the pot and add back the stock. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the chicken and the sticky rice. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 12- 15 min.
- While the rice cooks zest and juice the lemons.
Prepare the egg-lemon sauce.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks very well.
- Gradually add the lemon zest and lemon juice while continuously whisking until the mixture thickens a little and becomes creamy.
- Slowly add 1/2 cup of the soup broth to the bowl while whisking vigorously. Add about another cup in the same way.
- Keep whisking. Turn off the heat and add the lemon-egg mixture into the pot. Stir thoroughly.Add salt, fresh ground pepper and extra lemon juice to taste.
- Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves and chili flakes.
Notes
- Chicken broth can be refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 2-3 months.
Nutrition
Delicious soup for a light Dinner. A total filler recipe. Combinations yum. Love the Lemon flavor too.
What a great soup! We made this last night, and it had the silkiest texture. The Greek flavors were also great — will definitely make this throughout the fall and winter! It’s great comfort food.
I could eat this soup allll the time… this recipe is a winner! So flavorful, comforting, yet light. Will be making a stash for the freezer.
Does it freeze well?
Hi Viki!
This is a dairy-free soup, so you can freeze it, particularly if you make a larger batch. Leave enough room in the freezer-safe containers to allow for the soup to expand.
Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, add a little bit of broth or water. Heat until it is warmed through and stir regularly, so it does not separate.
Thanks! Jenny
The last time I had a decent avgolemono was in Athens. This was a great recipe and reminded me of my trip to Greece!
I’ve been wanting to give this soup a try and couldn’t find a recipe that convinced me. Thanks for sharing this! It’s all I needed to get into the kitchen. Sounds amazing.
Oh man I could so go for a bowl of this right now! I love the egg and lemon addition so much! I can’t wait to try it!
This was really easy to make! Perfect flavor and really good for leftover lunches throughout the week! I’ll be making this one again!
I believe soup is always comfort food and light meal! This looks simple and neat.
It’s getting cooler and soup sounds so comforting. We loved this recipe and enjoyed so much. Thanks for sharing.
What a comforting and delicious soup! I especially loved the lemon. I can’t wait to try your homemade chicken broth recipe! I know it will be worth the time as your food is always so tasty!
I am all about soups in the fall and winter. This looks delicious. The perfect way to warm up on a chilly day.
I loved your Kotopoulo Soupa Avgolemono! I made some to take to work, and I swear everyone was asking for the recipe, and I actually got a few jealous stares lol! My kids really enjoyed it as well. I will be adding this recipe to my collection!
Looking forward to your next recipe!
Heidy
It’s been getting chilly out so I made your soup. It was soooo good! this soup will be on my menu rotation through the fall and winter
This Greek Lemon soup Chicken soup looks so good! The weather is turning chilly here and it’s the right time to try this delicious lemon chicken soup now, perfect comfort fall meal for weeknight dinner. Love how you have explained the steps in detail. Bookmarking the recipe! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This looks SO good, and really what I feel like eating right now! I’ll make this one soon and report back!
Yum! I want a bowl of this!! You’re making me hungry… I think I just heard my tummy growl. lol!
Thank you Maggie!
This is a soup I really want to make soon. I had a similar soup made by a Greek friend some time back which I loved but I had forgotten what it was called! Now I know! Can’t wait to try it!
Am always looking for more soup recipes to try around this season and this one looks great. Thanks!
Thank you so much Moop!
This soup sounds so good and cant wait to make when the weather cools down a bit! Have made all sorts of chicken soup but never Greek lemon – can’t wait :)!
I could eat this soup all day long. So hearty and comforting. So delicious!
Thank you so much Jo!
Question, what type of rice do you use for ‘sticky rice’? I want to make this soup… it sounds so delish; but want to get the rice right?
Thank you
Hi Jenny!
That’s a great question. Sticky rice is glutinous rice, like the kind you use for sushi. It is great in soups. I will add a note to the post.
Hope you will like the soup!
Thanks so much,
x Jenny