This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup-Kotosoupa Avgolemono, is so delicious and can be used for healing or pure comfort and delight. Kotosoupa is a much-loved traditional Greek soup. The combination of tender chicken, flavorful broth, vegetables and avgolemono makes for a satisfying and nutritious meal that can be enjoyed any time of year.
If you love this Greek Lemon Chicken Soup-Kotosoupa Avgolemono, you will also love this Fasolada-White Bean Soup, Chickpea Soup or Lentil Spinach Lemon Soup!
Why this recipe sings
- Greeks call this soup kotopoulo soupa or kotosoupa avgolemono. Apart from the chicken, it can include carrots, celery, onion, avgolemono and rice. There are varieties of Greek chicken soup with orzo pasta, especially in the USA; however, orzo is rarely used in Greece for kotosoupa.
- There are several reasons why Greek chicken soup with avgolemono is a beloved dish.
- It is incredibly comforting and warming, making it the perfect meal for cold or rainy days.
- Greek lemon chicken soup is thought to have healing properties, with many believing it can help alleviate symptoms of the common cold and flu. My mom always made a pot of kotosoupa when she felt I had a cold.
- It is an inexpensive, nutritious meal with tender chicken, flavorful broth, and velvety avgolemono-egg and lemon sauce suitable for any time of year.
What is Avgolemono?
Avgolemono is a lemon and egg sauce. Greeks make avgolemono for chicken soup, as a sauce over stuffed grape leaves, for giouvarlakia-meatball soup, etc. The lemon adds rich and bright flavors to the dish.
Avgolemono is always in the soup added at the very end of cooking.
To make avgolemono sauce, whisk room-temperature eggs with freshly squeezed lemon juice. While whisking constantly, slowly pour some 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 the heat, and your avgolemono soup is ready for serving.
Here is what you need
For the broth
- A whole chicken, or thighs and/or drumsticks with the bone in
- Carrots, celery, and a red onion
- Bay leaves, sea salt and peppercorns
For the soup
- Diced carrots, celery and onion diced
- Sticky rice
- Sea salt, freshly ground pepper and dried oregano
For the egg and lemon sauce
- Egg yolks
- Lemons juiced and zested
How to make the chicken broth
I make my broth in a 7-quart Dutch oven. This recipe yields about 10 cups of broth.
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, bay leaves, fresh herbs sprigs, two tablespoons of sea salt and about ten peppercorns. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
Transfer the chicken to a platter. Let it cool a little.
Discard the skin and bones and cut into bite-size pieces.
Cover the chicken and set aside.
Pour the broth through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the vegetables, wash the pot and add back the stock.
Finish the soup
Add the diced onions, carrots, celery and rice into the broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces and turn off the heat.
While the rice cooks, zest and juice the lemons.
Make the avgolemono
Add salt, freshly ground pepper and extra lemon juice to taste.
Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves, and chili flakes.
Tips & substitutions
- The trickiest part when you are making avgolemono soup is to pour the chicken broth slowly into 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 in the freezer 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 altogether.
- Instead of rice or pasta, you can add diced potatoes. Ensure 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!
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Greek Lemon Chicken Soup – Kotosoupa Avgolemono
Ingredients
For the broth
- 4 lbs whole chicken or 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 diced
- 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, celery and rice. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken, stir, and turn off the heat.
- 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 1/2 cup in the same way.
- Keep whisking. Pour the lemon-egg mixture into the pot. Stir thoroughly.Add sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste.
- Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves and chili flakes.
Notes
- The trickiest part when making avgolemono soup is pouring the chicken broth slowly into 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 in the freezer 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 altogether.
- Instead of rice or pasta, you can add diced potatoes. Ensure 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!
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!
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
Question, I already have homemade stock that I made with a whole chicken carcass that was left over from a rotisserie chicken. Can I use the stock I have and can I use the pulled rotisserie chicken? I used carrots, onions and celery in my stock along with bay leaves. Can I heat the stock I have with the rest of the herbs? And then add carrots onions etc. along with the rest of the ingredients?
Thanks,
Cari
Hi Cari,
Yes, you can, absolutely! I bet your stock is delicious. I suggest sauteing the veggies with a bit of olive oil or butter before adding them to the stock to soften and develop extra flavor. Remember to season with salt and pepper. When they are semi-soft and fragrant, add the stock and your chicken and simmer to blend the flavors until veggies are done. Proceed with the egg-lemon and enjoy!
Thanks so much,
Jenny
I love dishes like this where you get a nice, warm, comforting meal, while still getting a ton of nutrition! LOVE!!
This is one of my favorite soups – even more so than chicken noodle! We will be making it all winter long!
This Greek chicken soup is all I needed to start the New Year warm and full of energy. I love the combination of the herbs you use to flavor it. I can’t wait to make it again.
Thank you so much, Enri! x Jenny
Oh my goodness, this is a terrific creamy soup that makes a full delicious meal with some fresh french bread!
Thank you so much, Mikayla! x Jenny
This could not have come at a better time. I am down with a cold and could sure use some soup love. That egg and lemon sounds incredible and it makes this soup so creamy and soulful. They say chicken soup for the soul why not make it Greek. Love Greek food. Thanks for sharing! ❤️ 😍
Feel better! Thank you so much! x Jenny
This soup hit the spot on a cold night! We loved the lemon flavors and the egg brought the perfect amount of richness. Will be making this again for sure!
Thank you so much, Kathryn! x Jenny
Such a comforting soup! It’s perfect on a cold winter’s night. I’m loving the addition of the lemon! This with some crusty bread was such a winner!
I love it too with crusty bread! Thank you Lori! x Jenny
I love this Greek soup. It’s one I’ve been wanting to try for ages. Easier to make than I had thought and so delicious!
That’s wonderful Jacqueline. Thanks so much! x Jenny
This is warmth, comfort, flavor, and food for the soul all in a bowl. Absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much, Katie! x Jenny
Talk about comfort food, this soup is so perfect for this cold weather. We just got first show here in Toronto and this soup was the perfect meal to warm up with.
Thank you so much, Veronika! x Jenny