This is Recipe Roundup episode 94. This fall I started making a soup every week and I have to say it’s one of the best habits I’ve been able to develop, especially in the colder seasons. Recently I’ve been trying to expand my soup repertoire and it occurred to me that I had never tried to make the Greek soup,  Avgolemono. If your interests lean towards linguistics, you may already realize what the two featured ingredients of this soup are since the name directly translates to Egg Lemon. 

Now I’m sure very few of you listening put lemon juice on your eggs and frankly the idea of a sour scramble makes me sick! But in fact the velvety texture of this soup relies on slowly tempering the egg into the mixture so as not to create an egg drop soup. What you get is a refreshing and creamy chicken soup. 

This soup is very common at Greek Restaurants and is a great way to wake up your appetite before digging into some roasted lamb or spanikopita. 

I chose to use cauliflower in my recipe, but traditionally it is made with rice. If you choose to use rice, completely cook it in the broth before adding the chicken meat and egg sauce. 

You’ll need

4-5 quarts of chicken broth

Olive Oil

½ cup of chopped carrots

½ cup of chopped celery

½ cup of chopped onions

2 cups of cauliflower rice

3-4 cups of chopped chicken

½ cup of lemon juice

4 eggs 

Plenty of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Fresh oregano or dill 

1. Whenever I make chicken broth, I opt to get a rotisserie chicken from the store, and use every part of it in my weekly pot of soup. I debone and set aside the meat, and then make a 24 hour stock from the bones in a slow cooker with a variety of vegetable for flavor. I find that a single chicken produces the perfect amount of meat and broth for a great soup. If you don’t want to go through all of that, you are welcome to use pre-made broth and whatever chicken meat is easiest for you to source. 
2. In a large pot, over medium heat, sweat the onions, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt in olive oil until the onions are sweet and glassy. 
3. Stir in your broth and cauliflower, or a cup of rice, and allow to simmer until cooked. 
4. While waiting, make the egg sauce by combining the lemon juice and egg. 
5. Temper the egg sauce with two or so ladles of hot broth, pouring slowly and stirring constantly to prevent the egg from scrambling. 
6. Add your chicken meat to the soup and then slowly add your tempered egg mixture. 
7. Immediately turn off the burner and allow the soup to thicken without active heat. 
8. Season to your preference – I personally prefer heavy garlic and dill, but oregano is certainly a traditional option!
9. Enjoy