Feed a cold

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
(Avgolemono) (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
This flavorful Mediterranean classic, adapted from Diane Kochilas's The Country Cooking of Greece (Chronicle 2012) can be made using orzo pasta instead of rice.

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup long-grain white rice
4 eggs
Juice of 3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parsley leaves, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring stock to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and stir in rice; cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Whisk eggs and juice in a bowl until frothy, add 1 cup of the simmering stock and whisk to combine; transfer back to the pot. Cook, while stirring, about 2 minutes more; season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #152

Ratings & Reviews
by PEABODY51 on 2013-09-16 This soup is usually garnished with mint, not parsley.

by PRAITSIDIS on 2013-09-16 This is what we call kotosoupa (literally, chicken soup). Never really seen it garnished with anything. We used flake in the chicken meat once served.

My mother made it with rice but also with any kind of short pasta or broken tagliatelle. It was always the chicken soup question: "What should I put in the soup - rice or pasta?".

Never fails to soothe a cold (I add a couple drops of hot sauce as well).

by foodfashionparty on 2013-09-16 Can't wait to try this one out. Such a beautiful looking dish and yet quite simple to make.

by rnelson on 2013-09-17 This was satisfying, but not as good as good old chicken noodle soup...

4 by VARFE on 2013-09-19
Pretty great. Made this last night, but only made half since there were just two of us. Needs just a little less lemon than it calls for, and we used brown rice instead of white, which we thought added some good texture to it. Next time we make it we're going to add some mushrooms and maybe even some chicken. Since this soup is so simple, I would definitely recommend using this recipe as a basis to make a soup that's suited to your wants/needs.

by CHICKENFOG on 2013-10-06 My new go-to soup. It's homey and yet elegant at the same time. The lemon is such a great foil for the creaminess of the eggs. I used short grain white rice and it came out perfect.

by fejs1984 on 2013-10-09 I did it..and was great... Parsley is good too... I mixed parsley and mint, really fresh and tasty :)

5 by AUGMISTER on 2013-12-19 Made this easy recipe two nights ago and it was a big surprise as to how good it was! This becomes part of my winter soup regime. I used the Orzo to save time and low sodium chicken broth with 5 Tbs of lemon juice. A winner ..... and have sent this recipe to four friends.

4 by BRUSHJL on 2014-01-25 tasty version, and I went for the orzo, vice rice, but I'd have to adjust the liquids, because it's now a pasta dish.

by CJADOS on 2014-10-09 yes, use orzo + a little celery, carrots & maybe spinach for color & veggies - a great way to use leftover chicken