Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Broth & Pasta
- 1000 ml chicken stock, low sodium preferred
- 100 g orzo pasta
Avgolemono Emulsion
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 60 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Finishing & Garnish
- 150 g cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- 5 g fresh dill, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 246 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbohydrates
- 25 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 1554 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 130 mg
- Potassium
- 242 mg
- Calcium
- 43 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 30 mg
- Phosphorus
- 179 mg
- Zinc
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 52 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.13 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.34 mg
- Niacin
- 5.0 mg
- Folate
- 27 mcg
- Water
- 300 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Bring the chicken stock to a rolling boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat.
Stir the orzo pasta into the boiling stock, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the pasta is tender.
While the pasta cooks, vigorously whisk the eggs in a medium mixing bowl until they become very frothy and pale.
Gradually whisk the freshly squeezed lemon juice into the frothy eggs until completely incorporated.
Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully ladle about 200ml of the hot broth into the egg mixture while whisking constantly and rapidly. This tempers the eggs so they do not scramble.
Pour the tempered egg mixture slowly back into the pot with the remaining broth and orzo, stirring continuously.
Return the pot to very low heat. Add the optional shredded chicken. Cook gently to warm through and thicken slightly, ensuring the soup reaches 74 degrees C or 165 degrees F for food safety, but do not let it boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh dill.
Chef's Notes
- The key to a silky avgolemono is vigorously whisking the eggs before adding the lemon juice to create a stable foam that suspends easily in the liquid.
- Never let the soup reach a rolling boil after the egg mixture has been introduced, or the proteins will immediately seize and curdle.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is non-negotiable. Bottled lemon juice lacks the vibrant volatile oils necessary to properly cut through the richness of the chicken broth.
- For an even thicker consistency, you can separate the yolks and whites, whipping the whites to soft peaks before folding in the yolks and lemon, though the whole-egg method is more robust for daily cooking.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Reheat gently over very low heat to prevent the egg emulsion from splitting.
Troubleshooting
Soup has white clumps or scrambled eggs
Cause: The broth was too hot when the eggs were added, or the eggs were not tempered slowly enough.
Fix: Cannot be completely fixed. You can strain out the lumps, but the soup will lose its velvety texture.
Prevention: Always remove the pot from the heat before combining, and whisk rapidly while streaming hot broth into the eggs.
Soup is too thin
Cause: Not enough starch released from pasta or eggs were not whisked enough.
Fix: Let the soup sit off the heat for 5-10 minutes; it naturally thickens as the starches hydrate further.
Prevention: Allow the orzo to cook fully in the broth to release starches, and whip the eggs vigorously until a stable foam forms.
Cultural Context
Avgolemono is the quintessential Greek comfort food, utilizing an ancient technique of emulsifying eggs and citrus that traces its roots back to Sephardic Jewish culinary traditions in the Mediterranean. It is traditionally served year-round, often acting as a restorative meal to soothe ailments or break fasting periods. The technique extends well beyond soup, as avgolemono is frequently used as a foundational sauce for dolmades, vegetables, and stewed meats across Hellenic cuisine.
