Equipment
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 15 ml olive oil, extra virgin
- 150 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 1200 ml chicken broth, low sodium preferred
Protein & Starch
- 300 g boneless skinless chicken breast, raw
- 150 g orzo pasta
Avgolemono (Thickener)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 60 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Seasoning & Garnish
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- 10 g fresh dill, chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 376 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbohydrates
- 35 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 1686 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 147 mg
- Potassium
- 433 mg
- Calcium
- 59 mg
- Iron
- 2.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 52 mg
- Phosphorus
- 277 mg
- Zinc
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 68 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.48 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.54 mg
- Niacin
- 10.9 mg
- Folate
- 118 mcg
- Water
- 418 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Handle the raw chicken breast carefully, washing your hands and sanitizing any surfaces immediately after touching it to avoid cross-contamination. Place the chicken into the pot and pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74C/165F, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board to cool slightly. Stir the orzo pasta into the gently boiling broth. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
While the orzo cooks, use two forks to shred the cooled chicken breast. In a medium mixing bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs and fresh lemon juice together until pale and frothy.
Reduce the heat under the soup to the lowest setting. Carefully ladle about 250ml of the hot broth into the egg and lemon mixture while whisking the eggs constantly. Repeat with one more ladle of broth. This process tempers the eggs so they do not scramble when added to the pot.
Remove the pot from the heat completely. Slowly pour the tempered egg mixture back into the soup pot, stirring continuously. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the kosher salt and black pepper. Let it sit for 2 minutes to warm through and thicken. Do not let the soup boil again.
Ladle the hot, creamy soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh chopped dill and an extra crack of black pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- For the silkiest texture, ensure your eggs are at room temperature before whisking with the lemon juice. Cold eggs drop the emulsion temperature too quickly and are more prone to curdling.
- Using a high-quality, homemade chicken bone broth will dramatically elevate this soup, adding extra body, gelatin, and a richer flavor profile.
- When reheating leftovers, do so very gently over low heat. Boiling the soup after the avgolemono has been added will cause the emulsion to break and scramble.
- If serving to highly vulnerable populations like pregnant women or immunocompromised individuals, ensure the final soup temperature reaches 71C/160F to fully pasteurize the eggs, or use commercially pasteurized in-shell eggs.
- To save time on busy weeknights, you can skip the poaching step by using 300g of meat pulled from a pre-cooked store-bought rotisserie chicken. Simply add it at the end with the tempered eggs.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — The orzo will absorb liquid and thicken the soup overnight. Add a splash of water or chicken broth when reheating gently.
Troubleshooting
White clumps or scrambled eggs floating in the soup
Cause: The broth was actively boiling when the eggs were added, or the eggs were not tempered with enough hot liquid first.
Fix: Cannot be fixed completely, but you can pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer to remove the egg clumps, then recombine with the chicken and pasta.
Prevention: Always remove the pot from the heat before adding the egg mixture, and whisk the hot broth into the cold eggs very slowly.
Soup is too thin and watery
Cause: Not enough starch from the pasta, or the egg emulsion did not bind properly.
Fix: Let the soup sit off the heat for 10 minutes. The orzo will continue to absorb liquid and naturally thicken the broth.
Prevention: Ensure you use the correct ratio of liquid to pasta, as the starches from the cooking orzo help stabilize and thicken the soup.
Cultural Context
Avgolemono translates literally to egg-lemon, referring to the classic Mediterranean sauce that thickens this comforting soup. Originating from Sephardic Jewish cuisine (where it was known as agristada) before becoming a Greek staple, the technique of using tempered eggs to create a creamy texture without dairy is centuries old. It is widely considered the ultimate Greek comfort food, often served to soothe colds or warm up chilly evenings.
