Description
This Avgolemono Chicken and Rice Soup is a comforting Greek-inspired dish featuring tender chicken thighs simmered with rice in a flavorful chicken broth, enriched with a velvety lemon-egg sauce. Fresh dill adds brightness while a drizzle of olive oil finishes the soup perfectly. It’s a warm, soothing meal perfect for any season.
Ingredients
Scale
Herbs
- ½ ounce container fresh dill
Soup Base
- 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
Avgolemono Sauce
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (plus more as needed)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Finishing
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Prepare Dill: Pull the dill fronds from the stems; reserve ½ cup of the fronds for garnish and set aside.
- Simmer Soup Base: In a large pot, combine the dill stems, chicken thighs, and uncooked rice with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Cook Chicken and Rice: Lower heat to medium-low, stir gently, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender and the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes.
- Remove Chicken and Stems: Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and dill stems from the broth. Discard the stems, transfer the chicken to a plate, and shred it using two forks.
- Simmer Broth: Increase heat to medium-high and bring the broth back up to an active simmer.
- Prepare Avgolemono Mixture: In a large heatproof bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs until frothy. Stir in ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice until incorporated.
- Temper Eggs: While continuously whisking the egg-lemon mixture, gradually drizzle in one ladleful (about 1 cup) of hot broth, including some rice grains if they come along, to gently warm the mixture and prevent curdling.
- Combine and Finish Soup: Slowly pour the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the hot broth. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the shredded chicken. Taste and adjust with additional lemon juice as desired.
- Garnish and Serve: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved fresh dill fronds, freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Notes
- You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs with chicken breast if preferred.
- The lemon juice can be adjusted to taste for a more or less pronounced tang.
- Ensure to whisk the egg-lemon mixture vigorously and temper slowly with hot broth to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- Using low-sodium broth allows better control of saltiness.
- Serve with crusty bread for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 270 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
