Greek Avgolemono: Silky Lemon, Egg and Chicken Rice Soup for Chilly October Nights

Bring the stock, onion halves and bay leaf to a boil in a large pot. If using raw thighs, add them now, reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes until cooked through. Lift out the thighs, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 8 cups good chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium
• 2 bone-in chicken thighs or 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup long-grain white rice or orzo
• 1 small onion, halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Bring the stock, onion halves and bay leaf to a boil in a large pot. If using raw thighs, add them now, reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes until cooked through. Lift out the thighs, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat.
2. Fish out the onion and bay leaf. Stir the rice into the simmering stock and cook 15 to 18 minutes until tender.
3. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, stir in the butter and take the pot off the heat. Let it stop bubbling; the next step fails if the soup is boiling.
4. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, about 1 minute, then whisk in the lemon juice and zest.
5. Temper the eggs: ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Repeat with a second cup. The mixture should feel warm but never curdle.
6. Slowly pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pot, stirring the whole time. The soup will turn pale gold and thicken to a velvety, lightly creamy consistency.
7. Return the pot to very low heat and stir 2 to 3 minutes, just until the soup coats a spoon. Do not let it boil or the eggs will scramble.
8. Season generously with salt and pepper, ladle into warm bowls, shower with dill and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
9. Avgolemono, literally egg-lemon, is Greece's answer to a cold night and a sore throat: a sauce and soup technique that likely came to the Greek islands through Sephardic Jewish cooks from Spain, who used egg and lemon to thicken sauces in place of dairy. It is served at Easter and at every yiayia's table in between, and the trick that makes it work, tempering eggs with hot broth so they thicken without scrambling, is the same one behind custard and hollandaise. On a gray late-October afternoon it is bright, soothing and ready in under an hour.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 310 kcal
• Protein: 24g
• Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 26g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 720mg