Quick Avgolemono, Orzo, and Chicken Soup
Avgolemono (ahv-goh-LEH-moh-noh) is a tangy Greek chicken soup that combines chicken broth, eggs, and lemon juice. Traditional versions include rice; our interpretation uses orzo.
Avgolemono (ahv-goh-LEH-moh-noh) is a tangy Greek chicken soup that combines chicken broth, eggs, and lemon juice. Traditional versions include rice; our interpretation uses orzo.
We enjoyed this soup on a cool rainy evening, but it was light and fresh enough to enjoy any time. It came together quickly enough. I did change one thing, based on some reviewers' comments on the chicken. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic and some Greek oregano and sautéed it in a separate pan until nearly done. It had much more flavor after chunking it and adding to the soup than I think it would have as written. We did end up adding more salt. We also noticed that the longer it sat and nearer to the bottom of the bowl and pan, the better the flavor was. Garnished with extra dill and served with some pita wedges and a small green salad with some feta cheese crumbles, it made for a pretty and tasty meal.
And we in America do not use the metric system. So our way is hardly considered "medieval'. Just FYI...
Nobody uses these barbaric outdated medieval sizes anymore and we civilised people cannot make sense of it. METRIC please! Grams and liters are far more accurate than cups and ounces. Ounces are country dependent and cups honestly depends on the size of the cup. At least there's no doubt about how much a gram is.. a gram is a gram, everywhere. So please stop being so reluctant to a bit of civlisation. We all learn grams and liters in school!
Of course this is not a traditional preparation, but who cares? It's incredibly delicious, and I was sorry when it was gone! The only reason I hold back from five stars is that I think it was much improved by the addition of some chopped fresh parsley, oregano, and basil right before serving. I had this for dinner (it's easy to cut to one or two portions) with a greek salad, and found it satisfying and a lovely creamy counter to the bright acidity of the salad.
I started making this 4 years ago, and it's a regular in my cooking rotation. Easily one of my favorite soups ever - the lemon and egg combination is just amazing. The chicken can be a bit bland, so I've tried cooking it several different ways, but truthfully it's fine the way the recipe is listed, because for me, the chicken is not the star of the dish!
I found this to be just ok...I was intrigued by the use of eggs as a thickener as I've never tried this before, and the broth with the lemon juice and dill had an interesting flavor; but the chicken needed to be brined or marinated first, as simply cooking the pieces in the broth still left it tasting bland. It might taste better as leftovers after the flavors have melded. I would make this again but with the above tweak, and maybe with some goat cheese as others suggest.
Simple recipe with perfect flavor balance. Rivals the offering at our local greek restaurant!
This was amazing. Totally authentic. My kids love it and if you stick to the basics (stock, eggs, lemon juice, orzo) it is a fantastic and quick way to make a healthy lunch in a few minutes. Love this recipe.
Better than the one at the Greek restaurant down the street and simple to make. I had lemons from my lemon tree and squeezed my own juice..I think that is what made all the difference. I think it would be less "lemony" from reconstituted lemon juice in a bottle. I didn't use chicken breasts but used meat cut off from leg and thighs. The meat from those parts have more flavor, in my opnion. Orzo cooked perfectly in the soup and wasn't starchy. The soup had a wonderful, bright lemon color. A keeper!
I wasn't sure what to expect since I have never had this kind of soup (not even sure how to say it) and a few bad reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised and immediately went back for more. There is a wonderful depth of flavors and tanginess. I used rotisserie chicken and I think the seasoning on it detracted from the soup but I liked using already cooked chicken. I was generous with dry dill and even topped it with the last of my crumbled goat cheese on the second serving. Lovely.
Great soup! Very light, but hearty. a sprinkle of goat cheese or feta on top would be awesome too. I would definitely make it again.