Greek comfort food, yes please!!
I have shared on my instagram stories several times as I'm making Avgolemono Soup. It is one of my favorite soups to eat. My Aunt Maria used to always make a large batch the day after Thanksgiving for our whole family so every time I make it, I think of them. My big, fat, Greek family.
Many of you have direct messaged me on instagram asking for my recipe and I answered every DM promising that I would share....when I found some free time. Wishful thinking. Ha!
I am currently sitting in my backyard, watching my babies play together and enjoying the 70 degree weather in winter. Man, I love Southern California!
I love this soup because it is simple. There is no extra "fluff" like the traditional Chicken Noodle soup. You can absolutely add onion, celery, and carrots to your Avgolemono {I have done this in the past when I needed to use these items up to clean out my kitchen}. I truly love the simplicity of the flavors of just stock, chicken, orzo, & lemons.
The hardest part about making this soup is making the froth. You have to beat the eggs for some time and just "eye ball" until they are frothy. I like mine extra frothy! Once they are beaten to your liking, add the lemons. That is the easy part. The piece that I struggle with every single time, is adding the froth to my hot soup while praying that it doesn't curdle. My aunt taught me to add a little hot broth to my frothy eggs and lemon juice to warm it before slowly adding it to my soup. This step is crucial. You have to also take care not to over cook it once you put in the lemon froth because the eggs will still curdle, not to mention, you will over cook the orzo.
This recipe is easy! Any chef at any level can totally make this yummy soup. Sometimes, if I'm in a hurry, I use organic chicken stock instead of making my own broth. I will also buy a rotisserie chicken instead of boiling my own. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
Its a crowd pleaser in my home, so my hope is that it will become one in yours too!
Would love to hear from you all! Be sure to comment below to let me know how yours turns out and tag me on Instagram, @deannastag, when you make it!
XoXo,
DeAnna
Avgolemono Soupa
2-3 lb. Stewing Chicken (I use mostly breasts, but thighs & legs is what makes it yummy!)
8 cups of broth
1 cup of orzo
3 eggs
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons (I always use 2 because I like it to be lemony)
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon of pepper
Boil your chicken for 1 hour or until cooked through. Remove Chicken and set aside to cool. Strain 8 cups of broth into a clean pot. *Once chicken cools enough to touch it, shred the chicken. Add salt and pepper to the broth. Add the orzo and cook 15 minutes. In a blender, beat eggs until frothy. Once frothy, add the lemon juice. Slowly add small amounts of hot broth into eggs until the eggs are warm. Then, SLOWLY add this to the hot soup stirring constantly so the eggs do not curdle. Cook 2-3 more minutes. Add your chicken to your soup and serve!
Serves 8-10
