Chicken soup is such a comfort food, and there are so many different variations of it out there. One of my favourites, especially if I’m after something a bit brighter, is this Greek-style soup with lots of lemon flavour that’s the perfect pick-me-up on a cold, dreary day.
Made in the style of an avgolemono soup, it has a rich, creamy texture thanks to some eggs mixed into the broth. And the addition of orzo gives it another level of heartiness that makes it perfect for a warming lunch.
How to Make Avgolemono Soup with Orzo
Fundamentally, this soup is very easy and I’ve streamlined it a bit from a “traditional” recipe, but it still doesn’t sacrifice deep flavour.
Traditionally, the soup would be made by boiling a whole chicken until it’s tender. The broth would then be used as the soup base. This takes a bit of time and I’ve found that I get great results when using chicken drumsticks or leg quarters in lieu of a whole chicken.
They stand up to cooking well and the bones impart a deep flavour into the broth, which means you can use a half/half mixture of stock and water as the soup base, as well. This is the same process I follow in my chicken and mushroom soup, and I love making soup this way.
Start by browning your chicken legs in a large saucepan or stockpot. This gives you a more intense chicken flavour. Add a bit of olive oil and set the pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add your chicken and cook it until it’s golden. Flip, repeat on the other side, then remove from the pan.
Add a touch more oil to the pan along with some finely diced onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt and cook, stirring every so often, until the veggies begin to take on some colour – this will take about five minutes. Then, stir in some minced garlic, a bit of lemon zest and some fresh oregano.
Go ahead and return the chicken to the pan now, along with any accumulated juices. Pour over some (unsalted) chicken stock and an equal amount of water. Season with salt and add a couple of bay leaves.
Now, bring the soup up to a boil, reduce the heat so that it maintains a simmer and simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until the broth is deeply flavourful and the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone.
After this, stir in some orzo pasta and simmer just until it’s tender and toothsome – only about 8 minutes. Traditionally, avgolemono soup uses rice, but I like the way orzo behaves in the soup.
While you’re doing that, whisk a few eggs with some lemon juice in a medium bowl. Ladle some of the hot broth out of the soup and slowly stream it into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
This will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling when adding them to the soup – it’s the same process followed in my Georgian chicken soup recipe.
Turn the heat off as soon as the orzo is done to prevent it from overcooking. Also, remove the chicken legs from the pot and allow them to cool slightly. Stir the egg mixture into the broth.
Once you can handle the chicken, shred the meat from the bones and stir it back into the soup. Go ahead and taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where needed. And now all you need to do is serve and enjoy!
Greek Chicken Soup with Lemon & Orzo (Avgolemono)
Ingredients
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil divided
- 4 chicken legs or 2 leg quarters
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 2 ribs celery finely diced
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 10 g (1 ½ tsp) salt divided (see note 1)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh oregano or ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 l (4 cups) chicken stock (see note 2)
- 2 bay leaves
- 120 g (¾ cup) orzo
- 3 eggs
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Add half of the olive oil to a large saucepan or stock pot and set over medium heat. Pat the chicken legs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear on one side until golden and the chicken releases easily, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil along with the carrots, celery and onion, ½ tsp of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to take on colour, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, lemon zest and oregano and stir until fragrant, 30 more seconds.
- Return the chicken legs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Increase the heat to high. Pour over the chicken stock along with 1 litre (4 cups) of water. Stir in the remaining 1 tsp salt, add the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in the orzo and simmer for 8 minutes, until tender but still toothsome. Turn off the heat.
- While the orzo is cooking, add the eggs and lemon juice to a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Ladle 250ml (1 cup) of the hot broth from the soup into a measuring jug. Whisking constantly, carefully stream the hot broth into the egg mixture.
- Remove the chicken legs from the pot and allow to sit until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back into the soup along with the egg mixture. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where needed. Serve.
Notes
- For best results, measure salt by weight, as different salts vary in crystal size and density.
- For best results, use unsalted stock so you can control the seasoning of the final dish.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This Greek-style chicken soup with orzo is packed with bright citrus flavour, and it’s the perfect way to warm up even the coldest of winter days.
Are you after a great recipe for avgolemono soup? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
