Avgolemono Soup
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Warm up with a bowl of creamy avgolemono, the Greek classic that combines lemon, egg, chicken, and rice into a simple, comforting soup.
Every culture has its favorite chicken soup—from classic American chicken noodle soup to cozy Jewish matzo ball soup. In Greece, it’s avgolemono soup, a light yet satisfying blend of rich chicken broth, bright lemon, silky eggs, tender chicken, rice, and fresh dill.
Avgolemono is surprisingly simple to prepare. The only part of the recipe that might seem a bit “cheffy” is tempering the eggs, a process that gently acclimates them to the hot broth to ensure a creamy, rich texture—if you add them directly in, you’ll end up with scrambled bits. But don’t worry, I’ve streamlined this step with a blender, making it foolproof and ensuring the eggs blend smoothly into the soup.
Before serving, I like to add a splash of heavy cream to the soup, which introduces a subtle richness that balances the lemon’s tang. This addition isn’t traditional, so feel free to omit it if you prefer a lighter, more lemon-forward version. Round out the meal with souvlaki and a fresh Greek salad.
“I couldn’t believe I wasn’t at a restaurant. This had the most delicious taste with the perfect amount of lemon. I’m in heaven! Thank you!”
What You’ll Need to Make Avgolemono
- Chicken tenderloins or breasts: Provides the soup with its main source of protein and flavor.
- Chicken broth: Forms the base of the soup, adding depth and richness.
- Long grain white rice: Provides substance to the soup; a portion is blended in to help thicken the soup and stabilize the consistency.
- Fresh Dill: Imparts a unique, aromatic flavor that’s characteristic of Greek cuisine.
- Bay leaf: Adds a subtle layer of flavor complexity to the broth.
- Fresh lemon juice: Brings a bright, acidic balance to the creamy soup.
- Eggs: Used to thicken the soup and provide a creamy, rich texture.
- Heavy cream: Though not traditional in avgolemono, this ingredient lends delicious richness and helps soften the lemon’s acidity.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Place the chicken on a plate and season all over with the salt. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the broth, rice, white pepper, dill sprigs, and bay leaf to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is al dente, about 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the chicken.
Cover and let sit until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Discard the dill sprigs and bay leaf. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer about 3/4 cup of the rice to a blender. Add the lemon juice, eggs, and yolks to the blender as well. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Using a soup ladle, transfer about 3/4 cup of the broth to the blender and process until smooth, 10 seconds. Add another ladleful of broth to the blender and process again.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot, stirring until evenly combined.
Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Do not boil. Taste the rice to see if it’s cooked through. If it needs a few more minutes, gently simmer the soup until the rice is cooked.
Right before serving, stir in the chopped dill and the chicken, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If the soup is too lemony, add more cream. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a bit of water.
Serve immediately, as the soup thickens up quite a bit as it sits.
Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Avgolemono combines the Greek words “avgo” (egg) and “lemono” (lemon), forming a creamy and tangy mixture often used as a sauce in Greek cuisine. But, when you add chicken broth, rice, and pieces of chicken to it, this blend transforms into avgolemono soup, turning the simple sauce into a rich and comforting meal.
No, I don’t recommend making this soup ahead. The texture and flavor may change when refrigerated or frozen, especially due to the egg-lemon mixture, which can separate or curdle upon reheating. Additionally, the rice in the soup tends to absorb the broth, thickening it beyond the desired consistency. For best results, prepare the soup fresh.
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Avgolemono Chicken Soup with Rice
Warm up with a bowl of creamy avgolemono, the Greek classic that combines lemon, egg, chicken, and rice into a simple, comforting soup.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips)
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup long grain white rice
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 3 sprigs fresh dill, plus 2 teaspoons chopped (see note)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus a bit more if necessary (optional; see note)
- Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a plate and season all over with the salt. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the broth, rice, white pepper, dill sprigs, and bay leaf to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is al dente, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the chicken, cover, and let sit until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Discard the dill sprigs and bay leaf. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer about ¾ cup of the rice to a blender. Add the lemon juice, eggs, and yolks to the blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Using a soup ladle, transfer about ¾ cup of the broth to the blender and process until smooth, 10 seconds (be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and cover with a kitchen towel to allow the steam to escape). Add another ladleful of broth to the blender and process again.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot, stirring until evenly combined. Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Do not boil. (The soup will be a bit frothy at this point; don’t worry, the froth will settle as it simmers.) Taste the rice to see if it’s cooked through. If it needs a few more minutes, gently simmer the soup until the rice is cooked. Right before serving, stir in the chopped dill and the chicken, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If the soup is too lemony, add more cream. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a bit of water. Serve immediately, as the soup thickens up quite a bit as it sits.
- Note: A sprig of dill is one “branch.”
- Note: Heavy cream is not traditionally added to avgolemono soup, but I like how it balances the tanginess of the lemon. It's fine to omit it if you'd like to make the soup a bit lighter and/or more lemony.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 428
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Sodium: 1,048 mg
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Could I cook this a day in advance and reheat it?
p.s. love all your recipes! you‘re a life saver.
So glad you like the recipes, Nicole! You can get away with making it a day ahead. I’d cook the rice separately according to the package instructions. You can blend the 3/4 cup of cooked rice into the egg/lemon mixture in the blender (before adding the hot broth) and stir the blended mixture back into the pot (so the base of the soup will be done); then just wait to add the remaining rice and chicken to the soup until right before serving. If the soup seems a little thick upon reheating, you can thin it with a little more broth or water. Hope that helps!
I made this soup for dinner today and it was amazing. I live in Turkey and they make a very similar soup (vermicelli instead of rice and thickened with a combo of eggs and a roux), however I’ve never seen it with dill. Since I don’t like dill I tried it the way my mother in law seasons it which is to “fry” some oregano in butter or olive oil to drizzle on top like a garnish. It was delicious and the whole family loved it! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Jenn, I love your recipes! Is this a soup I can make a day or two ahead of serving as long as I refridgerate it? Any adjustments you’d make to the recipe?
Hi Anne, so glad you like the recipes! You can get away with making it a day or two ahead. I would cook the rice separately according to the package instructions. You can blend the 3/4 cup of cooked rice into the egg/lemon mixture in the blender (before adding the hot broth) and stir the blended mixture back into the pot (so the base of the soup will be done); then just wait to add the remaining rice and chicken to the soup until right before serving. If the soup seems a little thick upon reheating, you can thin it with a little more broth or water. Hope that helps!
Being Greek I have made this soup for many, many years. Never thought to add cream but I am always willing to try something new. I just might enjoy this new addition because it’s will add a little bit of heft to the soup, similar to the consistency of Tomato soup.
The only difference, I start with a 4 pound chicken and water but I will try this recipe as written.
I love Jen’s recipes. Every recipe has been so good, but this was the first miss. The soup was so pale and unappetizing. I followed recipe exactly but but won’t make it again.
Jenn,
I have yet to try this recipe but hope to do so next week. Thankfully I have never been disappointed with any of your recipes and the directions are so precise. Thank you so much for the extra tips. Quick question, can you use rotisserie chicken ? If so, would it change the flavor and when would you advise to add it? Any help would be appreciated!
Staci
Hi Staci, So glad you find the recipes easy to follow! Yes, it’s fine to use rotisserie chicken here and shouldn’t change the flavor much. You can just skip the step of poaching the chicken off the heat and simmer the rice until it’s cooked through. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn
This is our fav soup! I make my own chicken stock from scratch. The name is difficult to remember but when I say I’m making the soup from the blog, my husband knows exactly which one 😅 It’s absolutely delicious 😋
I have made a few recipes from Once Upon a Chef, and this might be the most successful one I have made. I will make it again, it is really very good, hoping it is as good after refrigerating as well. Thank you!
The soup is easy and delicious! I like learning about different methods and styles of cooking. Thanks! I will make this again.
OMGOSHOLA!!! I couldn’t believe I wasn’t at a restaurant. This had the most delicious taste with the perfect amount of lemon. I’m in heaven! Thank you!