This classic Greek lemon chicken soup is creamy, bright, and comforting. The key is tempering the eggs so they thicken the soup without curdling.
| Ingredients | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Avgolemono Stock: 1 cup white wine 12 cups chicken stock 1 whole fryer chicken (3 1/2 lb) 3-4 carrots, medium dice 5 celery ribs, medium dice 1 onion (or leek), medium dice 1 garlic bulb, cut in half 2-3 bay leaves 8-10 black peppercorns 1 bunch parsley stems 3-5 threads saffron | In a large pot, combine all stock ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Strain the stock, reserving the cooked chicken. Remove the meat from the bones and set aside for another use. Return the strained stock to the pot and simmer until reduced to 8 cups. Cool and save, or proceed to make the soup. *Wines to use: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or Chardonnay. |
| Pasta: 8 ounces orzo | Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (about 1 minute less than the package instructions). Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside. |
| Avgolemono Soup: 6 cups homemade chicken broth, room temperature 6 ounces lemon juice (from ~3 lemons), fresh squeezed | In a soup pot, bring the 6 cups of broth and 6 ounces of lemon juice to a gentle simmer. |
| Liaison (Thickener): 2 cups homemade chicken broth, room temperature 4 eggs, room temperature 2 ounces lemon juice (from 1 lemon), fresh squeezed 1/4 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon white pepper | Prepare the liaison by blending all liaison ingredients until smooth using either a regular blender or an immersion blender. With the blender running, slowly stream in about 2 cups of the hot simmering broth. Blend until the mixture is frothy and warm. Pour this liaison back into the main pot of simmering broth all at once. Stir constantly over low heat until the soup thickens. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL!!! |
| Add cooked orzo pasta. 1/2 teaspoon salt | Once thickened, stir in the cooked orzo and salt. Heat through and serve immediately. |
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