Avgolemono - (Egg Lemon Soup with Chicken & Rice)

Authentic Avgolemono with Chicken & Rice

Suppose I give you 6 ingredients and tell you that you can easily create one of the most rich, delicious soup's AND this soup can cure everything from the common flu, to the heart of a home-sick Greek.

Do I sound a bit like Gus from the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? For those of you who haven't seen it, his solution to curing all was Windex.

In our family, our solution to life's ills is simple: Avgolemono (Avgo = Egg / Lemono = Lemon), a traditional and tasty soup that will literally satisfy your soul!

When my brother and I were younger, my mother used to have a freezer full of whole chickens. Why? For back-up, of course! The moment she sensed either one of was on the verge of getting sick...before we could even let out our first sneeze...there was a chicken boiling in a pot of water. As a child, it was referred to by me as the "magic soup", known to heal and restore my "powers" (a.k.a strength)!

Yiayia's way of making this soup has been passed down to all of her children and is surprisingly easy. After you've tried it once, you'll never forget! Here's Yiayia Kiki's Recipe for authentic homemade Avgolemono:

You Will Need:

1 Whole Chicken

2-3 Quarts of Cold Water (enough to cover the entire chicken)

3 Fresh Eggs

3 Large Lemons, Squeezed

1 Cup of Rice

Salt to Taste

 

STEP 1: Place 2-3 Quarts of Cold Water in a Large Pot. Allow water to heat.

STEP 2: While water is heating, clean the chicken. Remove extra fat, and skin. I leave some skin on, as it adds rich flavor to the chicken broth.

 

 

 

STEP 3: Place the chicken inside the water. Once the water has come to a boil, turn heat to medium and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Add salt to taste (I'm sorry, I do not measure for this). Skim the excess froth floating atop the water.

 

STEP 4: When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth and place in a large bowl to cool. Taste the broth and add salt if necessary. 

 

STEP 5: Add 1 cup of rice to the broth and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, turn heat to medium and simmer until rice is cooked. During this time, cut the chicken into pieces and place back into the broth. Add as much chicken as you want. (Note: if you have extra, you can make a chicken salad so don't feel the need to use it all, unless you want it chunky)

 

STEP 6: Once the rice has been cooked, turn off the heat. In a separate medium sized bowl, crack 3 fresh eggs and beat until a froth has reached the top.

STEP 7: Squeeze the juice of 3 lemons in a separate bowl. When you have your juice, begin to beat the eggs consistently while adding the juice of the lemon to the bowl.

 

STEP 8: While continuing your whisk of the egg/lemon mixture, slowly add a generous amount of the hot broth into the eggs. I usually add about 2 ladles full. (Note: This will prevent the egg mixture from curdling once it hits the hot broth)

 

STEP 9: Once you've completed the egg/lemon mixture, begin mixing the entire pot of broth at a fast, continuance pace. As you're mixing, slowly add the egg/lemon mixture into the pot. Stir the broth until all of the mixture has been poured into the pot has been blended well throughout.

 

Stirring the Egg/Lemon mixture into the hot broth with Chicken & Rice
 

STEP 10: Serve in a bowl and enjoy! Add any extra lemon or salt to your liking.

 

Kali Orexi!

- Sophia Eleni