
Greek Chicken Soup with Orzo and Avgolemono
A delicate Greek chicken soup with tiny orzo pasta, vegetables, and a velvety egg-lemon emulsion.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs600 g
- water1500 ml
- red onion1 pcs
- carrot2 pcs
- celery stalks2 stalks
- orzo120 g
- eggs2 pcs
- lemon1 pcs
- salt1 to taste
- black pepper1 to taste
- dill10 g
Instructions
Put the chicken thighs, red onion, carrot, celery, and salt into a large pot. Pour in water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
Remove the chicken from the broth, take off the skin, and separate the meat from the bones, shredding it into pieces. Remove the onion from the pot; leave the carrot and celery in the soup.
Bring the broth back to a gentle simmer, add the orzo, and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender but not overcooked.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice until smooth.
Whisking constantly, gradually pour two ladles of the hot broth into the egg-lemon mixture to temper it and prevent the eggs from curdling.
Remove the pot from the heat. Slowly pour the avgolemono into the soup, stirring constantly; do not let the soup boil, or the eggs will curdle.
Return the chicken meat to the pot and warm the soup for 1–2 minutes over the lowest heat without letting it boil. Taste and add black pepper if needed. Sprinkle with dill before serving.
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