greek lemon chicken soup

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup – Eggless Avgolemono

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Bright bursts of citrus meet savory chicken soup in this heartwarming Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. An eggless take on traditional Avgolemono soup, this comforting soup will please your taste buds and fill your stomach for a satisfying meal.

This post is part of our Basic Cooking Skills series. Each week we will be doing a deep-dive into one basic cooking skill and a brand new recipe to accompany it to practice that newfound skill. Check back throughout the series for updates and new posts.


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what is avgolemono soup?

“Avgolemono” is a Greek word that when broken down means, “egg” and “lemon.” Together they form a Greek soup filled with eggs and lemon juice that creates a decadent twist on chicken and rice soup.

You can make this soup at home by following standard soup guidelines that we discovered in Making Soup From Scratch.

But what do you do if you want Greek egg-lemon soup but don’t have any eggs??

That was me this past week as I was prepping all my fresh produce and realized I was out of eggs. Nice job, Kalin.

In this recipe, the egg serves as a thickener to give the soup an incredible body and fullness. Luckily, swapping egg out with a blonde roux does just the trick! For more info on using a roux in sauces and soups, check out Making a Roux

how to: prep the ingredients

chopped veggies for soup

Mirepoix is the foundation of flavor that we build upon for Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. (For more info on mirepoix, check out Making Soup From Scratch.)

mirepoix for soup

Chop onions, carrots, and celery and saute in butter. In a soup pot cook for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Season with a heap of dill to introduce the Greek flavor and salt and pepper to taste.

greek lemon chicken soup add ins

Gather fresh lemon (juice and zest), ingredients for the roux, chicken broth, and yummy add-ins — shredded chicken, rice, and feta.

how to: create the soup base

Homemade chicken broth serves as the basis for this recipe, thickened with a roux. Swap out the roux for an egg if wanting a classic Avgolemono soup.

roux for soup

In a separate pan, melt butter and whisk in equal parts flour.

Two cups of broth are needed for this recipe, so 5 tbsp of butter and 5 tbsp of flour should be used to adequately thicken the liquid. The amount of roux should be adjusted to align with the amount of broth used.

roux for soup

Cook until a paste forms that is golden in color.

broth for greek chicken lemon soup

Pour in the broth and stir until combined and the liquid thickens. Carefully add to the cooked vegetables over medium-high heat and simmer.


Using Egg Instead

If you want to use egg and make authentic avgolemono soup, disregard the roux. The egg will serve as your thickener.

Pour the chicken broth into the stockpot with the veggies and simmer.

Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl. Take one cup of hot broth and pour into eggs, whisking thoroughly. Once combined, pour the broth and egg mixture into the stockpot.

how to: incorporate more texture and flavor

Now that we have our soup base and vegetables combined, it’s time for some delicious add-ins. In Making Soup From Scratch we uncovered that a soup consists of a liquid base, vegetables, and additional ingredients that enhance texture and flavor and can introduce protein to the dish.

greek lemon chicken soup

Mix in freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, shredded chicken and precooked rice. Simmer about 10 minutes or until heated through.

This recipe can be adapted to cook chicken and rice in the soup itself if you do not have any premade. If doing so, allow at least 20 minutes to simmer until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the rice is tender.

avgolemono greek soup

how to: serve greek lemon chicken soup

As if there wasn’t enough flavor already, let’s keep adding more!

Portion out soup into serving bowls. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese for more Greek influence and major wow-factor.

Garnish with additional lemon zest and fresh dill if available. Slice a lemon if you’re feeling extra fancy to spruce up your soup bowl.

Lemon, dill, and feta are staples of the Greek cuisine and are added to each layer of the soup for a major punch of flavor.

Ingredients Needed

Equipment Needed

greek lemon chicken soup

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup – Eggless Avgolemono

An eggless take on traditional Avgolemono soup, Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is chicken soup with a twist: bright bursts of citrus, fresh dill, and sharp feta cheese!
5 from 15 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean

Ingredients
  

  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 2 stalks of celery sliced
  • 6 tbsp butter divided
  • 2 tbsp dill
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 5 tbsp flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 lemon juiced and zested
  • 2 cups chicken shredded
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • feta cheese to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and celery in 1 tbsp butter. Stir in dill and cook until the vegetables are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • In a separate pan, melt 5 tbsp butter and whisk in flour. Cook until golden and a paste forms. Pour in chicken broth and stir thoroughly.
  • Carefully add thickened broth to the vegetable mixture in the soup pot over medium-high heat. Mix in lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken, and rice and simmer until heated through, at least 10 minutes.
  • Garnish with feta cheese and top with fresh dill and lemon slices if desired.
Keyword chicken, lemon, soup

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What are your favorite soups to indulge in? Share your ideas in the comments below!

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97 thoughts on “Greek Lemon Chicken Soup – Eggless Avgolemono”

  1. Ahh this looks delicious! I’m actually vegan but was thinking that I could définitely do this with veggie stock and some shredded quorn! 🙂

    1. Well anyone who knows me, knows that i’m Greek obsessed. I’ve yet to try this tradational soup though but it looks unique and delicious, looking foward to it.

  2. 5 stars
    I love Avgolemono chicken soup or any avgolemono dish for that matter. The egg alternative sounds so delicious. I will definitely give it a try. Thank you for sharing

  3. This sounds delicious! I used to make a rice and lemon Greek-style soup (it’s been so long though I can’t remember the recipe) and it was so tasty! This is something I’d try and get my husband to eat as he is the meat-eater in the family and I’d feel like I was giving him something really good!

  4. This looks so good. I’ve never had it before but I’m sharing this recipe with my sister because she started making different soups during quarantine and I’m sure she’ll want to try to make this. Thank you for sharing!

  5. 5 stars
    My boyfriend and I love Greek food. We tend to go to a take out place called, Daphne’s for it, and I ALWAYS get their lemon chicken soup. The flavor is just so amazing! I will definitely have to try to make my own now after seeing your recipe. Thank you for sharing!

  6. I love this soup so much! My grandmother used to make it when I was younger and it brings back good memories. She never left the exact recipe to me though. I hope yours will taste similar when I try it! X

  7. I’m not usually a fan of (what I would call) complicated soups, but I love lemon chicken and this sounds amazing.

  8. Oh this looks amazing! I bet it tastes it too. Greek food is one of my favourites, but I haven’t had or attempted to make this before. I think is ill be giving it a go, especially as it is getting colder now!

    Thanks for sharing your recipe!
    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

  9. I’ve made this kind of soup before with eggs and I was honestly surprised with how good it was. I thought I wouldn’t like it lol but I will have to try your recipe too!

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  11. 5 stars
    I’m not usually a fan of chicken soup but this actually really appeals to me. I love Greek food in general because it always has so much flavour without being overpowering.

  12. This sounds simultaneously comforting and refreshing! I’ve never heard of a soup quite like this one. I think it would be really interesting with the egg, but honestly, the option without it seems more appealing to me anyway, so I’m glad you shared both versions!

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  17. 5 stars
    Just tried this recipe tonight. Absolutely delicious. I love lemon so I added extra lemon juice. Also added a tsp of dried dill in addition to the fresh dill. Served with sourdough on the side. Adding this to the rotation, especially during the winter / cold season!

  18. 5 stars
    This is my second time making this soup. It’s so delicious! I love the fresh taste of the dill and lemon. About how many servings, or cups of soup will this make?

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