Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono)

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

14 Comments

5 from 5 votes
8 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) is a traditional recipe with shredded chicken, long-grain rice, and an egg and lemon sauce made into an easy meal.

If you’re a fan of classic Greek dishes like One Pot Greek Mediterranean Chicken and Rice, then you’re sure to love this rich and savory soup recipe with traditional Mediterranean ingredients.

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) in pot

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP (AVOLEMONO)

Avgolemono (Ahvo-lemono) is a hearty chicken soup that’s full of lemon flavor. The lemon juice is combined with an egg mixture that is then added to the soup to give it a rich and silky texture that’s completely unique to Avgolemono Soup.

The lemon adds a nice refreshing taste to the other classic soup flavors like celery, garlic, onion, oregano, and basil. Make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup as an alternative to Chicken Noodle Soup the next time you or someone in your family is feeling unwell. It may even become a new favorite soup that you find yourself making once every couple of weeks even in the best of health. 

This is an especially great recipe to make if you have any leftover chicken. You can cut up leftover Rotisserie Chicken to use in Lemon Chicken Soup, to make the recipe even quicker. 

MORE SOUP AND STEW RECIPES

HOW TO MAKE THE AVOLEMONO SAUCE (LEMON-EGG SAUCE)

For the most part, making Avgolemono is a simple matter of letting the ingredients simmer in a large dutch oven. Making the Greek egg mixture is the only part of this recipe that is different than any other Chicken Soup, and it’s not even difficult. Plus it’s well worth the extra step to add extra lemon flavor, thicken the hot broth, and give the whole soup a rich, silky texture.

Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to making the egg-lemon sauce for your soup.

  • When you add the broth to the Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe, it’s important that you only add 5 cups. Leave a cup of broth to the side to use in the egg-lemon mixture.
  • After you’ve simmered the other soup ingredients together and shredded the chicken, add the last cup of broth, lemon juice, egg yolks without the egg whites, and ½ cup of drained and cooked rice from the soup to a blender.

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) egg, rice, and lemon in blender

  • Blend the ingredients together to make avgolemono sauce. If you don’t have a blender you can also just whisk the broth and lemon in a medium bowl.

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) blended broth in blender

  • Add the sauce to the Lemon Soup and mix it well before serving.

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) in pot

VARIATIONS ON GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP (AVGOLEMONO)

  • Chicken: Instead of using chicken breast for your Greek Chicken Soup, you could use ground chicken or boneless chicken thighs just depending on what you have on hand.
  • Orzo: You can absolutely use orzo pasta instead of long-grain rice in this Avgolemono Soup Recipe. Just keep in mind that orzo will cook faster than rice, so you’ll want to add the orzo slightly later than the other ingredients so the noodles don’t overcook and get too soft. Instead of orzo, you could also use short-grain white rice or another noodle of your choice to change up the Chicken Soup.
  • Add-ins: For some different flavor try mixing in basil, fresh dill, bay leaf or some extra lemon zest to garnish the Chicken and Rice Soup

INSTANT POT AVGOLEMONO

  • Start with your instant pot on saute mode.
  •  Add the butter, onions, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper to the base of your pot. Saute until the onions are translucent.
  • Add 5 cups of the chicken broth, chicken, carrots, oregano, basil, and rice to the instant pot.
  • Seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
  • Quick-release, then open the lid and remove the chicken to shred it. Add the chicken back into the pot once it’s shredded.
  • Blend the egg yolk, lemon, and ½ cup of cooked rice together.
  • Add the mixture to the Lemon Chicken Soup and stir together. Let the mixture heat up before serving, but don’t bring the soup to a full boil again.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP (AVGOLEMONO)

HOW TO STIR GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP (AVGOLEMONO)

  • Serve: Don’t leave Avgolemono Soup at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Once the Greek Lemon Chicken Soup has cooled down you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
  • Freeze: You can also freeze Avgolemono Soup for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge then reheat it on the stovetop before serving.

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) serving in ladle

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Dinner, then Dessert

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono)

Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) is a traditional recipe with shredded chicken, long-grain rice, and an egg and lemon sauce made into an easy meal.
Yield 8 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Greek
Author Sabrina Snyder
Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) in pot
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 stalks celery , sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 6 cups chicken broth , divided
  • 2 chicken breasts , boneless skinless
  • 2 carrots , sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 cup long-grain rice , uncooked
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 large egg yolks

Instructions

  • Add the butter to a large dutch oven on medium heat and cook the onions, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
  • Add 5 cups of broth, chicken, carrots, oregano, basil, and rice and bring to a boil, then to low heat for 20 minutes, until rice is tender.
  • Remove the chicken and shred with two forks before returning to the soup.
  • Add the last cup of broth to a blender jar along with lemon juice, egg yolks, and ½ cup of the drained cooked rice from the soup.
  • Blend until smooth, about 1 minute, then pour into the soup and stir well.

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 1024mg | Potassium: 472mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2674IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg

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Greek Chicken and Rice Soup (Avgolemono) collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Can you make it a day before? We are having houseguests and would love to cook it ahead of time but don’t want to ruin the taste!
    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hello Janet,
      I am sure you have already enjoyed the recipe with your house guests; however, just in case, to answer your question:
      Serve: Don’t leave Avgolemono Soup at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
      Store: Once the Greek Lemon Chicken Soup has cooled down you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
      Freeze: You can also freeze Avgolemono Soup for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge then reheat it on the stovetop before serving.

      Reply

  2. Flipping Fantastic!! Have had Greek style soup before, but this one is even tastier! I use Bone in chicken thighs and low boil for a couple of hours with spices to get that homemade taste. Family finishes a Dutch oven full in one evening!

    Reply

  3. This soup is really really good!! I followed recipe exactly as is but added 1 tbs of lemon zest. (I love lemon!) Thanks for the fabulous recipe!!

    Reply

  4. I was craving chicken and rice soup and decided on this Greek version. It totally hit the spot! So tasty and filling. I will make it again soon!

    Reply

  5. I agree – your recipes are always winners. And I often look here for dinner ideas. This was terrific! The lemon and chicken flavors go together so well. It was easy to make and a new family fave. Thanks Sabrina!

    Reply

  7. I have made several if you’re recipes ! Percy every time. My family loves Olive Garden Ziti 5 cheese I make a lot sauce put it in freezer bags also glass jars to keep handy in fridge
    Making the Greek Lemon soup tomorrow
    I hace t had a good bowl
    If that since I was in New York 6 yrs ago!
    Thank you so much. I know what ever I copy frim your menu will be great

    Reply

  8. The soup was delicious. The only problem is that the recipe says to add butter, but does not give a quantity. I went with 3 tablespoons, but may cut it down to 2 the next time.

    Reply

    1. I am so sorry, I am just seeing this tonight. I am sure the recipe has long been cooked/or not but I still want to try to help.

      Yes, 2 tablespoons is the right amount, I am so sorry that was missing!

      Reply