More Snow..and Avgolemono Soup

It is snowing again in New Jersey, the worst winter I can remember. In anticipation of another snow day, I picked up a chicken yesterday to make chicken soup. Soup is perfect on a cold, winter day and I have the luxury of simmering it for several hours today since we are all home from work. To change it up a bit, I decided to make Avgolemono Soup, a classic Greek soup thickened with eggs and flavored with lemon. It is smooth, creamy and tart. You will find this soup in any Greek restaurant or diner, but be careful, although the soup is gluten free, many recipes include Orzo pasta, and orzo is NOT gluten free. I use rice and it is just as good and gluten free!

The trick to making the perfect Avgolemono soup is to incorporate the egg/lemon mixture into the soup without the eggs scrambling, you don't want egg drop soup, you want a thick, creamy, smooth, lemon colored soup. To do this you need to temper the eggs by first pouring a little hot chicken broth into the egg mixture and whisking the mixture continuously, then adding this mixture to the rest of the soup a little at a time and whisking as you pour it in.  It should be smooth, no little pieces of cooked egg. This is the same technique you would use to make rice pudding or custard. It takes a little practice to pour with one hand and whisk with the other! Also, after you add the egg mixture, don't boil the soup, just simmer it. 

I prefer using homemade chicken broth, but you can make this with store bought chicken broth too. Again, read the label, many store bought chicken stocks are NOT gluten free. To make it more filling, I add shredded chicken to the soup. Traditionally, the rice is cooked right in the chicken broth before adding the eggs and lemon. I prefer to cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl. This prevents the rice from soaking up all the broth.

If you think plain chicken soup is great for a cold, try this next time, the hot lemony soup is perfect for clearing your head cold!

Avgolemono Soup 

8 cups hot chicken broth (My homemade chicken soup recipe)*
3 eggs
Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste ( I like it really lemony, but you may prefer less lemon, start with one lemon and add more to your taste)
2 cups cooked brown or white rice
Shredded chicken (optional)

If you are using homemade chicken soup, strain the soup and use just the broth. Shred the chicken and put aside.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. With a whisk, add the lemon juice to the eggs. Temper the eggs by slowly pouring in a few ladles of the hot soup into the egg lemon mixture a little at a time while you are continuously whisking the mixture. Then, whisk the tempered egg lemon mixture into the rest of the soup. The soup should be creamy and smooth. Add the shredded chicken and rice.

*If you use my chicken soup recipe, omit the tomato sauce and escarole for this recipe.
Printable Recipe