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I hate to admit it, but, California has made me soft. I'm originally from the Pacific Northwest, we are a hardy people who can handle all kinds of weather conditions. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stops a PNWer. Living in Santa Barbara for nearly 4 years has hardened my tough, weather resistant shell and caused me to start wearing multiple layers when the temp even thinks of dipping below 65°F.
This week has been particularly biting, as cold winds deceivingly whip through the cloudless, crisp blue skies. My space nerd hubs and some geeky pals somehow convinced me to join them on a mountaintop at 6 am this morning to watch a SpaceX rocket launch into space. I agreed to it, as long as there'd be breakfast after. But, nobody told me that there was a freeze warning and I'd lose all feeling in my fingers immediately. I came equipped with hot coffee
and a warm spirit but that just didn't cut it when we learned the launch had been scrubbed.
A Greek Soup of Eggs & Lemons
Hours later and I'm still shivering at my desk. At this point the only way to warm up is a big ol' bowl of Avgolemono Soup. It's like the Greek answer to Chicken Noodle Soup, but brighter, silkier and better in so many ways. Avgolemono Soup is an egg and lemon based soup, Avgo (egg) lemono (lemon). The avgolemono sauce is velvety and smooth with a vibrant flavor and texture that's as creamy as heavy cream, without the cream. This recipe for Avgolemono Soup is made by boiling chicken thighs to form a healing and warming broth that's tempered with the creamy Avgolemono sauce. Orzo
makes it extra hearty. Fresh dill and lots of lemon bring a brightness that could warm even the coldest California softy.
In order to get the velvety smooth base of this Avgolemono Soup, the eggs must be tempered with the broth and lemon juice, preventing the eggs from cooking too quickly and curdling. It's a minor but necessary step and truly makes for the creamiest soup base ever.
Store Bought Soup Ingredients Will Work, Too
I've been obsessed with Avgolemono Soup for years but hadn't made it until I came across this recipe from The Kitchn. It really is easier than I thought it would be and The Kitchn breaks the recipe down into digestible steps that don't overwhelm. While I made a few minor modifications; extra lemon, extra black pepper
and additional orzo
to push it towards porridge territory, this Avgolemono Soup recipe is solid. And, if you don't have the time to deal with boiling the chicken into a broth, you can easily modify the recipe by using pre-cooked, shredded chicken and store bought broth
. Simple and quick.
If this Avgolemono Soup can warm up even the whiniest California convert after a 20 minute encounter with 30 something temperatures, it'll warm up anybody. It's also a no-brainer for cold busting and I am convinced a single bowl can kill a cough. This Avgolemono Soup will carry you through the rest of this winter and keep you craving soup well into spring.
The Quick Soup Technique
the eggs and lemon until they are light and airy in the base for this Avgolemono Soup.
Then slowly add some of the warm broth to gently temper the eggs before mixing everything together.Perfect Avgolemono Soup
and then serve it up with lots of freshly cracked pepper
, fresh dill and lemon wheels to my Avgolemono Soup for serving. It layers on the flavor and makes it beautiful.
Couldn't you just crawl into this bowl of Avgolemono Soup and stay a while? I like to serve mine with crispy baked parmesan
bread.
Recipe
Avgolemono Soup
Description
Avgolemono Soup; the brighter, silky Greek cousin to chicken noodle soup. Made of creamy eggs, zesty lemon, shredded chicken, orzo, fresh dill & pepper.
Ingredients
SOUP
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 8 cups cold water
- 1 large onion (-unpeeled & quartered)
- 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- ¾ cup dry orzo
- 4 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
SERVING
- 1 whole lemon (-thinly sliced)
- fresh ground black pepper (-to taste)
- freshly chopped dill (-to taste)
Instructions
- Place the chicken, water, quartered onion, peppercorns, and salt in a 5-quart or larger Dutch oven. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If any white foam forms, use a slotted spoon to skim off and discard.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large heatproof bowl and discard the solids. Skim off fat rendered from the chicken thighs with a spoon . Reserve 2 cups of the stock in a measuring cup. Return the remaining stock to the Dutch oven and place over low heat to keep warm.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred into bite-sized pieces with your hands; set aside. Discard the skin and bones.
- Bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the reserved shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to low.
- Place the eggs in a medium bowl and whisk until lightened in color and frothy, about 2 minutes. Continue to whisk while gradually adding the lemon juice. While constantly whisking, temper in the eggs by slowly drizzling the reserved 2 cups of warm stock into the egg-lemon mixture. This warms the eggs just enough so that they do not curdle when added to the hot soup.
- Add the avgolemono mix back into the pot with the chicken and orzo and stir to combine. Cook until the soup thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes, but do not let it come to a boil.
- Pour the soup into serving bowls and serve with lemon slices, fresh chopped dill, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
This recipe has been slightly adapted from the brilliant The Kitchn's recipe for How To Make Greek Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgolemono).
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