Kotosoupa Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
This Kotosoupa Avgolemono recipe is comforting and delicious. Kotosoupa, a Greek chicken and lemon soup, is warm, cozy and delivers incredible fresh flavors that are both soothing and healing.
Servings: 4 to 6
Calories: 261kcal
Equipment
- mixing bowls medium
Ingredients
- 6 to 7 cups chicken stock divided
- 2 (approximately 5-ounce) chicken thighs or breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced leeks washed and dried, white portions only; save the rest to make vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1½ cups Russet potato about 1 medium potato, peeled, cut into approximately ¼ inch cubes
- ½ cup dry Jasmine rice
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice divided
- 1 cup packed baby basil leaves or bigger leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the chicken. Add 6 cups of the chicken stock to a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and add the chicken. Poach the chicken just until it's cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Times will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken.) Remove the chicken, place it on a plate to cool, and pour the stock into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cook leeks and garlic, add potatoes and rice. Coat the bottom of the same pot with the olive oil and place it over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook until the leeks have softened and the garlic is very aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and rice and stir to blend. Cook for just a couple of minutes.
- Simmer ingredients in pot with chicken stock. Pour the chicken stock back in the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer gently until the potatoes are tender and rice is cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Prepare the eggs. While the soup is simmering add the whole egg and egg yolk to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to blend. Then slowly pour in the remaining 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, whisking as you do so. Set aside.
- Shred chicken and add it to soup with rice, some of the lemon and all of the basil. While the soup is simmering, use your hands to shred the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once the potatoes are tender and rice is cooked, add the shredded chicken, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and basil to the pot. Stir and turn off the heat.
- Temper the egg mixture and add it to soup. Add 1 ladle full of the broth from the soup into the eggs and very quickly whisk to blend. Do this 2 more times. Then pour all of the now slightly warmed egg mixture into the pot of soup, very slowly stirring as you do so. Cook on low for a few minutes and do not let it boil or the eggs might curdle. If the soup is thicker than you'd like, add the remaining cup of stock.
- Season and serve. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.) Serve!
Notes
Egg-free version: skip the egg and egg yolk, and add all 6 tablespoons of lemon juice directly to the soup.
Don't let it boil: once the egg mixture is in, keep the heat low, or the egg might curdle.
Shredded or cubed: shredded chicken has a really nice texture, but to save time, you can cut it into bite-sized pieces instead.
Leeks: thinly sliced shallots, or red or yellow onion, work too.
Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are my second choice, and white potatoes work as well.
Rice: although I list Jasmine in the ingredients, most long grain rices will work. (Do not use brown or wild rice, as the cooking time is much longer.)
Lemons: if they're in season, Meyer lemons are the best choice.
Herbs: dill or tarragon are lovely instead of (or with) the basil.
Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, and reheat gently without boiling. This soup doesn't freeze well.
Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 723mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 839IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg