| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | about 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (3 pound) free range chicken
- 12 cups cold water
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 leek, cleaned and quartered
- 1 carrot, peeled and quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups finely diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 2/3 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a 6 to 8-quart stockpot, combine the chicken, water, and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; immediately reduce the heat to a very low simmer, and skim the foam from the surface. Add the leek, carrot, and bay leaves and continue to simmer with the chicken until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove chicken from the broth, and allow meat to cool. Strain the broth and skim the fat. (Place the broth in the refrigerator to make it easier to skim.)
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Dice the meat into large cubes; refrigerate until ready to use.
- Return the broth to high heat, add the rice and onion and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken and reduce the broth to a low simmer.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat the lemon juice, eggs, and pepper. Ladle 2 cups of hot broth into a measuring cup with a pourable spout. While whisking, slowly pour the 2 cups of broth into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. Stir well to blend. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 392 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 25 g |
| Cholesterol | 133 mg |
| Sodium | 1418 mg |
Reviews
I made this soup per the recipe, and it is now my number one favorite soup!
I love this soup! I have made it several times and it is always delicious.
Delicious! At the end, I only add salt to taste and not the full 1 T. Consider yourself forewarned. If you use less liquid to start, or skim off a considerable amount, a third tablespoon of salt makes this soup VERY salty. I also added a third egg. Did you see Cat’s eggs in the video? They are ENORMOUS! This is my third time making the soup. Love it!
I do like Greek food and this recipe was perfect for my family. I made this ahead to take it to my son’s. This was a good thick soup with no extra additions. I did add some lemon zest for taste as another reviewer suggested but that wasn’t thickener. The taste was right on for me and I like to order avgolemeno sometimes when I am at a Greek restaurant. I used about 2 1/2 T of Diamond kosher salt because I did some salting when sautéing the onions in the pan before adding to the broth. I did make my broth with the chicken and refrigerated them separately one day before I finished cooking the rest of the recipe and two days before we ate it. Also froze some of the soup for later.
Great recipe I keep going back to. Also not complicated or time consuming.
Absolutely delicious. So simple to make, but the smooth texture combined with the flavors made this a huge hit with my family.
This is the only chicken soup I’ve made many times in recent years, especially in cold weather or someone is sick. The lemon and egg make it silky and soothing, and subtly add to the lusciousness of the soup.
I have been making this for years for my family. It’s a home run every time. Simple, delicious, a couple of great techniques make it fun to cook. It’s more time consuming than you think…all about the chicken prep. I use unsalted chicken broth in place of the 12 cups of water. It’s cheating, but what an amazing broth.
So so so good! I’ve never made a recipe from cat so I wanted to follow exactly. It’s such an easy, simple
Recipe that delivers such a unique beautiful blend of flavors. Will be making on a regular. Thanks cat!
delicious soup, keeping recipe to make again!