| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup orzo or rice
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 1/2 to 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to a bowl. Once cooled, shred the chicken and reserve.
- Add the orzo or rice to the pot with the chicken stock and cook until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and most of the lemon juice, reserving some to add later as needed. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Once combined, ladle in some hot stock to temper the egg mixture, whisking constantly and adding the hot liquid slowly. Very slowly, add the warm whipped egg/lemon mixture into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent any curds or clumps from forming. Continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, whisking, until the soup thickens, about 10 minutes more.
- Add the shredded chicken and any reserved juices to the soup. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add additional lemon juice if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 323 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 45 g |
| Cholesterol | 169 mg |
| Sodium | 1531 mg |
Reviews
Yes. I add a little crusheded red hot pepper . Magnificen.
This soup is very good. It is actually better the second day. I only made a half batch but used 1 cup orzo and 2 small eggs. I didn’t need to use all the chicken. The egg whites were foamy in the pot, but not once I put it in a bowl.
This is good. I halved the recipe based on others reviews. The largest pot I have is 6 quarts. I halved the amount of orzo as well but next time will do a full cup as others stated. I thought I’d try it exactly halved first. But you don’t even know the orzo is in the soup with half a cup. The hardest part (meaning my wrist hurt) was whisking the egg whites but I found it enjoyable to watch them transform into soft peaks. It’s not super thick but I’m okay with that. I like broth more than anything else in my soup. I also chopped up a couple sprigs of fresh dill in the soup with the lemon zest and lemon juice instead of parsley and it really made a difference in the soup. Highly recommend the dill over parsley.
Absolutely Delicious!!!
This soup is amazing! It’s weirdly refreshing and so easy to make. I did increase lemon juice to 1 cup as recommended.
This soup turned out great! Made it as written but used 1 cup of lemon juice. Have made this several times and froze the leftovers. This will be my go to soup forever! Thanks Jeff!
Thank you Jeff. One of the best soups I’ve ever made. I’ll be honest I was nervous when I was whipping the egg whites and adding them in … but it really came out great. Doesn’t even need crackers. I added a few cups of spinach, which worked out nicely.
Ridiculously good
This recipe needs more Orzo: 2 cups. It also needs more eggs: 6
Absolutely delicious soup! It’s not hard to make and really ends up being a special meal that seems like you took all day to cook it.