My good friend, Jess, is a strict vegetarian but as a show of love she occasionally likes to cook her husband heartier dishes that include meat. I was visiting her one day when she happened to be making a delicious Greek soup as a surprise for him since he had been traveling frequently for work. Something that boggles my mind though is that when she cooks these meals, she is unable to taste as she go. Seeing her dilemma, I of course offered myself up as a guinea pig to taste test for her when the soup was ready. I cannot imagine cooking without being able to taste the food.
When she placed the bowl in front of me, I was immediately drawn to the glorious golden hue and rich thick texture of the soup. My brain instantly started picturing the different ways that it could be shot. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind. What color bowls would set off this color best? And ooh just imagine the way some gorgeously delicate sprigs of dill would sit on the surface of the soup. How would I style the chicken, whole or shredded? As she could probably see the ideas dashing across my face, Jess asked me if I would want to photograph it.
Going home, I purchased the ingredients that I needed and immediately set to testing. I didn’t ask Jess for her exact recipe because I thought how hard could a chicken soup be. Well my first attempt didn’t exactly turn out the way I hoped. My “soup” somehow morphed during the cooking process into a saucy pasta instead of a chunky soup. Since I wasn’t sure how much of the acini de pepe to use I first tried 1/4 cup. That initial amount seemed so unsubstantial when I stirred it through that I dumped in another 1/4 cup. Why not right? Well the pasta drank up almost all of the soup while cooking and then after I turned off the stove, went on to grow and grow until there was basically no more soup left. In addition to this fail, my soup lacked any of the beautiful yellow that first drew me to the dish. To me, what makes this dish super special is the thick richness that results from adding tempered eggs to the finished soup. So why didn’t my soup come out yellow? Was it my eggs? I didn’t think it could be because my egg yolks weren’t orange enough. Well turns out I wasn’t paying attention to Jess when she explained to me that what makes her soup different from many of the internet recipes is that she only uses egg yolks in her recipe. The key that unlocks the golden hue is to gradually raise the temperature of 3 egg yolks with ladles of the hot soup. The tempering keeps the eggs from curdling in the pot and results in a rich yellow cream.
Traditionally rice and or orzo is used in Greek recipes. But Jess likes to use acini de pepe, a tiny Italian pasta, and orzo. What I loved so much about this dish in addition to the richness from the yolks, was the awesome texture the pasta bits added. So my recipe only uses the acini de pepe, but feel free to substitute with rice or orzo.
A note on the lemons. As this is a lemon soup, typically a large amount of juice is added. Jess’s original recipe calls for 2 lemons. But for my palate, that is a bit much so I have lessened the amount to about 1 lemon. Feel free to increase if so desired. I also added a very simple dill and chive oil for an extra herby lemon tang at the table.
At its most basic, this is a simple chicken soup. But the few additional elements of egg yolks, pasta, and herbs make this super special. For me, this soup is the ultimate in comfort. Rich interesting textures, warm aromatics, and bright lemony herbal notes. Just want I want to be always eating.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)
Adapted from Jess Thurston’s recipe || serves 4
for the soup
Olive oil
2 Chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks)
2 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
freshly ground black pepper
4 large shallots, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, cut into slices on a diagonal
3 celery ribs, cut into three pieces
Small bundle of fresh dill and thyme (about 15 sprigs each)
1/3 cup dried acini di pepe
3 egg yolks, room temperature
½ – 1 lemon, juiced
for the dill + chive oil
½ cup dill, chopped
¼ cup chives, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ cup olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
½ teaspoon salt
Cover the bottom of a dutch oven or a medium sauce pot with olive oil, heat over medium high heat. Salt & pepper each side of the chicken pieces, about 1 teaspoon divided each spice. Brown the chicken, skin side down first, about 3-5 minutes each side. Remove and set aside. Still over medium high heat, sautée the minced shallots and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt until translucent. Add the carrots and then the celery ribs, giving each vegetable its own 2-3 minutes in the pot before adding the next. Add another 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pot. Gently stir in the aromatic bundle of dill and thyme. Add 4 cups of water, bring up to a boil, return the chicken pieces to the pot. Bring back up to a boil and turn down to a small simmer. Cover and allow to cook for about an hour until the chicken is falling off the bone.
While the chicken is cooking make the dill and chive oil. Add the dill, chives and garlic to a food processor, pulse until finely chopped. Slowly pour in the olive oil with the food processor on. Mix in the salt and lemon juice. Place in a bowl for serving.
Once the chicken has fully cooked, remove from the pot, and shred into preferred size (I like thick slithers). Set aside for the moment. Remove the chive and dill bundle and celery ribs. Turn the heat up to high, add the dried acini di pepe into soup and 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil, and turn down to a simmer. Cook until the acini di pepe is tender but still with a bite, like regular pasta. Add a bit more water if needed. This is a fairly thick soup that will thicken a bit more as it cools.
When the pasta is almost ready, add the chicken back into the pot, turn heat up to medium high and reheat the chicken through. While this is happening, put the room temperature egg yolks into a medium mixing bowl. Temper the eggs by slowly drizzling a ladle of the hot soup straight from pot into the bowl as you whisk the eggs with a fork. Use about a cup and a half. Don’t hurry this process. The goal is to gradually bring the temperature of the eggs up without curdling. You are looking for a gorgeous yellow cream. Turn off the stove and immediately add the eggs to the pot, stir. Add the lemon juice and adjust salt to taste. You will probably need another 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Serve with the dill + chive oil and fresh sprigs of dill.
Make sure to pin this recipe to Pinterest + follow me on Instagram for regular updates!
You brought it up to a higher level ! Great !
I made this over the weekend and it was just lovely. I can’t do pasta, so I used rice instead and carefully increased the lemon juice. My husband asked that I double the recipe next time. Thank you for this lovely combination of flavors!
Thank you for the lovely comment, Natalie! I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!