Avgolemono Soup
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Avgolemono is Greek comfort at its finest—lemony, silky, and so much more than your usual chicken soup.
Every culture has its favorite chicken soup—from classic American chicken noodle soup to cozy Jewish matzo ball soup. In Greece, it’s avgolemono soup, a light yet satisfying blend of flavorful chicken broth, bright lemon, eggs, chicken, and rice. The name comes from the Greek words “avgo” (egg) and “lemono” (lemon).
This avgolemono soup recipe is surprisingly easy to make, with just one “cheffy” step: tempering the eggs. This process gently warms them to avoid scrambling and creates the soup’s signature creamy texture. Don’t worry—I’ve made it foolproof with a blender. Pair it with souvlaki and a fresh Greek salad for a satisfying meal.
“I couldn’t believe I wasn’t at a restaurant. This had the most delicious taste with the perfect amount of lemon. I’m in heaven!”
What You’ll Need to Make Avgolemono
- Chicken tenderloins or breasts: Adds protein and heartiness. If using chicken breasts, you’ll need to cut them into 1-inch strips before cooking.
- Chicken broth, fresh dill, bay leaf & white pepper: The broth is what ties everything together; dill adds a fresh herby lift and gives the soup a familiar Greek flavor, bay leaf brings subtle earthy depth, and white pepper gives gentle heat.
- Long grain white rice: Bulks up the soup; a portion gets blended in to thicken the broth and keep it silky. Although rice is traditional, some people swap in orzo for a different twist—just keep in mind it cooks more quickly, so you’ll need to adjust the timing.
- Fresh lemon juice, eggs & egg yolks: The heart of avgolemono—eggs whisked with lemon make the broth creamy and rich, while the yolks add extra body.
- Heavy cream: Though not traditional in avgolemono, cream enriches the broth and helps soften the lemon’s acidity. Feel free to omit it for a more lemon-forward version.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Season the chicken. Place the chicken on a plate, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 15 minutes.
Pro Tip: Salting the chicken ahead of time isn’t just about flavor—it also helps the meat retain moisture so it stays tender when it poaches in the broth.
Step 2. Start the soup base. In a large pot, bring the broth, rice, white pepper, dill sprigs, and bay leaf to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the rice is al dente, about 5 minutes.
Step 3. Add the chicken. Remove the pot from the heat, add the chicken, cover, and let sit until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Step 4. Chop the chicken. Discard the dill sprigs and bay leaf. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, cool slightly, and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Step 5. Make the egg-lemon mixture. Blend ¾ cup of rice with the lemon juice, eggs, and yolks until smooth. Add ¾ cup broth, blend again, then repeat with another ladle of broth.
Step 6. Finish the soup. Stir the egg mixture slowly into the hot broth , add the cream, and gently simmer over low heat until the rice is tender. Just before serving, stir in the chopped dill and chicken. Serve right away, since the soup thickens as it sits. Refrigerating or freezing the soup can affect its texture, so, for best results, enjoy the soup fresh.
Video Tutorial
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Avgolemono Chicken Soup with Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips)
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup long grain white rice
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 3 sprigs fresh dill, plus 2 teaspoons chopped (see note)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus a bit more if necessary (optional; see note)
- Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a plate and season all over with the salt. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the broth, rice, white pepper, dill sprigs, and bay leaf to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is al dente, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the chicken, cover, and let sit until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Discard the dill sprigs and bay leaf. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer about ¾ cup of the rice to a blender. Add the lemon juice, eggs, and yolks to the blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Using a soup ladle, transfer about ¾ cup (180 ml) of the broth to the blender and process until smooth, 10 seconds (be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and cover with a kitchen towel to allow the steam to escape). Add another ladleful of broth to the blender and process again.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot, stirring until evenly combined. Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Do not boil. (The soup will be a bit frothy at this point; don’t worry, the froth will settle as it simmers.) Taste the rice to see if it’s cooked through. If it needs a few more minutes, gently simmer the soup until the rice is cooked. Right before serving, stir in the chopped dill and the chicken, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If the soup is too lemony, add more cream. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a bit of water. Serve immediately, as the soup thickens up quite a bit as it sits.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hey Jen,
Do you know if this soup would freeze well? Staci
Hi Staci, I don’t think this is a great candidate for freezing — sorry!
Can I replace rice with another grain (e.g. barley, bulgar, farro)?
Sure, though the cook time for the grain may be a bit different, so I’d check it for tenderness as it’s cooking.
I don’t eat animal flesh, but I’m ok with broth. would it screw up the recipe if I withheld the tenderloins?
Not at all, Shannon – it will still be delish.
Spur of the moment decision to cook this because it sounded delicious, I had the ingredients on hand, and I was restless on this rather bleak morning. I’m so glad I did as it made for a wonderful change-of-pace breakfast! I will definitely make this again and again… maybe I can even hold out for dinner next time, lol!
Fantastic soup with excellent flavor! The instructions were very detailed and helped me to be willing to work with emulsifying the eggs. My batch turned out a little thin, but I might not have let it simmer long enough. Hoping to add a little more chicken and rice next time so it is more filling, but beyond that, this soup was perfect! Thank you so much!
Thank you Jen, for another wonderful recipe! I loved the flavour of this soup – but for some reason mine came out watery (which really surprised me, given that you warned about the soup thickening up too much). It is definitely worth trying again, but I feel that next time I should probably double the rice. I am not sure whether that will require tweaking the components that give the soup its flavour, so that the larger quantity of rice doesn’t make it bland.
Thank you again for the awesome work that you do. I am a keen cook with a humungous cookbook collection – yet there is not one chef whose recipes I have cooked as much as I have yours. As well as your cookbook, I love your website beyond measure – it is simply perfect in every single aspect. As an incorrigible foodie, you totally enrich my life!
💗
Such a great recipe! Love the creamy silky texture with a kiss of lemon! I was concerned it was not thick enough so ! added more cooked rice that I had on hand and after it sits for awhile it does thicken so don’t be impatient! I did thin it a bit by adding a little more broth and a splash of lemon. The addition of fresh dill gives the soup a nice subtle flavor so don’t omit it! I agree Jenn–the cream balances out the flavors. I looked at several recipes for this soup and I decided to go to with this recipe which I am glad I did!
Wonderful soup! So easy to make. I didn’t have chicken, so I used chicken apple sausage, which turned out delicious. No dill either, so I added the bay leaves with Italian seasoning, then used a sieve to remove the seasoning. I had leftover cooked rice in the refrigerator and that worked out perfectly & it cut down the cooking time. I used black pepper instead of white, cut the lemon juice in half (and later hubby & I added more to taste individually to our bowls of soup, since the kids don’t like it too sour). DELICIOUS!
Absolutely delicious! I first saw it on ATK but could NEVER get the recipe. Thank you so much because this soup is wonderful. I was hesitant about tempering but I did it. Topped it with homemade croutons. Cannot wait to take some to my mother.
This was delicious, even better than expected!