Avgolemono Soup
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Warm up with a bowl of creamy avgolemono soup, the Greek classic that combines lemon, egg, chicken, and rice.
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 rich 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 simple 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.
- Chicken broth: Forms the base of the soup, adding depth and richness.
- Long grain white rice: Provides substance to the soup; a portion is blended in to help thicken the soup and stabilize the consistency.
- Fresh Dill: Brings that bright, herby flavor that’s classic in Greek dishes.
- Bay leaf: Adds a subtle earthy flavor to the broth.
- Fresh lemon juice: Brings bright and tangy flavor that balances the richness of the soup.
- Eggs: Thicken the soup and give it a creamy, rich texture.
- 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
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 and 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.
Transfer 3/4 cup of rice to a blender with the lemon juice, eggs, and yolks. Blend until smooth, then add 3/4 cup of broth and blend again. Repeat with another ladle of broth.
Slowly stir the egg mixture into the pot until combined. Add the cream and gently simmer over low heat until the rice is tender.
Right before serving, stir in the chopped dill and the chicken. Serve immediately, as the soup thickens up quite a bit as it sits.
Keep in mind that refrigerating or freezing the soup can affect its texture, as the egg-lemon mixture may separate or curdle, and the rice absorbs the broth, making it thicker. For best results, enjoy the soup fresh.
Video Tutorial
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Avgolemono Chicken Soup with Rice
Warm up with a bowl of creamy avgolemono soup, the Greek classic that combines lemon, egg, chicken, and 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 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.
- Note: A sprig of dill is one “branch.”
- Note: Heavy cream is not traditionally added to avgolemono soup, but I like how it balances the tanginess of the lemon. It's fine to omit it if you'd like to make the soup a bit lighter and/or more lemony.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 428
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Sodium: 1,048 mg
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
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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I loved making this soup and the steps to the recipe were clear and easy to follow.
In the past, the eggs would always curdle when I attempted to make yia yia soup (greek for grandma).
Thank you for sharing 😋😋 💙💙
Jenn, so delicious. Perfect for a cold winter day. Made it exactly as is and enjoyed the cream, although not typical. Added a bit more lemon.
This soup really hit the spot on one of the coldest days this winter (so far). I made it exactly according to the recipe, except for two small details: I used an immersion blender instead of a regular blender, to make clean-up easier, and I also used boneless chicken thighs because that’s what I had handy, and put them in the water with the rice since thighs seem to need a little more time to cook than breasts.
The proportions were perfect; no adjustments were needed. We served with warm bread and butter last night, and I’m making Naan for an accompaniment tonight.
Been making a lot of lemon pasta lately and decided to try this instead. Was just OK. Feel like it is missing something but can’t put my finger on it. Followed the directions exactly. Maybe it will be better tomorrow after all the flavors meld.
Update to say I enjoyed the soup better on day two!
Another wonderful recipe! This was easy and delicious
We love lemon zing flavors. You’re recipes are hands down the best. I am a huge fan!
I made this over the weekend and it was simply amazing. My family loved it. We are big fans of lemon chicken and chicken picatta, and this was a little bit like the soup version of those dishes.
I followed the directions carefully, but for some reason the chicken tenderloin did not cook in the soup broth all the way, so I quickly sautéed it to finish the cooking process before adding it back to the soup. I’m not sure what I did wrong but it ended up great nonetheless.
Despite the fact that I’m unsure of its pronunciation, this is definitely a new family favorite.
Just made this today for dinner (not following the instructions to eat immediately 😉), and it is delicious!! As a good Greek girl, we love our avgolemeno soup, but it can be a pain to make when you have to boil a whole chicken. This was super simple! Plus, I loved the addition of the cream—even though it’s not traditional. I did add extra lemon because I love the brightness and tanginess. Another winner, thanks Jenn!!
So happy you added this recipe. I love avgolemono soup, and cannot wait to try it!
I made this tonight and it was sooo good- I sent my mom the recipe right away! I don’t like the taste of dill so I replaced it with some fresh basil and dried oregano (no idea if that was very greek of me, but it was delicious) and used whole milk since I didn’t have cream. Comfort in a bowl! Never would have thought to make something like this, but trusted if you had a version on it, it must be great!
This was a huge success! This is definitely going In The ‘impress without a lot of work’ file. And so good….