At the first symptoms of a cold, no Giagia says “go to the doctor” it’s always, “I’ll make you Avgolemono”. It’s the universal remedy for any flu in a Greek household.
Chicken soup is popular in many cultures, but nothing is more comforting than the traditional Avgolemono. A dish that has nourished generations.
A simple, hearty, simple and extra comforting food that makes anyone’s insides feel happy!
On cold winter days, nothing beats it to be honest!
Below, we share our Giagias Avgolemono recipe:
Ingredients:
• 1 chicken (1.5kg)
• 1 onion, chopped in quarters
• 2 carrots, peeled and whole
• ½ celery, roughly chopped
• 150-200g short-grain rice
• 2 large eggs
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 carrots (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
Method:
Wash the whole chicken thoroughly and place in a deep coup casserole. Boil for 20 mins on low heat and skim off the scum that raises to the top
Add the onion, carrot and celery in chunks to make chicken stock. Cover, reduce heat and boil at least for 40 minutes up to 2 hours. The chicken is ready, when the meat can be removed easily from the bones Add salt and pepper to taste
Remove the chicken from the broth and strain the broth. Add the hot broth in a pan, add the rice and season with salt and pepper and boil, until done.
Cool the chicken, and pull the meat from the bones and discard the skin. (Or you can pop the whole chicken in the oven with potatoes for an hour and serve roast chicken with the soup)
Prepare the egg lemon sauce (avgolemono). Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk, until foamy; add the lemon juice and whisk again. Add into the bowl a ladle of hot soup and whisk quickly. Add one more ladle and whisk again, so that the eggs get warm. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot, whilst constantly stirring, put the lid on and leave for 3-4 minutes.
Serve this delicious Greek lemon chicken soup, while still warm; ladle into bowls, top with the diced chicken and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and an extra squeeze of lemon.
Tips so your lemon sauce doesn’t curdle:
Keep eggs at room temperature, so that they are not shocked and curdle from the hot broth
The soup should be warm but not boiling hot. When you are done cooking your soup remove the pan from the stove and let it cool for 5-10 minutes
You need to add enough broth so that the egg mixture is at the same temperature as the broth of dish you are preparing
The egg whites are more likely to curdle, as they tend to thicken up more quickly than the egg yolks when warmed so be sure to whisk vigorously and add the broth slowly
