Warm and delicious - chicken soup is the ultimate home remedy to strengthen the immune system in winter and protect us from flu and colds. Whether miso soup, gazpacho, potato soup orGoulash in a loaf of bread– Soups are the typical starter in most European countries and every culture and household has its own version and recipes for it. Avgolemono soup is at the top of the popularity scale in Greece. Creamy chicken soup with rice and lemon is a hallmark of Greek cuisine as we know and love it - authentic, made with fresh ingredients and easy to prepare. Whether thatclassic recipeOr maybe you prefer the vegan version – our recipe ideas always ensure a real culinary delight!
“Kotosoupa Avgolemono” is a classic soup essentially made with tender chicken, rice and a delicious egg and lemon sauce. This hearty, simple and particularly delicious Greek chicken soup is without a doubt the ultimate dish for those cold autumn and winter days. Avgolemono is actually a sauce made from eggs and lemon and is used in a variety of dishes. From fish and meat to roasted vegetables and pasta, the creamy sauce adds a refreshing citrus flavor to every dish.
Avgolemono Soup – What should you pay attention to when preparing it?
Avgolemono soup owes its unique, creamy texture to the rice and eggs. The egg and lemon sauce is used as a thickener and although the recipe may seem quite simple, there are a few points to keep in mind when preparing it.
- So that the eggs from the hot broth do not curdle and become lumpy, they should definitely be at room temperature.
- When you add the avgolemono sauce to the soup, it should be warm but not scalding hot. So when you're done cooking, take the pot off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes or add some cold water to stop the cooking process.
- You need to temper the eggs so that the mixture is almost the same temperature as the soup.
Temper the eggs and add them to the soup - this is how to do it correctly
Adding raw eggs to the hot broths is a bit tricky and anyone who has done it knows that many things can go wrong. But if you know how to do it correctly, it will be pretty easy to prepare.
- First, put the eggs in a clean bowl and beat them well with a whisk.
- Then slowly add a small amount of the broth to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Repeat the process until the sauce and soup are equally warm.
- In the next step, the egg mixture is slowly stirred into the pot again, stirring constantly. Particularly important: To prevent the eggs from curdling and spoiling the taste, you must not bring the finished soup to the boil again, even when warming it up.
- In Greek villages, people make a kissing noise when you add the avgolemono to the soup. This is supposed to be a magical trick to keep the egg from curdling.
Avgolemono soup recipe
Now that you already know all the tips and tricks for the perfect avgolemono soup, it's time to take your cooking skills to the next level and make the recipe!
Required ingredients:
- 1 soup chicken weighing about 1 kilogram or alternatively chicken legs
- 2 liters of water
- 1 large onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 carrots
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 stalk of leek
- 130 grams of rice
- 2 Owner
- the juice of a lemon
- Salt and pepper
- fresh parsley
Preparation:
- To ensure that our Avgolemono soup recipe is truly authentic, we will prepare our chicken broth ourselves. If that's too complicated for you, you can of course use the ready-made version from the supermarket - although the taste will be slightly different.
- Peel the onion, peel and chop the celery, leek and carrots.
- Wash the soup chicken thoroughly and place it in a large pot with 2 liters of water. Cover and bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
- Add the bay leaves and vegetables to the broth and season with salt.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. If white foam forms, remove it with a spoon.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool. Once cool enough, chop into bite-sized pieces with your hands. Discard the skin and bones.
- Increase the heat and bring the broth to a boil again.
- Place the rice in a sieve and rinse until the water runs clear.
- Add the rice to the broth and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the Algolemono sauce. To do this, remove about 1/2 cup of broth from the pot and set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk for 2 minutes until frothy and gradually stir in the fresh lemon juice while continuing to beat.
- Then add the broth a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly.
- Put the chicken back in the pot and finally slowly stir the egg mixture into the soup.
- Heat the finished avgolemono soup over low heat, stirring constantly.
- Season with salt, pepper and fresh parsley, serve and enjoy!
- When you reheat the soup the next day it will be a little thicker and this is absolutely normal. Feel free to add a few spoonfuls of water to achieve the desired texture.
Vegan avgolemono soup with chickpeas
The purely plant-based diet has now become so popular that every dish has its own vegan version. Easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes, this delicious soup is the ultimatevegan dinners!
Ingredients:
- 1.5 liters of vegetable broth
- 100 grams of rice
- 850 grams of canned chickpeas or white beans
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped small
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 80 Grams Tahini Paste
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 1 handful of kale or spinach
- Salt and pepper
- fresh dill
Preparation:
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry onion and carrot for 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the chickpeas and rice, reduce the heat and cook until al dente, about 9-10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Mix tahini and lemon juice well in a bowl and gradually stir into the soup.
- Add spinach or kale to the pot and stir briefly.
- Season with salt, pepper and dill and serve.
