Avgolemono Recipes

GREEK AVGOLEMONO CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken and remove any organs that may be inside. Place in a pot large enough for the chicken to move around, but not too much room or the broth will be watery. Add the chicken neck if that is included with your chicken. Fill with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming the fat from the top as it collects.
• When the chicken is done, the meat should pull from the bones easily. Transfer the bird to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Add the rice, and season the broth with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes, or until rice is tender.
• Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. Whisk one ladle full of hot broth into the eggs slowly so the eggs do not curdle. Gradually whisk in more broth until the egg mixture is heated. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly. The result should be a creamy, cloudy looking soup. You may season with additional salt, pepper or lemon juice at this point.
• You may add pieces of chicken to the soup before serving or serve soup with salted chicken on the side.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Bring broth to a simmer in a 4-quart pot over high heat; add chicken. Reduce heat; simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a bowl. Reserve broth in pot. Let chicken cool slightly, and then shred with a fork into bite-size pieces.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo; cook until al dente. Drain. Add orzo and chicken to reserved broth. Bring broth just to a gentle simmer, and then reduce heat to low.
• Beat together eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Ladle 1 cup hot broth into egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly until mixture is warm to the touch. Stir the egg-broth mixture into the broth in the pot. Stir in the dill, and season with pepper.

THE TRADITIONAL EGG-LEMON SAUCE (GREEK AVGOLEMONO) RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare the classic Avgolemono recipe, start by cracking the eggs into a bowl and whisk well.
• Gradually add the lemon juice and whisk again to combine.
• Add a little of the warm stock or soup and whisk quickly, add more and whisk again. The reason for slowly adding the broth is to gradually warm up the eggs so you don't end up with an omelette instead of a sauce!
• Pour gradually the egg mixture back into the pot, whilst constantly stirring and bring just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the stove and serve.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Place the chicken, bay leaf and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and let it cool.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Clean out any scum in the bottom of the pot and add the broth back to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Check for seasoning here, as you may need to add a few teaspoons salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice and the flour. Whisk the eggs into the lemon mixture. Pour a little of the simmering broth slowly over the egg mixture and whisk it together. Reduce the heat under the broth to low and whisk in the egg mixture. The soup will thicken slightly and become cloudy. Make sure you don't bring the soup to a rolling boil after you add the eggs. Your eggs will scramble, which will leave you with more of an egg drop soup (which would still be fantastic, but just not the same).
• Chop up the chicken, removing the skin and bones, and add it to the soup along with the dill. Serve immediately.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP AKA AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to a bowl. Once cooled, shred the chicken and reserve.
• Add the orzo or rice to the pot with the chicken stock and cook until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and most of the lemon juice, reserving some to add later as needed. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Once combined, ladle in some hot stock to temper the egg mixture, whisking constantly and adding the hot liquid slowly. Very slowly, add the warm whipped egg/lemon mixture into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent any curds or clumps from forming. Continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, whisking, until the soup thickens, about 10 minutes more.
• Add the shredded chicken and any reserved juices to the soup. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add additional lemon juice if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then run them through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any stray shells.
• Combine the 12 cups chicken broth and the lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and hold at a simmer.
• Temper the eggs by gradually whisking broth into the eggs, one ladleful at a time. When you have added about a quarter of the broth, stir the mixture back into the pot. Cook at a low simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. (Be careful not to let the soup boil or the eggs will overcook and ruin it.) Stir in the salt and white pepper and strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
• In a small saucepan, combine the shredded chicken and the 1/2 cup chicken broth. Bring to a simmer to warm the chicken, then strain off the broth. Divide the chicken and orzo among six bowls; add 1 teaspoon of the chopped dill to each bowl. Ladle the soup into the bowls and serve immediately.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring broth to a simmer in a 4-quart pot over high heat; add chicken. Reduce heat; simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a bowl. Reserve broth in pot. Let chicken cool slightly, and then shred with a fork into bite-size pieces.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo; cook until al dente. Drain. Add orzo and chicken to reserved broth. Bring broth just to a gentle simmer, and then reduce heat to low.
• Beat together eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Ladle 1 cup hot broth into egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly until mixture is warm to the touch. Stir the egg-broth mixture into the broth in the pot. Stir in the dill, and season with pepper.

KATHERINE POLYZO'S AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Place the chicken soup in a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and simmer.
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, use a wire whisk to beat the egg yolks until frothy. Continue to whisk the egg yolks while drizzling in the fresh lemon juice.
• When the rice is tender, slowly ladle the chicken broth and rice into the egg and lemon mixture, beating constantly until all of the soup has been added to the egg and lemon. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• 1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.
• 2. Add the orzo, rice, or pastina and cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes (20, if using rice). Season with the salt and pepper and reduce heat to low; simmer.
• 3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.
• 4. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture, then whisk to combine.
• 5. Add the mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

AVGOLEMONO SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken, chopped onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and oregano in a large pot. Pour water over the top; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, skimming foam as necessary, until chicken is falling off the bone, 60 to 90 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a bowl to cool, strain all vegetables from simmering broth, discard vegetables, and return broth to the pot. Chop cooked chicken meat.
• Combine 2 cups diced onion, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a large skillet. Cook and stir onion mixture over medium heat until onion is soft, sweet, and golden, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir onion mixture into chicken broth in the pot and set over medium-low heat; add Arborio rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is very tender and broth flavors combine, about 45 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a bowl; whisk in lemon juice. Slowly pour 1 cup broth mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add 1 more cup of broth to egg mixture and whisk. Pour egg mixture into broth in the pot, add chopped chicken, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes more.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• In a stainless steel bowl, whip the egg yolks with a pinch of salt.
• In a separate stainless steel bowl fitted for a double boiler, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until fluffy. Fold the yolks into the whites, blending well.
• Bring a saucepan or the bottom of a double boiler filled with water to a simmer.
• In a small bowl, blend the cornstarch into the lemon juice and whisk into the egg mixture. Put the bowl over the pot of simmering water, whisking constantly. In about 4 minutes, the mixture will lighten in color and the sauce will thicken. Gradually add the reserved cup of hot chicken stock to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking 2 minutes longer, until the avgolemono thickens. Keep warm if necessary in the double boiler, off the heat. Add to the chicken soup right before serving.

EASY AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the lemon juice and whisk until frothy.
• While continuing to whisk, pour half the boiling broth into the eggs in a small stream, whisking vigorously and continually so that the eggs don't cook.
• Return the broth to the flame and pour the tempered eggs into the remaining broth, whisking the whole time. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, but NEVER LET THE SAUCE BOIL. This will take about five minutes.
• Serve immediately. This sauce doesn't reheat well.

YOUVARLAKIA AVGOLEMONO (LEMONY GREEK MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, 1/4 cup dill, onion, carrot, rice, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Gently mix with your hands until well combined.
• Gently form the mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, placing them on a plate or baking pan. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. This helps the meatballs keep their shape while cooking.
• In a large pot, bring stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and use a slotted spoon to carefully add meatballs to the pot. The broth should cover the tops of the meatballs by about 1/2 inch. If not, add a little water. Simmer gently, adjusting the heat so the broth doesn't boil, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender, 25 to 35 minutes. (Break open a meatball to test it.) Remove pot from heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice until just mixed. Slowly add a ladle of warm broth to egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in another two ladles of broth to temper the egg mixture.
• Slowly drizzle the egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the meatballs, stirring gently so you don't break apart the meatballs. Return the pot to medium-low heat until it just starts to simmer. (Wait for a bubble or two to appear, but don't let the pot boil.) The broth should be silky. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 1/2 cup dill. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. (It may need quite a bit of salt if you are starting with unsalted broth.) Garnish with nutmeg, if you like, and dill, and serve.