Egg-lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono Kota Soupa)

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This is the Greek version of chicken soup for the soul. The word "avgolemono" comes from the Greek words avgo (egg) and lemono (lemon). The broth is made from a whole chicken and it also, may  include shredded chicken.  You could call it Kota (chicken) Avgolemono (egg-lemon) με (with) Ryzi (rice) Soúpa (soup). So many words -  just call it Avgolemono soup. If you look at cookbooks or on-line, you will see many different versions of recipes for the avgolemono portion. The original Grecian Festival by the Sea has recipes avgolemono sauce recipes with 2 whole eggs, 3 whole eggs, separating the egg whites from the egg yolks and beating the egg white separately before mixing with beaten egg yolks or even using 4 whole eggs placed in a blender (my sister's version). One person I spoke to only uses egg yolks. It's your choice. The one thing I learned is that you need to pay attention to is the tempering process when you are pouring hot broth into the eggs/lemon mixture. It must be done slowly with constant whisking. (you don't want scrambled eggs) Usually, put about 1/4 cup or 1 ladle of hot broth/lemon egg mixture at a time. Whisk, whisk, whisk and add more after a few minutes. 

Personally, I prefer using whole eggs or separating and thoroughly whisking the egg whites before mixing with egg yolks/broth.

Egg-lemon Chicken Soup

(Avgolemono Kota Soupa)

This is the Greek version of chicken (kota) soup for the soul made with eggs (avgo) and lemon (lemono) juice. Inspired by the ancient Greeks who believed that lemon juice increased health and vitality. Please read all sections of this two-page recipe for ingredient list the different sections of the recipe. Then check out the tips at the end of the recipe for time-saving tips that maintain the essence of this quintessential Greek dish. Suggestions are included on how to turn this recipe into 3 different and unique meals.

Cook: 1 – 2 hours		Prep: 10 minutes		Serves: 4-6
	1 whole chicken, 4-6 pounds 1 tablespoon Greek sea salt		2 garlic cloves, smashed 2 dried bay leaves
	1-2 medium carrots, chopped 1 medium onion, cut into 8ths		1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1 cup white rice or orzo*
	1-2 stalks of celery, chopped		1 teaspoon Greek sea salt

Rub 1 tablespoon sea salt over chicken and place chicken in large dutch oven (7-8 quarts) with vegetables, garlic, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Slightly cover chicken with water and bring to a boil. Cover dutch oven and bring to a boil. Once boiling bring temperature down to medium-low and simmer for 1-2 hours until chicken is tender. Once chicken is cooked, skim off any impurities or white foam from the top of stock. Remove and shred chicken. Set aside chicken to be included in final soup stock with cooked rice. Remove and discard onions and bay leaves from stock. Drain stock into a separate bowl with carrots, celery remaining in strainer. Set aside carrots and celery to include with broth later. Reserve 2 cups of chicken stock to make avgolemono sauce. Add rice or orzo* with one teaspoon salt to remaining stock (minus the 2 cups of reserved stock) and cook per package directions. Once rice is done, add chicken and simmer while making egg-lemon sauce to fold into soup stock. See next page for sauce and final steps.

 

*Risoni kritharáki is the Greek version of orzo available in the Misko brand.

 

 

Sauce

 

2 cups hot chicken stock 4 egg yolks, room temperature	2 medium-lemons, juiced & room temperature

Pour 2 cups of the reserved stock into a medium saucepan and heat until stock is hot (about 135⁰F). In a medium size bowl, beat eggs yolks until white and frothy, for a couple of minutes. Slowly fold in lemon juice. Temper** the eggs by slowly pouring about ¼ cup of hot stock at a time into the bowl with eggs and lemon juice while whisking vigorously for a few minutes before adding another ¼ cup of hot stock; continue until all stock is added.

 

Final Steps

 

Slowly add stock-egg-lemon sauce back into broth with vegetables, cooked rice or orzo and shredded chicken. Keep whisking until soup thickens, 4-5 minutes.  Salt to taste. Serve while hot.

 

** Tempering the eggs is a process by slowly adding ¼ cup of broth to warm the eggs so they will not curdle when added back to the broth.

 

Short-cut tips

1. Avgolemono is a fun dish to serve company. I like Ina Garten's philosophy when preparing for a dinner party. Make as much as possible in advance. One of my old college roommates would always be so prepared, she would sit and have glass of wine an hour in advance of her guests arrival. In addition to being an excellent cook, she knows how to pronounce avgolemono.
2. I like pressure cooking a whole defrosted chicken in my Ninja Foodie on high for 30 minutes. Even a frozen chicken can be pressure cooked in the Ninja Foodie. I then have healthy stock ready for soup.  
3. Directions for pressure cooking a whole chicken:

• Remove giblets packet and set aside
• Season chicken with salt/pepper inside and out. 
• Place chicken in food processor. I use an 8 quart Ninja Foodie.
• Add about 6 cups of water with aromatics (1 onion cut in quarters,  2 celery stalks and 2 carrots, chopped,1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (to tenderize the meat and extract more nutrients from the bone) and 2 bay leaves.
• It is not necessary to add salt to the water for making the broth. My Mom believed people can salt soup too taste.
• Pressure cook on high a whole  chicken for 30 minutes followed by a full slow release.
• Any brand pressure cooker will do. Even my mom's 1950's pressure cooker, but I can't recommend it because I found it quite to use scary to use. 
• Remove and shred chicken for the broth. Since chicken's are now about 4-5 pounds versus the smaller chickens used in the original version of this cookbook (please see notes below), I will prepare the chicken broth the day before making the soup and use the chicken for tacos one night. I add the pressure cooked onions to the stove top bell peppers that I sauté for the tacos. If I have any soup left over, I either freeze it or stuff peppers or large tomatoes and bake them in the oven. I can get 3 days of dinners with one chicken, of course, depending on how many are eating.
• Learned that putting the 2 cups of broth in the microwave for  about 2 minutes is about 135 degrees.

 

1950's Scary Pressure Cooker

An example of 2025 Pressure Cooker which even I can use

Picture of a Chicken Covered with Onions, Carrots and Celery, Garlic, Bay Leaves and Apple Cider Vinegar in a Pressure Cooker Covered with Water Ready for the Pressure Cooker

You may use use store bought  chicken broth and add rotisserie chicken. Sometimes, I even make the rice in advance with a rice cooker along with shredding the pressurized chicken. 

A note of caution. After straining the broth of the vegetable, don't forget to put a bowl beneath the strainer. The first time I made the broth, I strained it right down the sink. Believe it or not, others told me they did that the first time they made broth. Maybe, they were just trying to make me feel better. 

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More Notes:

The FDA recommends to not wash the chicken in advance because of potentially spreading bacteria. Proper cooking/boiling chicken broth will kill the the bacteria.

Stewing chickens are mentioned in the first cookbook Grecian Festival by the Sea, 1991 version. Until I read Ruth Reichel book My Kitchen Year recipe for, guess what, avgolemono soup that I understood better why it is a good idea to use a stewing chicken. She mentions that they are older, usually 2 years old, free-range laying hens and are the "secret to deeply flavored stock". I'm still looking for them!!!!

Smaller 3 pound chickens, as recommended in the 1991 version of this cookbook, are, also, hard to find.  They are now usually bigger at 4-6 pounds. Costco does sell 3 pound rotisserie chickens which could be used to make avgolemono soup with pre-made broth or store bought broth. But, I have say, I now love home-made broth versus store-bought and make it when I have the time.

Question: Do you know the difference between stock and broth? I didn't. I have always known they are different, but never knew why. Stock is made with bones and simmered longer for a richer, thicker liquid; whereas, broth is made from meat and simmered for a shorter time making for a thinner, more flavorful liquid. Since this recipe uses a whole chicken including the meat and the bones, I guess it could be considered stock.  

How to turn this recipe into 3 different and unique meals for 2:

Day 1: Since I prepare the chicken a day in advance, I often use some of the chicken to make chicken tacos.

Day 2: I make avgolemono soup

Day 3: I stuff and bake bell peppers or large tomatoes with left soup and then bake them.