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matty matheson’s Avgolemono – Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Avgolemono is a traditional Greek soup with a silky, lemony, rich broth. It’s made using a handful of simple ingredients that you may have in your pantry in fridge. All you need to make this comforting and easy soup is chicken breast (or thighs), carrots, celery, lemon, eggs, dill, chicken stock, orzo and a bay leaf. It’s that simple! This soup can be easily made in 30 minutes. It’s a hearty and low effort soup which is perfect to make during the cold winter months. I’ve always wanted to try this soup and I’m so glad I saw the recipe in Matty Matheson’s cookbook, Soups, Salads and Sandwiches. This is the recipe from his cookbook, and it was everything you could want in a soup. It’s lemony, bright and hearty from the shredded chicken and orzo pasta. He calls for chicken breast in his recipe but all I had in my freezer was chicken thighs and they worked great! I think using either would be great. I liked using the thighs because they were very tender. Everyone in my house loved this soup and I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks, Matty!

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matty matheson’s Avgolemono – Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 boneless chicken thighs (or two chicken breasts)
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1 cup orzo pasta (or anci de pepe)
• 2 eggs
• Juice of two lemons
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped + more for serving

Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once the pot is hot, add onions, celery, carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender and translucent. This should take 5-10 minutes.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken thighs, bay leaf and chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium. Skim off any chicken scum. Cover with a lid and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. This should take 2o minutes. Remove the cooked chicken and shred with a fork.
3. While the chicken cooks, cook the orzo or small pasta in a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente. Drain the pasta (leave a small amount of pasta water so that the pasta doesn’t stick together. Leave roughly 4-5 tbsp worth). Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and lemon juice. While whisking, slowly pour in 1 cup of hot broth. This step will temper the eggs and will ensure that they don’t curdle. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
5. Return the shredded chicken back to the pot and the cooked orzo. Slowly pour in the egg and lemon mixture, stirring continuously.
6. Heat the soup on low for a few minutes. Keep on low heat to prevent curdling. Stir in the dill. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7. Serve and garnish with fresh dill.