Ah, the tang of lemon in a creamy soup…one of those surprisingly invigorating tastes that lingers in your mind until the next time you are blessed to have this dish. There are many versions out there; some good, some not so good and some that you always wish you could recreate. I was introduced to this soup about 14 years ago and it became an instant favorite. I remember going to a couple greek restaurants and ordering it with such excitement for the culinary delights to come. Then when putting my spoon into the bowl and excitedly bringing to my lips, my excitement changed into “BLEH”! These soups lacked lemon, the creaminess of the egg yolks folded in properly, the flavor – of well, anything. Hence my quest to find the perfect avgolemono for my family. And maybe this strays rather far from the original recipes intention, but you won’t be sorry once you start making it at home as well.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp crushed/diced garlic
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup orzo pasta
• 4 egg yolks

Instructions

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, add about 1/2 T of olive oil.
• Once oil is hot, add the garlic. Cook for about a minute.
• Then add the onion. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
• Add the chicken. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

• Add the chicken broth, carrots, orzo, pepper and lemon juice.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the orzo and carrots are tender.

• Remove 1/2 cup of soup and gradually pour into the egg yolks. Whisk.
• Stir back into soup.

• Heat soup thoroughly but do not let boil so the eggs to do solidify.
• Serve.

Ideas

• Chicken – like so many of my recipes, you can cook the chicken yourself, get it from a can or cut pieces from a rotisserie chicken to make this. Whichever is easiest for you.
• Carrots – are tricky. If you just cook them normally they’ll probably still be quite crunchy when everything else is ready. Stick your carrot(s) in the microwave for about 1 minute before cutting up.
• Lemon slices – Feel free to garnish with lemon slices.
• Serving – this goes great with pita bread, french bread or crackers. Make a meal out of it, or just have a small appetizer sized bowl.