Chicken Soup For Your Mediterranean (at ❤️) Soul🍋🐓🍲
There is not one thing I don’t like that features lemons 🍋 as a key ingredient. This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono) with Artichokes is another version of a very popular chicken soup. This one (obvi) comes from Greece. Is there any culture that doesn’t have its own version of delicious and healing chicken soup? I guess where ever there are grandmas 👵🏻, there’s going to be a regional variation of chicken soup 🍲 . I’m on the road (not literally) to Greece 🇬🇷 , to share yet another version of one of my favorite go-to soup recipes.
Avgolemono gets it’s creamy and velvety texture from the addition of eggs 🥚 while it’s cooking. The traditional version is made with orzo or rice and lemon and eggs. The addition of chicken and in my recipe, the addition of artichokes is where everyone gets to be creative. I just can’t resist adding artichokes to a creamy lemony soup. Wanna give it a try? Here’s the easy how-to!
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono) with Artichokes and Dill
This recipe uses canned artichoke bottoms. If you buy good quality, they are very good in this soup. Keep in mind, nothing beats fresh. If you prefer to use fresh artichokes, just clean the chokes by cutting the artichokes in half. Remove all the leaves and the fuzzy part of the choke with a paring knife. Cut into quarters and then add the to the broth at the start to cook through. If you use canned, they can be chopped and added at the end.
Into a large stockpot, add 14 cups (just a bit less than 4 quarts) of low sodium chicken stock to a simmer. Next, add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let the chicken cook until it’s fully cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken from the stock to a platter or bowl and set the chicken aside to cool.
One the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat with a fork. Set aside.
Add 1 cup of orzo or rice to the simmering chicken stock and continue to cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
How to add the eggs and lemon for creamy and velvety soup
In a medium-sized bowl, crack 3 large eggs. Whisk the eggs well. Add 1 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the eggs and continue to whisk to combine. Once they are well combined, temper the eggs by adding a ladle full of the chicken stock to the egg and lemon mixture very slowly, whisking as you add the broth. Next, slowly add the tempered egg mixture to the pot, whisking constantly. You want to be sure that the eggs are completely combining with the liquid and none of the egg is clumping. This is easily achieved if you have tempered the liquid, then continue to whisk as you mix the egg into the hot liquid.
Simmer, Season and Serve
Continue to let the soup simmer, about 10-15 minutes. The egg mixture will act as a thickener.
Add the shredded chicken and any of the juices to the soup. Add most of the chopped dill, reserving some for garnish.
Test for seasoning and adjust if necessary with more salt and pepper. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and mix to combine.
Serve the soup hot with garnish of fresh dill.
Enjoy!
Notes
If you are using fresh artichokes, they need to cook for at least 30 minutes in the hot broth. Add them when you heat the stock rather than with the canned, they are added, chopped at the end.
Ingredients
- 14 cups low-sodium chicken stock (almost 4 quarts)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup orzo or rice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill weed, chopped
- 1 can good quality artichoke hearts, chopped or sliced (or substitute 4 fresh artichokes, cleaned and only hearts reserved)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
Garnish: Fresh dill sprigs
Instructions
- Into a large stockpot, add 14 cups of low sodium chicken stock to a simmer.
- Add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let the chicken cook until it's fully cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the stock to a platter or bowl and set the chicken aside to cool.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat with a fork.
- Set aside.
- Add 1 cup of orzo or rice to the simmering chicken stock and continue to cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
- In a medium sized bowl, crack 3 large eggs.
- Whisk the eggs well.
- Add 1 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the eggs and continue to whisk to combine.
- Once they are well combined, temper the eggs by adding a ladle full of the chicken stock to the egg and lemon mixture very slowly, whisking as you add the broth.
- Next, slowly add the tempered egg mixture to the pot, whisking constantly. You want to be sure that the eggs are completely combining with the liquid and none of the egg is clumping. This is easily achieved if you have tempered the liquid, then continue to whisk as you mix the egg into the hot liquid.
- Continue to let the soup simmer, about 10-15 minute to allow the eggs time to thicken the soup.
- Add the shredded chicken and any of the juices to the soup.
- Add most of the chopped dill, reserving some for garnish.
- Test for seasoning and adjust if necessary with more salt and pepper.
- Add the chopped artichoke hearts and mix to combine.
- Serve the soup hot and garnish of fresh dill.
- Enjoy!
