Avgolemono soup (Greek lemon hen soup)

Avgolemono soup is a tasty conventional Greek soup made with hen broth flavored and thickened with a lemon-egg combination. The lemony undertone offers it a beautiful brilliant taste, whereas the hen and rice make it hearty and comforting. Perfect for a chilly day.

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I’ve numerous recollections of having fun with soup on a chilly day as a toddler, and it is one thing I fall again on as an grownup as wll. There’s one thing significantly comforting a few cozy bowlful to heat you thru and fill you up.

We love a broad vary of soups in our home, whether or not ones I grew up with like cock-a-leekie soup (hen and leek) and broccoli and Stilton soup or others we have adopted, like quick rib udon and chorba frik (lamb and freekeh soup).

This Greek avgolemono soup is one I really like on a cold day, although the recent flavors imply it matches in just about any time. It’s straightforward to make, will be accelerated as effectively, and wishes solely a handful of substances for a bowl of tastiness.

What does avgolemono imply?

Avgolemono actually means egg-lemon in Greek – “avgo” is egg and “lemoni” is lemon. While egg and lemon give avgolemono it is identify, the opposite key ingredient is heat broth or inventory that helps convey all the pieces collectively. The three mixed give a splendidly silky easy texture and tangy taste.

While avgolemono is usually thought of Greek, it is origins are literally from Sephardic Jews. It’s usually traced again to Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish inquisition within the fifteenth century who introduced “agristada” with them. It has since been adoped and grow to be effectively cherished in each Greece and elsewhere within the area.

Technically, avgolemono is a sauce or thickener that you should utilize in a variety of the way, resembling over roast greens, dolmades, fish or stuffed cabbage leaves. But it’s most likely greatest identified utilized in soups.

For folks exterior of Greece, if you consider avgolemono you most likely imply this kotosoupa avgolemono, Greek lemon hen soup. The avgolemono is added into the soup, giving it each a beautiful taste and easy texture. It’s virtually creamy, although you do not add any dairy.

Ingredients in Greek lemon hen soup

This soup makes use of only a handful of substances:

• Egg – the opposite key a part of the avgolemono, it helps make the graceful texture and gently thickens the soup barely.
• Chicken broth/inventory – that is the bottom and most important part of the soup so it is price ensuring it is a good one.
• Chicken – this provides a little bit of bulk in addition to taste. See under on choices for getting ready each the hen and inventory.
• Rice – this additionally provides bulk and texture to the soup and helps make it a heartier bowlful. A starchier rice like arborio is extra typical, however you should utilize different sorts as you’ve gotten.
• Lemon – it would not be avgolemono with out it! Please use recent lemon juice for this relatively than bottled, you actually need that recent taste.

The conventional from scratch technique

The most conventional approach to make this begins with uncooked hen on the bone. This helps you to each cook dinner the hen and make a tasty inventory on the identical time. I like to recommend hen drumsticks or bone in thighs as they permit for a bit longer cooking to get a properly flavorful inventory with out overcooking the hen itself.

To add extra taste to the inventory, add in some carrot and onion. These are traditional aromatics if you make any home made inventory. If you want, relatively than utilizing entire chunks of greens, you should utilize scraps from cooking different issues – simply hold the skins and ends over the course of some days prepared so as to add in.

Once the hen has cooked, take away the hen from the bone and shred it up. Set this apart for later when you make the remainder of the soup. You can put together the inventory and cooked hen forward of time, if that fits your timeline higher. Store each individually within the fridge till wanted for the soup.

The accelerated technique

If you do not fairly have time to start out from scratch, it’s also possible to cheat a bit and use both leftover cooked hen or rotisserie hen and prepared made hen inventory. Ideally, I might nonetheless suggest home made if in any respect attainable but when not, retailer purchased model can even work.

You can use hen breast or thigh meat as you’ve gotten and like. I have a tendency to search out thigh meat juicier, however breast meat shred a bit extra simply. But since each will likely be blended in with the soup, it does not make an enormous quantity of distinction.

Whether you begin from scratch or not, the subsequent half is identical. Warm the inventory and cook dinner the rice in it, then add in shredded hen. You may add it after the lemon-egg combination if you happen to choose – because it’s already cooked, you simply have to heat it by way of.

How to maintain avgolemono from separating

Adding a lemon and egg combination to heat liquid comes with a slight threat of separation. If you do not get it fairly proper, you possibly can find yourself with streaks of egg that is curdled-looking and lumpy, relatively than the graceful texture you are searching for.

The excellent news is it is simple to keep away from separation. The key step is tempering, which suggests including the nice and cozy liquid (on this case broth) little by little to step by step convey up the temperature.

Secondly, as you add the broth, make sure you whisk always to ensure the broth and lemon-egg combination mix rapidly and evenly. Once you’ve gotten the egg combination gently heat from having added a number of spoonfuls of inventory, you possibly can add it to the principle soup.

Ways to adapt this soup

As with many conventional recipes, you’ll find a number of variations. For instance, you can also make the avgolemono in a number of other ways. Some use entire eggs, others use simply the yolks. Some separate the eggs as a way to beat the egg whites individually and add them on the finish so they’re extra of a foamy texture.

Here I’ve gone with entire eggs. This saves having leftover whites and personally I choose the graceful, absolutely included texture relatively than including the whites individually.

While I’ve used rice right here, it’s also possible to make this with orzo or different small pasta resembling pastina. I imagine it is extra typical to easily have the rice/pasta and hen within the lemony broth combination, however some additionally add in some greens, particularly carrot.

In some instances, that is as a lot out of being frugal as something. Since you usually add carrot as you make the inventory, you possibly can minimize it up and add it to the soup. But it additionally provides an additional pop of shade and taste. I have never added right here, as I prefer it a bit extra easy, however be at liberty so as to add if you happen to like.

You usually add some slices of lemon and a bit dill on high, as I’ve right here, so as to add a recent end to the soup. Instead of dill, it’s also possible to add a bit recent parsley for a barely totally different, however equally recent herby taste. But even with none garnish, this has loads deliciousness.

Can avgolemono soup be reheated?

Yes, you possibly can re-heat this soup however simply be sure you warmth it gently relatively than boiling it. The egg combination is not going to separate when it’s cooled and reheated, however it’s nonetheless extra heat-sensitive than a easy broth.

Avgolemono soup is a extremely easy however scrumptious mixture of warming consolation meals with a bit little bit of Mediterranean brightness from the lemon. Smooth, satisfying, and a bowlful that is excellent whether or not you want one thing warming, to struggle off a chilly or simply to take pleasure in some tasty flavors.

Try these different warming soups from all over the world:

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This put up was initially shared in January 2018 and has been up to date, primarily with extra data and new images.

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