Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

Step 1

Place the chicken in a large pot with the peppercorn, onion, garlic, celery and salt. Add 8 cups of water to the chicken and cover with the lid. Turn the heat on to medium high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the chicken for about 40 minutes until it's fully cooked. Turn the heat off.

Step 2

Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool completely then shred it. Discard the peppercorn, onion, garlic and celery so the broth is clear.

Step 3

Turn the heat on to medium high and add the carrots and rice to the broth. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice and carrots are cooked completely. If the soup is too thick, add 1 cup water. Turn the heat off.

Step 4

In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the lemon juice until combined. Slowly add 2 cups of the soup to the egg mixture and whisk constantly to temper the eggs. Then again, slowly add the tempered eggs back into the pot while stirring the soup.

Step 5

Once all the tempered eggs are added to the soup, turn the heat on to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the shredded chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.

Step 6

Serve warm topped with parsley if desired.