Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Soup)

Step 1

SAUTE: Add the butter to a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the water, chicken, bouillon cubes, and bay leaf.

Step 2

SIMMER: When the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium so that it maintains a simmer. If any white foam forms at the top, use a slotted spoon to skim and discard. Allow the chicken to cook all the way through, about 20-30 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer for doneness, remove chicken to a plate.

Step 3

BLEND: Transfer softened carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to a blender. Add 1 cup of chicken stock from the pot; set aside for now. Make sure the soup is simmering on the stove, stir in the rice, and set a timer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, blend the soup in the blender, with a towel on the lid until smooth. If you use a high-power blender, you don’t have to strain this. For a conventional blender, I suggest straining. Pour this into the soup pot as the rice cooks.

Step 4

SHRED: Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it using two forks.

Step 5

SOUP: When there are 3 minutes remaining on the soup timer, whisk the eggs in a bowl. Stream lemon juice into the eggs as you whisk. Grab ⅔ cup of chicken stock from the pot and stream that into the egg mixture as you continue to whisk. When the timer goes off, slowly stream the egg-lemon mixture into the soup pot while you whisk the soup to combine. Add the shredded chicken to the soup. Heat the soup for 2-3 minutes but make sure it does not boil. Discard bay leaf. Serve in bowls sprinkled with dill or parsley.