Step 1

Add the water, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and salt to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the chicken, and reduce the heat to medium. The water should be at a hard simmer. Cover the pot halfway with a lid and let the soup cook for 40 minutes.

Step 2

After 40 minutes, remove and transfer the chicken on a plate or cutting board. Using forks or tongs, shred the chicken. Keep the shredded chicken aside.

Step 3

Now, transfer the cooked veggies with one full ladle of broth to a blender. Blend the veggies until smooth and return the mixture to the pot of broth.

Step 4

Add the washed rice (or orzo) to the pot of broth and blended veggies. Adjust the heat to medium-high and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Taste for doneness and remove the soup from the heat.

Step 5

Meanwhile, make the "avgolemono" which is the egg-lemon sauce. In a bowl, add the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice and whisk to blend.

Step 6

Slowly add in some of the broth from your soup pot and whisk vigorously. This step is called tempering, which prevents the eggs from breaking and/or overcooking in the soup.

Step 7

Add the egg mixture into the soup pot (off the heat) with the shredded chicken, freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!

Step 8

Note: When reheating the soup please heat on medium-low as you stir so you don’t break the egg.