Best Greek Avgolemono Recipes

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP AKA AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to a bowl. Once cooled, shred the chicken and reserve.
• Add the orzo or rice to the pot with the chicken stock and cook until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and most of the lemon juice, reserving some to add later as needed. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Once combined, ladle in some hot stock to temper the egg mixture, whisking constantly and adding the hot liquid slowly. Very slowly, add the warm whipped egg/lemon mixture into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent any curds or clumps from forming. Continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, whisking, until the soup thickens, about 10 minutes more.
• Add the shredded chicken and any reserved juices to the soup. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add additional lemon juice if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley.

GREEK AVGOLEMONO CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken and remove any organs that may be inside. Place in a pot large enough for the chicken to move around, but not too much room or the broth will be watery. Add the chicken neck if that is included with your chicken. Fill with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming the fat from the top as it collects.
• When the chicken is done, the meat should pull from the bones easily. Transfer the bird to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Add the rice, and season the broth with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes, or until rice is tender.
• Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. Whisk one ladle full of hot broth into the eggs slowly so the eggs do not curdle. Gradually whisk in more broth until the egg mixture is heated. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly. The result should be a creamy, cloudy looking soup. You may season with additional salt, pepper or lemon juice at this point.
• You may add pieces of chicken to the soup before serving or serve soup with salted chicken on the side.

AVGOLEMONO (GREEK EGG AND LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups stock to a boil. Add orzo; cook until al dente, 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
• Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup water. Heat remaining 2 cups stock until hot; do not boil.
• In an electric mixer, beat eggs with whisk until fluffy; add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice. With mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add 1 to 2 cups hot stock until incorporated and mixture thickens slightly. Add any remaining stock to orzo.
• Over low heat, slowly add egg mixture to orzo, stirring constantly until thickened and creamy. Do not let it come to a boil; eggs will curdle. Serve immediately.

GREEK CHICKEN & RICE SOUP WITH EGG & LEMON (AVGOLEMONO) RECIPE - (3.9/5)

Steps:

• If you have homemade chicken broth such as our Classic Chicken Broth, we recommend using it in this recipe, as it gives the soup the best flavor and body. Our preferred commercial chicken broth is Swanson Chicken Stock. Use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of zest from the lemons. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Toss with 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Cut 8-inch square of triple-thickness cheesecloth. Place lemon zest, dill sprigs, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and garlic in center of cheesecloth and tie into bundle with kitchen twine. Bring broth, rice, and spice bundle to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add chicken, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate and discard spice bundle. Using two forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces. Using ladle, transfer 1 cup cooked rice to blender (leave any liquid in pot). Add lemon juice and eggs and yolks to blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Return soup to simmer over high heat. Remove pot from heat and stir in egg mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in chopped dill and season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Serve.

GREEK LEMON AND CHICKEN SOUP (AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add carrot, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring continuously, until vegetables start to soften and turn translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add chicken broth, parsley, and oregano. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add chicken and orzo. Reduce heat to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a heat-safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
• Slowly add a ladle of hot broth to the egg mixture, whisking quickly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Repeat with a few more ladles until the egg mixture is hot and steaming. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk until incorporated.
• Add 1/2 of the lemon zest to the soup; reserve remaining zest for another use. Taste soup; if too lemony, add chicken bouillon. Add hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook until orzo is tender yet firm to the bite, about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

YOUVARLAKIA AVGOLEMONO (GREEK MEATBALL-EGG/LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the meat, minced onion, garlic, rice, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, the mint, oregano, salt and pepper, and 1 egg, slightly beaten.
• Knead for a few minutes, then shape into walnut-sized meatballs and set aside.
• In a soup pot, bring the water or stock to boil and add the meatballs.
• Cook for 20 minutes.
• Add chopped onion, celery, carrot, zucchini and potato. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Lower the heat and gently simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes (until the vegetables are tender), then remove from the heat.
• To prepare avgolemono: beat the two remaining eggs for 2 minutes and whisk in the corn flour.
• While beating all the while, gradually add the lemon juice.
• Then add 1 cup of the hot broth in a slow, steady stream (ladle), beating steadily, until nearly all the hot liquid has been added.
• Add the egg/stock mixture back to the soup pot and heat, being careful not to let it boil, stirring, until thickened.
• Serve hot, garnished with parsley.
• Serve this with feta cheese on the side- goes great with the little meatballs.

AVGOLEMONO WITH ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AND ORZO (GREEK LEMON AND EGG SOUP)

Steps:

• Cook the orzo according to package instructions.
• Cook the shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper in olive oil in a large pot over medium low for 10 min.
• Add the broth and the chicken. Simmer 10 min.
• Remove 1 cup of hot broth in a heat-proof measuring cup.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl. Slowly add the reserved broth, whisking constantly. Stir in lemon juice and then add to the soup.
• Stir in the orzo and chopped herbs.

CHICKEN SOUP (GREEK, WITH AVGOLEMONO - EGG/LEMON SAUCE)

Steps:

• Put chicken, water, parsley, onion and salt in a large pan and bring to a boil.
• Cover pan and let simmer for 45 minutes.
• Remove chicken and parsley, discard parsley.
• Let chicken cool a bit, so you don't burn yourself, and cut into cubes.
• Set aside.
• Add rice, carrot and celery to broth and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add lemon juice to the soup.
• Stir.
• Turn off heat.
• Beat the eggs and cornstarch in a small bowl.
• While whisking, slowly dribble in hot chicken stock- never stop whisking.
• Do this until you have used up a couple of ladlefuls of stock.
• This tempers the eggs so they do not curdle.
• Slowly add egg to the hot soup and give a good stir.
• Add chicken and serve, sprinkled with a bit of pepper (if desired).
• Note: I would just like to point out that the eggs in this soup are not raw - they are cooked by the hot stock. That is what the tempering process is all about (and to make sure the eggs don't curdle :-) ).

YOUVARLAKIA AVGOLEMONO (LEMONY GREEK MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, 1/4 cup dill, onion, carrot, rice, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Gently mix with your hands until well combined.
• Gently form the mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, placing them on a plate or baking pan. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. This helps the meatballs keep their shape while cooking.
• In a large pot, bring stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and use a slotted spoon to carefully add meatballs to the pot. The broth should cover the tops of the meatballs by about 1/2 inch. If not, add a little water. Simmer gently, adjusting the heat so the broth doesn't boil, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender, 25 to 35 minutes. (Break open a meatball to test it.) Remove pot from heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice until just mixed. Slowly add a ladle of warm broth to egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in another two ladles of broth to temper the egg mixture.
• Slowly drizzle the egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the meatballs, stirring gently so you don't break apart the meatballs. Return the pot to medium-low heat until it just starts to simmer. (Wait for a bubble or two to appear, but don't let the pot boil.) The broth should be silky. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 1/2 cup dill. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. (It may need quite a bit of salt if you are starting with unsalted broth.) Garnish with nutmeg, if you like, and dill, and serve.

GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN LEMON RICE SOUP AKA AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl. Once cooled, shred the chicken and reserve.
• Add the rice to the pot with the chicken stock and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
• Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a large bowl. Whisk together the egg yolks and most of the lemon juice in a medium bowl, reserving some juice to add later as needed. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Once combined, ladle in some hot stock to temper the egg mixture, stirring constantly and adding the hot liquid slowly. Add the lemon zest and shredded chicken with any reserved juices to the soup and, very slowly, add the warm whipped egg/lemon mixture. Whisk to incorporate the egg mixture and prevent any curds or clumps from forming. Continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the soup thickens, about 10 minutes more.
• Season with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper and add the remaining lemon juice if necessary. Add most of the parsley. Garnish individual bowls with the remaining parsley.

AVGOLEMONO SOUP (GREEK EGG-LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• Stir the milk and cornstarch together and beat in the egg yolks.
• Set aside.
• Bring the stock to boil in a 4 quart soup pot and add the rice.
• Cook, covered, until the rice is puffy and tender, about 25 min.
• Remove the soup from heat, add milk and egg mixture, stirring carefully.
• Continue to cook for a moment until all thickens.
• Remove from the heat again and add the butter, chopped parsley, lemon juice, and finely grated lemon peel.
• Note: the amount of lemon juice in this recipe has been halved from its original 1 cup amount.
• (An adopted recipe.)

GREEK MEATBALLS IN EGG-LEMON SAUCE: (YOUVARLAKIA ME AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• Combine the ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add an egg and mix well.
• Pour some flour in a shallow pan. With floured hands, shape the meat into walnut-sized balls. Lightly roll the meatballs in the flour and shake off the excess.
• Heat 2 cups of the chicken broth in a Dutch oven, or large pot, until boiling.
• Carefully place the meatballs in a layer on the bottom of the pot. If the broth does not cover the meatballs, add a bit more broth until they are covered.
• Simmer, covered, on low for 45 minutes, adding more broth if there is less than 1 cup remaining.
• To make the sauce, beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl until frothy.
• Slowly whisk in the lemon juice. Ladle one cup of the pot liquid, little by little, into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
• Remove the pot from the heat and add in the lemon/egg mixture, stirring gently.
• Heat over very low heat until sauce thickens and is heated through, making sure the sauce does not boil (which will result in the eggs curdling).

GREEK DOLMADES WITH AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Soak separated leaves in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except juice from lemon and chicken broth. Using clean hand, mix until very well-blended; set aside. Drain leaves in a colander.
• 2. Place the rougher side up and stuffing one leaf at a time, scoop about ½ tbsp. lamb mixture, rolling in the palm of the hand. Place it right at the base of the leaf. If there's a stem, tear it off and discard it. Take one side and fold over the mixture and then fold the other loose end over top; repeat on the other side. Roll up firmly (not too tight or not too loose), folding in if necessary, to the end forming a cylinder shape. Repeat until lamb mixture is gone.
• 3. Cover the bottom of a tall pot with broken leaves. Place dolmades starting from the outside and working our way in (don't squeeze, just snuggle). Stack another layer if needed. Drizzle the dolmades with olive (about 1 ½ tbsp.) and with lemon juice. Place a lid and pour hot chicken broth. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring it until it just starts to simmer and bubbles appear on the outside edge. Turn heat down to medium-low, cover and cook for 1 hour.
• 4. After cooking time is over, remove carefully the lid inside the pot and check if dolmades are cooked when a fork inserted slice in easily. If not, cook for another 10 minutes with the lid of the pot on.
• 5. Use 1 cup of chicken broth from the pot and pour in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat to keep it warm. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Place a damp towel underneath to keep bowl in place. Pour slowly lemon juice whisking constantly and continue whisking until airy and frothy. Very slowly, add hot broth a little at a time, whisking constantly and vigorously. When broth is almost all use, pour the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens.
• 6. Spoon Avgolemono sauce over dolmades and sprinkle parsley over top. Serve immediately. Make 50 dolmades.
• 7. To view this recipe on YouTube, click on this link >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41LAMVyxQDk

AVGOLEMONO - GREEK LEMON & RICE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• To add depth to the store bought chicken broth I add the drippings from the bottom of the rotisserie chicken. The stuff that turns to jelly when refrigerated is the good stuff! I also break a few bones to get the most flavor out in the quickest amount of time. Bring the broth with the rotisserie extras to a boil.
• In a food processor add the two eggs and the juice of your lemons. Blend. * I don't have a juicer so I squeeze my lemons through a small strainer to catch the seeds.
• Now for the "difficult" part. Made easy with your food processor. Slowly add spoonfuls of the broth while blending the egg mixture until the eggs are the same temperature as the broth.
• Now slowly stir the heated up egg mixture back into the main pot of broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Optional - add shredded chicken from rotisserie)
• Place rice in bowls and ladle soup over rice. Add more lemon or pepper to personal taste.
• *Notes* I keep the rice separate because if their are leftovers the rice can get weird if left in the soup overnight.

VEGETARIAN GREEK AVGOLEMONO SOUP

Steps:

• Combine water, leeks, and vegetable base in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add rice. Cook at a simmer, stirring often to make sure rice doesn't stick to the bottom, until rice is tender and cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Beat eggs and 6 tablespoons lemon juice together in a medium bowl until combined. Ladle some hot broth from the pot and pour it slowly into the egg mixture, whisking while pouring. Add one more ladle of broth and whisk to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the soup and stir to combine.
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with dill.

GREEK STUFFED ZUCCHINI (KOLOKITHAKIA YEMISTA AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• Cut zucchini into 1/2s or 1/3s, cored on one end (the other end is left intact) and remove filing carefully with corer so that a not-too-thick wall of zucchini remains to contain the filling, keep 1/2 the zucchini flesh removed from the coring, minced (not the shells- but the actual part of the zucchini that was removed, the other half makes a lovely omelette with a bit of parmesan for another meal!).
• You can prepare your zucchini from the previous day and keep, wrapped, in the refrigerator- this actually makes a lot less work on the day of preparation as it's the coring of the zucchini that takes up the most time.
• Mix the meats, onion, garlic, rice, parsley and zucchini in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stuff this mixture into the opening of the one end of each zucchini piece and make sure the filling goes all the way into the vegetable.
• Level opening neatly so that no filling comes out.
• Layer the filled zucchini pieces in a big pot and add enough boiling water to just cover.
• Put in the stock cubes and the butter and cover.
• Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour (knife tip should slip into a piece easily), and take off heat.
• Carefully remove the zucchini pieces with a slotted spoon and place on a reheatable serving dish.
• Strain the cooking liquid left in the pot to remove any pieces of zucchini or grains of rice that may be floating around.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cornstarch and lemon juice (add the juice of 1 lemon at this point).
• Slowly ladle in (literally the thinnest of streams) your hot cooking liquid, whisking the eggs all the while so they don't curdle.
• Keep doing this till nearly all the cooking liquid has been used and then pour your egg mixture and any cooking liquid left back into the pot and heat on a low flame until the sauce has thickened.
• Taste, if it needs more lemon, add up to 1/2 more.
• This is what is called an'Avgolemono Sauce' (Egg-lemon Sauce)- it is delicious.
• When ready to serve, put 2-3 piping hot pieces of the stuffed zucchini on each plate and nap with the sauce.
• Serve with feta cheese on the side (you won't believe how good a nibble of feta tastes with each bite of this!), good, crusty bread (you want to get all the sauce), and wine.

GREEK MEATBALLS IN AVGOLEMONO SAUCE (KEFTEDES ME AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• Meatballs:.
• Apart from the flour and the vegetable oil, mix all the other ingredients together well.
• Make medium-size balls from the mixture.
• Roll the balls in flour and then deep fry them for approximately 15 minutes.
• Sauce:.
• In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil, then add the flour and stir well for 3 minutes.
• Add 1 litre water and mix well.
• Add the meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thick.
• Beat the egg yolk thoroughly.
• Add the lemon juice to the egg and keep beating.
• Add 5-6 tablespoons of the sauce to the egg & lemon mixture and stir well.
• Add this mixture to the meatballs in the sauce, shake the pan and remove from the heat.
• Serve with a sprinkling of pepper and fresh mint on top.

GREEK MEATBALL SOUP | YOUVARLAKIA AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the meat, rice, onion, parsley, dill, salt & pepper, olive oil and water. Use your hands so everything is well incorporated. If possible, leave the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (this will prevent the meatballs from breaking up when boiled.). Form the mixture into about 30-35 meatballs and set them aside.
• In a small bowl, place the flour and roll each meatball in it, coating each one well.
• In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
• Drop the meatballs gently into the water, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes or until the rice is soft. (The water should be enough to almost cover the meatballs, so add some more hot water if needed.)
• To prepare the egg-lemon base for the meatball soup, put the egg and the egg yolks into a medium bowl and whisk very well until frothy. (For best results, use a hand held mixer or an immersion blender). Add the lemon juice and the cornstarch and whisk again. Start "tempering" the eggs by adding a ladle of hot soup to the bowl while whisking constantly. Add one more ladle and whisk again until combined. Stir in the egg-lemon broth into the soup, mix well and bring to a very gentle simmer, over medium-low heat, for just a minute or so, making sure the soup doesn't come to a boil.
• Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the soup right away with some crusty bread on the side.

GREEK CREAMY LEMON MEATBALLS (AKA AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• 1. a small bowl, add your meatball ingredients. Mix well till rice is incorporated thoroughly with the meat mixture and spices. Using your melon ball scooper. Scoop out meat balls and set on a plate, set aside! When you have finished making your meatballs, in a large non stick skillet, add your olive oil, let heat and add your meatballs.
• 2. Let them brown on one side, turn over... and let them brown on the other side.
• 3. Lower heat to as low as it can go... add your stock (chicken base). Add your water and cover the meatballs thoroughly!! Increase your heat to medium.
• 4. Let the meatballs come to a boil/simmer. Lower the heat to low, cover and time them for approximately 15-18 minutes. Turn off heat when timer is done.
• 5. This is what they will look like when the 18 minutes or so are over... See how perfectly cooked the rice is... love it!!
• 6. Okay, let's get busy with that amazing lemon sauce shall we???? Gather your very simple ingredients! Juice your lemon, separate your egg. How simple can that be??? Now that you have separated your egg white from yolk, I want you take a whisk and beat the living daylights out of the eggwhite... till it's nice and frothy and creamy looking!! I don't want you to make it "meringue", we need it frothy....
• 7. Take about 1/3 cup of the chicken broth from the now cooked meatballs and pour directly into the beaten egg white mixture. Easy right? Now we need to add the lemon into this... beat well with the whisk. Finally add your egg yolk and the pinch of salt. Beat just a smidgen more, like 10 whisks is all I'm saying. What you are doing is literally "tempering" the eggs. In other words, you are introducing a very hot mixture into a "neutral atmosphere". So the mixture will not "curdle" when brought back into the hot.
• 8. Let the meatballs and now creamy lemon mixture come to a full boil. Turn off heat and your ready to serve!! Look at how creamy and low fat this sauce is... and did I mention AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS??? Our favorite way of eating this is over mashed potatoes... so darn good... just DELICIOUS!!!!!

STUFFED ZUCCHINI AVGOLEMONO, GREEK WAY

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the zucchini and cut off the stem end. Carefully cut off a slice from the other end to use later as a cap. With a grapefruit spoon or melon baller hollow out the zucchini and chop the flesh.
• 2. To make the stuffing warm ½ the olive oil in a deep frying pan and toss in the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add the finely chopped flesh of the zucchini and stir fry them for another 2-3 minutes. Finally add the minced meat and let it cook completely - (meat no longer pink). Add the rice, parsley, half of the lemon juice and salt and pepper.
• 3. Stuff the zucchini up to ¾. Do not fill them completely so the stuffing will have room to expand while cooking. Cover with the slice you cut off earlier to use as cap. Arrange them side by side in a deep saucepan and if you want fill in the gaps with the potato wedges. That's a trick I learned when my kids were young and weren't too keen on eating zucchini. So I had to find a way to intrigue them:) The deal was with every potato wedge they had to have half a stuffed zucchini. It worked so well they both love zucchini, any how it's cooked:)
• 4. Sprinkle with the remaining olive oil and add enough water to cover the zucchini just above their middle. Season to taste. Put the lid on, bring to the boil and then simmer over medium heat for about 30min until the rice has cooked and if using potatoes, til those are tender. Turn off the heat (if overcooked, the zucchini will become too soft and the rice sticky).
• 5. To make the Avgolemono (Egg-Lemon) sauce: Whisk the eggs (both whites & yolks) and then add remaining lemon juice, a little at a time, while still whisking. Slowly add a couple of ladlesful warm cooking liquid to the egg mixture. Pour the sauce over the food. Holding the casserole by its handles, shake it gently from side to side. If necessary reheat very slowly without covering or boiling. Serve immediately. Enjoy! Kali Orexi!
• 6. Tip: If you want to thicken the sauce, in a small bowl mix a couple of Tbps of cornstartch with a some water or cooled liquid from the pot. Mix well and add to the pot and then gently shake the post from side to side.