Avgolemono Greek Chicken Lemon Soup Adventure
Juan told us to pick as many ripe lemons as we wanted from his tree in the yard. I gently liberated three. This was an extra kindness since we’d just said that the house wasn’t quite right for us.
Moving from Colorado to Northern California has been wrenching at times, but the fresh lemons represented a silver lining. Amid the delightful food mashups — a taco truck that sells boba tea, curryritos, Indian pizza — we’ve discovered several eateries that offer avgolemono soup.
When prepared well, this Greek chicken and lemon soup is like a cozy sweater.
I have fuzzy childhood memories of my family making avgolemono, possibly for a school event. As an adult, the place down the block where I lived for a while in Astoria served zingy soup that I’d devour with crusty bread and feta cheese on the side. My own attempts to make it mostly fell flat until Guillaume brought his pressure cooker into the mix.
The pressure cooker can turn an epic all-day endeavor into a reasonable weeknight dinner. Together, we incorporated elements of a promising Epicurious recipe I found with his pressure cooker soup experience. We invested in the nicest local whole chicken we could find. The result was rich broth, tender meat, flavorful orzo, and that unmistakable fresh lemon juice tanginess.
The avgolemono soup that restaurants sell out here is alright, but can’t compare to the homemade stuff. This isn’t a knock against the hard-working folks who prepare it — the eggs can separate if left on a low simmer and cornstarch will only do so much so my guess is that they’re eschewing the eggs for something else.
Since I’ve been away from this blog for so long with the move, as soon as we had a functional kitchen set up again, I prepared different kinds of avgolemono soup ranging from a gluten-free vegetarian one with store-bought broth and tender cauliflower to the pressure cooker chicken special.
Digging deep into my memory led me to add a sprinkle of dried oregano and extra ground black pepper to my soup base, which made a surprisingly big difference for the end result. Seasoning can make this soup. Keep using spoons and adjusting the seasoning until the taste makes you go “yum!”
Even though we love our new place in the South Bay, we miss Colorado, especially our resilient community and wonderful friends there. On the bright side, the midcentury gem we found has interesting little architectural details, excellent light, blooming flowers, beautiful trees, a very full kitchen, and space for a potted lemon tree.
Pressure Cooker Avgolemono Soup
Makes 4 generous bowls
1 medium yellow onion
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 stalk fresh celery
1 fresh carrot
3 lb. whole chicken (splurge on a nice one)
8 C. water
⅔ C. uncooked orzo or rice
6 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (okay to have slightly more)
1 tsp. cornstarch
Dried oregano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: 6-quart pressure cooker, grooved carving board, slotted spoon, soup ladle, whisk.
Peel the onion, cut it in half, and chop it into large chunks. Rinse the carrot well and cut into two or three chunks. Rinse the celery and cut into two or three chunks. If the veggies are cut too small, they’ll be harder to remove later. You don’t need to rinse the chicken, but do salt both sides.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the onion chunks and cook for about five minutes or until it’s translucent. Add the carrot and celery, then gently put the chicken in. Pour in the water, being careful not to go over the fill line. Put the lid on, set the pressure to high, and raise the stovetop temperature to high.
Once pressurized, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 20 minutes. You can use the steam valve for quick release OR bring it over to the sink, closed, and run cold water over the top until it depressurizes.
Unlock the lid and carefully remove the chicken to a carving board to rest. Using a slotted spoon or a similar utensil, remove the celery, onion, and carrot pieces from the broth as they are no longer needed.
In a medium glass mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tsp. cornstarch until smooth.
Return the broth to a boil and add the orzo or rice. If using orzo, cook until al dente according to the instructions. For rice, cover with a lid, reduce the temperature to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
While the pasta or rice is cooking, remove the chicken skin, take all meat off the bones, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
After the rice or orzo is cooked, set the stovetop temperature so the broth is at a very low simmer. Using the soup ladle, slowly drizzle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture while whisking constantly to combine. Add this mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat otherwise the eggs can separate.
Gently add chicken to the pot. Season with a light sprinkle of dried oregano. Start by adding 1 teaspoon of salt. Then add salt little by little to taste. Also add finely ground black pepper to taste. This is a crucial step. Use as many spoons as you need to get the seasoning level right. The black pepper and oregano might not look pretty, but they really give this soup excellent flavor.
Ladle into bowls to serve. Goes well with crusty bread and feta cheese.
Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftovers. To serve again, reheat very gently on the stovetop or on medium-low power in the microwave.
Alyssa’s Avgolemono Soup
Adapted from Epicurious
Makes 2 bowls or 4 cups
4 C. chicken or turkey broth
⅓ C. dried orzo
3 egg yolks
3½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cornstarch
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dried oregano
1 – 1½ C. roasted boneless chicken or turkey
Chop the roasted poultry into bite-sized pieces. Add the broth to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes or according to the directions.
While the orzo is cooking, in a small mixing bowl with a spout, whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cornstarch together until smooth.
Once the pasta is done, lower heat to a simmer. Position the mixing bowl next to the soup pan. Using a soup ladle, carefully pour about 1 cup of the hot broth steadily into the cornstarch mixture, whisking as you go to combine them.
Now steadily pour that mixture into the simmering saucepan. Stir with the whisk until the soup thickens slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Take off the heat. Don’t leave soup on the heat or the eggs will separate.
Season to taste: Don’t be shy about adding freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle in a little dried oregano. Add salt little by little until it tastes good. Mix the boneless pieces of roasted poultry into the soup so they warm through.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Goes well with crusty bread and feta cheese.
Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftovers. To serve again, reheat very gently on the stovetop or on medium-low power in the microwave.
Vegetarian Gluten-Free Avgolemono Soup
Adapted from Epicurious and Rena Salaman’s “The Greek Cook”
Makes 2 bowls or 4 cups
4 C. vegetable broth
⅓ C. jasmine rice
3 egg yolks
3½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cornstarch
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dried oregano
1 medium head cauliflower
5 – 6 Tbsp. olive oil
Hot water
Trim the cauliflower and cut it into large florets. Boil approximately 3 cups of water. Add 5 to 6 tablespoons of olive oil to a lidded large saucepan or high-sided skillet. Heat to medium. Add the cauliflower florets and sauté them until they begin to get slightly browned on most sides, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Carefully pour in enough hot water to mostly cover the florets, sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the top, and cover with a lid. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the florets are fork tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cauliflower to a bowl. Taste and sprinkle with a little more salt if needed. Grind some black pepper over them.
Put the broth in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the rice, put the heat on low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, in a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cornstarch together until smooth.
Once the rice is done, keep the temperature on low. Position the mixing bowl next to the soup pan. Using a soup ladle, slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot broth into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
Pour the egg-broth mixture into the simmering saucepan. Stir with the whisk until the soup thickens slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Take the soup off the heat for the next steps, otherwise the eggs can separate.
Season the soup to taste: Add a sprinkle of dried oregano, add salt little by little until it tastes good, and don’t be shy about the finely ground black pepper. Keep trying as you go.
Put a serving of cauliflower into each bowl and then ladle the soup on top to serve.
Leftovers: Store the cauliflower separately from the avgolemono in the refrigerator. To serve again, add the cauliflower to the soup and reheat it very gently on the stovetop or on medium-low power in the microwave.
