Description
A bright and creamy Greek‑inspired chicken lemon rice soup featuring tender chicken, fluffy rice, and a silky egg‑lemon broth. Comforting, fresh, and easy to make — perfect for lunch or dinner when you want warmth and flavor in one bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken broth (low‑sodium preferred)
- 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (from rotisserie chicken or pre‑cooked breast/thigh)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup uncooked white rice (long‑grain or short‑grain) — rinsed and drained
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- Juice of 1–2 lemons (about 3–4 tbsp), plus extra lemon wedges for serving
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh herbs for garnish (optional) such as parsley or dill
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Add the rinsed uncooked rice. Cover partially, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until rice is tender, about 15–20 minutes (or according to rice package instructions).
- If you’re using raw chicken instead of pre‑cooked, you can add it early so it cooks with the rice; if pre‑cooked, add it in the last 5 minutes to heat through.
- While the rice cooks, in a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth. This mixture is key to making the soup creamy without dairy — the classic “avgolemono” technique.
- Once the rice is cooked and the pot is removed from heat (very important!), slowly ladle about 1 cup of hot broth into the egg‑lemon mixture while whisking constantly — this tempers the eggs so they don’t curdle.
- Slowly pour the tempered egg‑lemon mixture back into the pot, stirring gently but thoroughly. The soup will thicken and become silky. Do not bring the soup back to a boil after this point — keep it on low heat.
- Stir in the shredded chicken if not yet added. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or extra lemon juice if needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley or dill and extra lemon wedges on the side.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup / Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek / Mediterranean-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1/4 of soup)
- Calories: 300 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg