As I type this, the world outside our windows is covered in snow. Our little garden is barely visible, and the sun is finally breaking through the clouds, revealing a sparkling white landscape. Even I, who have been constantly complaining about the snow, have to admit that it is beautiful.
In my kitchen, the mood is completed by the smell of a whole chicken simmering with aromatics in our slow cooker.
Yes, you read that right. Chicken. I, the almost vegetarian, the lover of plant based food, also happen to deeply love something else: chicken broth. I often say that I could easily be a vegetarian if it didn’t mean giving up chicken broth. Chicken broth, to me, is one of the most comforting foods. The smell of it cooking immediately takes me back to winter days growing up when my mom would use chicken parts or a whole chicken to make soup. It is synonymous with nourishment in my mind. When I was pregnant with my boys and experiencing horrible nausea at work, it was one of the only things that got me through the morning. It is, in other words, a near perfect food.
In the winter, I eat a lot of chicken broth based soups. It is one of the only non-vegetarian meals I eat regularly. And this fall and winter, my family and I have been obsessed with the soup Avgolemono.
Avgolemono (which means egg-lemon) can be used to describe many dishes from various cultures that involve an egg and lemon incorporated into chicken broth, but in America it is usually served at Greek restaurants as a lemony chicken based soup that is cooked with either white rice or orzo. I have tried the recipe with both rice and orzo (and even once with acini di pepe), and I can say that each one is a little different but equally delicious.
What makes this soup so special is the addition of the eggs. The egg and lemon sauce makes it rich and almost creamy. The lemon adds a brightness and acidity. Everything about this soup screams comfort.
You can use store bought chicken broth, but in my opinion homemade chicken broth is key for this dish. My recipe includes a quick explanation of how I make mine.
When learning how to make this soup, I consulted many different recipes both online and in cookbooks, but I will give a shout-out to America’s Test Kitchen for the idea of using lemon zest strips in the soup, along with the juice. The technique is brilliant.
Chicken Broth
First let’s talk about making chicken broth. Hands down the best way to make it is on the stove with either a whole chicken or chicken parts (wings and thighs are best), and various aromatics and veggies. However, since becoming a mom, I simply don’t have the time to make stovetop broth. But thankfully the slow cooker also makes an excellent broth, and there’s the added benefit of being able to turn it on, walk away, and basically forget about it. So these days I nearly always use my slow cooker.
When making a soup like this, I use a whole chicken, that way I have the meat for the soup. I remove the breast meat once it’s cooked (usually after about 3 hours or so). You don’t have to remove the breast meat early, but when it gets overcooked, it gets kind of mushy. I remove it early before it crosses the line from tender to mush.
As for what to put in the slow cooker, here’s my basic method: place the chicken in the slow cooker. Add at least two onions, which have been halved or quartered (but leave the peels on). Add a head of garlic, or as many cloves as you can spare (peels too). Add one or two carrots, a celery stalk plus leaves, a couple of bay leaves, about ten peppercorns, and two large pinches of salt. You can add other herbs, such as parsley, as well. (This is a great way to use parsley stems). Then add as much water as you can fit in the pot without it boiling over. For me this is usually 8 to 9 cups. I like to start mine at high and turn it down to low after a couple hours, but if you’re going to be away, just setting it on low is fine. Cook 6 to 8 hours. When done, remove any meat that you want to use, and strain the broth. If you’re not using it immediately, you can refrigerate it for a few days or it freezes very well.
We love this soup with either rice or orzo. I honestly can’t pick between the two. If you’re using rice, let it overcook a little until the soup is nice and thick. You can purée the rice a little with an immersion blender (after you remove the lemon zest strips) to make it even creamier. If you’re using orzo, the soup won’t thicken as much, so if you like a brothy soup, this is a great option. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add a small pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Next add the lemon peels and 8 cups of the broth. Turn up the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice or orzo, turn the heat down so it gently simmers, and partially cover. The orzo will cook in about 10 minutes and the rice in about 15 to 20. Add the shredded chicken while the rice/orzo cooks. When the rice/orzo is about done, carefully remove the lemon zest strips, and taste the soup to see if it needs more salt. Add a handful of parsley. If the soup is thicker than you want, add a little more broth. In a small heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yoke together. Add the lemon juice and whisk again. Now this next step is important. You must temper the eggs before adding them to the soup, otherwise you will end up with ribbons of eggs in your soup. To temper the eggs, carefully take a ladle of broth and pour it slowly into the eggs while whisking. Repeat with a second ladle of broth, still constantly whisking. This will create your egg and lemon sauce. Pour the egg sauce into your soup and stir it in and then immediately remove the soup from the heat. You don’t want to continue to boil the soup at this point, otherwise the eggs will separate. Taste the soup and add more lemon, if you wish. Serve the soup immediately. To make the lemon zest strips, use a vegetable peeler and carefully peel long strips of zest from a lemon. Try to just get the yellow zest and not the white part.
I love the depth that they add to the soup, but unless you have a small cheesecloth bag (I don’t), you have to pick them out one by one. I always count them and make sure I know how many are in there, but more often than not I still have a “oh hey, there’s another one!” moment when dishing up the soup.
This soup is excellent leftover. It will thicken overnight, but if you reheat it slowly, and add a little broth if necessary, it will thin out.
Avgolemono
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