This Greek lemon chicken orzo soup is creamy and flavorful, made Greek-style with a homemade avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce). The fresh, zesty lemon provides a vibrant, tangy kick to wholesome ingredients. Thick and comforting, yet light and not too heavy, this quick version comes together in just 30 minutes—making it the ideal tasty weeknight dinner.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 cups (2.4L) chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup (210g) dry orzo
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup (118ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- Fresh herbs, chopped (optional, for garnish – parsley, dill, or chives)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice the onion and carrot into small pieces, and mince the garlic. Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Sauté the diced onion and carrot for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add the bay leaves. Bring the broth to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, add the cooked chicken, orzo, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the orzo is tender. Remove the pot from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. Slowly add 2 ladle-fulls of the hot broth from the pot into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. This step will temper the eggs and create the avgolemono sauce. (Adding the broth too quickly can cause the eggs to scramble.)
- Pour the tempered avgolemono sauce back into the soup pot and stir to combine.
- Serve the soup and optionally garnish with fresh, chopped herbs.
NOTES
- For a quicker option, use cooked, shredded chicken. You can either boil your own chicken or use store-bought rotisserie chicken. Add it to the pot just before adding the avgolemono sauce.
- If you prefer rice over orzo, it can be substituted for a more traditional, thicker soup. Arborio rice, commonly used for its thickening properties, is ideal, but any short-grain rice can work. If you use rice, be sure to rinse it well first. Cooking time will increase to 15-20 minutes for rice to fully soften.
