Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

First off can we talk about how well the Blazers played last night?!  They ended up killing Cleveland which is no small feat...I will say while cable is dumb expensive I really love having Comcast Sports Network.  Yesterday was a cold dark day here in the PNW so I decided it was time to make another soup, I adapted this recipe and it was so wonderful and citrusy.  I personally can't get enough citrus and vinegar in my life, on the other hand my boyfriend is super sensitive to both...I guess palates are just very different.  Here is a post by a Nutritional Therapist in Seattle, not sure how legit it is but it is a start to understanding my cravings (since I'm a librarian it is time I do some real research on this topic).  Onto the recipe!


Serves 4

The Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

 

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks

 

1 1/2 cup diced onion

 

3/4 cup chopped celery

 

3/4 cup diced carrots

 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

 

6 cups chicken broth

 

1 cups water

 

3 cups cooked rice 

 

2 large eggs

 

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

 

Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

 

 

The Process

 

1.  Heat 1 teaspoon oil in soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and add to the pot, cook ~ 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.

2.  Add 2 more teaspoons of oil to the pot. Add onions, celery, carrots and thyme and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the chicken broth and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer about 8 minutes. Turn heat down to low to keep soup hot.

3.  Warm remaining 1 cup chicken broth in a small saucepan until it's hot, but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and gradually whisk lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking the entire time. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Add cooked chicken back to the soup and season with salt & pepper. Do not let soup come to a boil or it will curdle.

4.  Add 1/2 cup rice to bowl and pour soup over the top, enjoy!