Avgolemono Soup

Made EXACTLY as written and it Was EPIC! So good. I don't understand some of the other reviews because Chef John's recipe is on point and didn't require any adjustments. In my humble opinion Chef John has done it again!

Good base recipe, but needs some work. I'd use less lemon next time, probably start with a quarter to a third cup and adjust up from there to taste. Too long of a cook time after adding the rice. I'd let the stock simmer with the sautéed onions for 30 min or so before adding the Arborio. Think I may skip adding it to the soup at all, cook it on the side and add into the individual bowl of soup when serving. Rice and Pasta tend to turn to glue goop when they sit in a pot of soup. Chef John is Right On about starting this soup with a whole bird in a pot!

As good as the little Greek restaurant we frequent. The sautéed onions make the difference and balance the lemon very nicely. I added fresh oregano and parsley from my garden but substituting fresh herbs was the only change I made. Thanks again Chef John

Yummy! Very hearty and lemony. The only change I made was to coarsely shred the meat instead of chopping it. I think if you intend this for 6 servings, the soup is a complete meal. I served mine as smaller portions with dill bread so it came out to about 8 servings. Epic is right!

Terrific recipe. The tang of the lemon offsets the sweetness of the onion and the meaty chicken perfectly, and the rice helps make it quite filling. It's great as leftovers, too... I found that after it sat in the fridge overnight, the flavours were almost better than they were freshly made.

This is the classic way we make Greek chicken soup and I mean greeks in greece not the ones in NY. It works amazingly when you have the cold. Thanks Chef John and oh I still think you did put too much lemon, juice of 1.5 - 2 lemons should be fine. FORGOT to say if you want to freeze it, do it before the eggs and lemon part, this takes literally two minutes. Eggs and lemon don't freeze well. Will keep for ages in the freezer.

Using an electric pressure cooker cut my time in half and made this a one pot meal. I used it for the whole chicken and then the rice, mixed the egg, lemon, broth and spices and then poured back in with the chopped chicken. Turned onto the slow cooker setting to heat through and done. It was great.

We have made this soup many times over now and we still love it the same as the first time ! The only thing changed is I lowered the lemon amount and only used one egg. I recommend making the soup (broth part) a day ahead, let it sit in the fridge over night so the fat rises and the next day, after skimming fat, finish the remainder of the recipe..for those who need a lower fat soup. Wonderful flavor taste delicious ! Thank you so much Chef John :) we have made many of your recipes and have enjoyed each and everyone !

Wonderful, delicious and easy. Thank you, thank you Chef John! The lemon juice is the piece de resistance! I add nothing, I change nothing. Why mess with perfection?

It's perfect for what it is. Veggies, chicken, and eggs. Tasty and healthy. After I pull my chicken to shred the meat I usually make a bone broth by returning the bones, scraps, and skin to the stock pot to simmer for hours. I then place the stock in the fridge overnight to solidify the fat cap for easy removal. I make this soup once or twice a month. It's a very easy recipe, but it does require patience.

Im sorry this was a heck of a lot of work for a something that just tasted like chicken noodle soup without the noodles. I thought it was wasteful and unnecessary to discard all those vegetables as well. They would have tasted awesome in the soup. Way too many unnecessary steps to this asYou are better off just finding a good chicken noodle soup recipe to save yourself the work.

Delicious! I have been looking for a recipe like this since I had it at a Greek restaurant years ago. The only changes I made due to time restrictions were to use a whole rotisserie chicken from the deli (great flavor and it is pre-cooked) and I used pre-made chicken stock. I also recommend wrapping the chicken and herbs etc in cheesecloth before putting in the liquid. It just makes it easier to remove it all from the pot.

I am from Detroit where you can find this in most Coney Islands. This recipe is AWESOME! You must make it!

A little to lemony for my family so we are going to try 1/3 c lemon next. Add to cloves garlic to broth and when you sauteed onion 2 more cloves. Needs way more salt and more oregano to taste at the end.

This was a mild soup that was pretty yummy. Nothing amazing. Reminiscent of a soup I had at a Greek restaurant outside of Phoenix about a decade ago, but just not as good. This is a great alternative to a normal, boring chicken soup. I gave some to a neighbor with a cold.

I did make it, but grilled skinless chicken breasts and added to the chicken stock with the onions and Aborio Rice. Everything else the same. Wife and her Sister said “my god, save this recipe. Thanks, Chef John.

The full amount of 1/2 cup of lemon is just fine. I kept the initial veggies in and added in some more carrots and a couple cloves of garlic to the final preparation in addition to the onion. This is a solid recipe that you can customize to your tastes. The only real suggestion I have is adding salt earlier in the process to flavor the broth. I had to really salt it up at the end to get it to the right flavor. Very nice comfort food!

This is so good. I had homemade chicken broth in the freezer, so I just used that as the base. Also, I used a bit more lemon, and I loved it. However, I don't recommend that unless you want it very lemony.

This was wonderful. I have been making avgolemono soup for years, with good results. However, I think the extra step of sauteing the onions brought a good recipe to great!

I keep the onion cooking on low for at least twenty minutes and use a bit more olive oil. My neighbor had open heart surgery and this was the first food he actually really enjoyed after the surgery. It has become an annual tradition to celebrate his recovery.

I really liked this soup! Not a hit with my 6 year old (I think it was the lemon). But my 3 year old liked it just fine. I was short on time, so I changed it up a bit: used rotisserie chicken breasts (2), brown rice (because I forgot to grab Arborio at the store), and used homemade bone broth (a Chef John inspired recipe, actually). Used only 1/2 the amount of lemon; which was still too much for the kiddo, but I thought I would have liked more (I’ll add more to mine later). Overall, a simple recipe and easily adjusted to fit time restraints. Thanks, Chef John!

I much prefer this soup with orzo rather than rice, though I have had it and made it both ways. Otherwise, it's a solid recipe.

This is a great recipe. Absolutely will be making this again. Yes, a little less lemon. Also I took the veggies that Chef John said to remove and put them in the blender. I returned them to the soup. Hate wasting anything. It really is a delicious soup. Thanks Chef!

This was a great little recipe. I made the broth the day before so that I could skim off the fat and then I proceeded with the recipe as written. Loved the consistency. I found it just too lemony for my liking so next time I will cut down on that ingredient but other than that, I will make this again. Another great recipe by Chef John!

I did not have arborio rice. But I did have Japanese Yumegogichi rice, a beautiful, teardrop shaped, short grain rice I buy over in California. I had doubled the recipe as I needed 10 servings. 2 cups of this rice soaked up soaked up about 6 cups of broth each and became lusciously creamy and delicious. Because of the volume, I needed to add additional lemon juice.

Delicious. Other than shredding the chicken i stuck to the recipe. I thought the broth was a little weak which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. I have enjoyed the leftovers for lunch with a little fresh rosemary garnish. I'll make it again.

I made this for my sister and she loved it. She texted me three times that night to say she had it for dinner as well. She texted me the next morning to say she can't wait for me to make it again. She said it tasted just like the soup she got for our mother from her favorite Mediterranean retstaurant. It really is that good!

pretty much followed this to the T, with the exception of reducing the amount of lemon juice to a 1/3 of a cup and then adding lemon wedges to the bowl if anyone wanted more. I also quartered the whole chicken before adding to pot - the giblets and backbone were added too for more flavor.

Delicious unusual flavor with refreshing lemon.

What a great, light, versatile soup! I added just a little chopped carrot with the rice and some green onion and zest at the end to serve. I would like even more lemon, but my hubby liked it as it was. I will cook more rice on the side to add to the left overs. If you want something more substantial, then just add more veggies. Served with chiabata rolls. Super simple and now I have chicken left over for Chef’s Noodle Chicken Salad! Thanks for another great recipe!

My wife had such a taste for this after having it in a restaurant over a year ago, so I had to give it a try. I made it just as directed, and it was a hit with both her and my daughter. Thanks Chef john, you really helped me look like I knew what I was doing!

Exactly what I wanted. SO YUMMY!!

Chef John rocks as usual! This was a wonderful soup and I portioned some and froze it. Reheated nicely. The prep for the chicken would be great for ANY chicken casserole or soup. Wonderful flavor.

Exactly what I was looking for. It has a nice hint of lemon, lots of rice and chicken. Smooth and delicious, I wouldn't use a different recipe and I didn't change a thing.

I've grew up outside of Detroit, eating some fabulous Greek food from a restaurant owned by people from Greece. This soup reminds me of that restaurant. Simply delicious

Super yummy!

Loved it! I have both followed chef John’s instructions to a “T” and I’ve changed it some. Following his instruction is by far the better soup. It’s become a regular in my rotation. And photos really don’t do it any justice.

Great recipe. Only change I made was to keep the vegetables, puree them, and add back to the soup. Sorry, I'm not going to toss perfectly good food.

Could have a more pronounced lemon taste. I used 1/2 cup. Next time I will have 3/4 cup ready and add to taste. Also needed salt and pepper to taste. May add some dill as well. I added all the chicken meat from a 3.5# fryer. Perfect amount. Overall, well received. Perfect for winter evening in snowy Ohio.

Totally Amazing! This recipe is definitely a keeper.

The recipe was good. I added carrots and celery to give it a more hearty texture. It did really thicken up and I'm wondering if someone here knows how to get it more soupy again? U would add (and did) more lemon as I like mine real lemony.

Great recipe. Made exactly as per the recipe first time. the entire family loved it.

Things I changed: substituted red pepper for oregano. The soup was bland - maybe I should have added more salt? I added a good amount of freshly ground black pepper, meh. The parsley and grated lemon rind was a hit. Actually the soup was a hit with my family...maybe it’s just me ??

To save time I did the same as another reviewer and used an already cooked chicken from the deli. I also used half water and half chicken broth.

OH WOW! I made it just as presented except I used store bought chicken stock (which speeded up the soup making process considerably). Even with this substitution, it was awesome, as good or better than the soup at my favorite Greek restaurant. Anyone who thought it had too much lemon has probably never tasted this type of soup before.

Yiannis! Para pouli kalo! This means very good! Forgive my poor Greek here but I am American born Greek on both sides and the sautéed onions make this better than my Yiaya's (Greek Grandmother) recipe that I have been making for years. We never put chicken in and we use orzo instead of rice but I liked the Arborio. Excellent!

OH WOW! I made it just as presented except I used store bought chicken stock (which speeded up the soup making process considerably). Even with this substitution, it was awesome, as good or better than the soup at my favorite Greek restaurant. Anyone who thought it had too much lemon has probably never tasted this type of soup before.

As usual - I messed up the recipe (added lemon juice solo - put too much rice - added water because it seemed too thick) BUT .... it came out soooo good! Thanks for this great recipe!

Very tasty and a great way to jazz up chicken and rice soup. This recipe takes a staple and makes it taste expensive.

I just made this tonight and LOVED how it turned out! My finished product was 5 stars, so I adjusted my rating. I think it needed more egg, rice, lemon and salt. But that could just be personal preference. Making the stock from scratch and using a whole chicken made this so yummy! I'm not sure if it's the eggs or rice (or both), but mine came out thick and almost creamy! One of the best soups I've made! It did take over 4 hours, so make time

I have not eaten yet, just a taste test. I did it one and one half times and added a little extra rice. I found it a little too thick so I added a little chicken broth. It is really good now! I am not used to having the chicken in the soup. The recipe I usually have does not have the chicken in it. It is set aside for something else. So I’m not used to the consistency…I’ll get it!!!

Amazing. Awesome. Love it. Just as good as my favorite restaurant.

this was delicious!! would not change a thing and will make many more times!!!!! ty

Just made it. So very good as written!

I didn’t change anything and the family loved it. I’ll be making this one again for sure.

This was so good!! I used chicken broth instead of water and used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. It cut down on the cooking time and came out wonderful. Thank you for sharing! It's exactly like the soup from a Greek restaurant we go to.

I love Chef John's recipes. I myself, like savory foods. That being said, I used 2 qts. chicken stock/1 qt. water. As did one of the other reviewers, I did not discard the veggies from cooking the chicken, but left them in the soup. When the soup was finished, I thought it needed more chicken and lemon flavors, so I added a bit of chicken base and more lemon juice. I thought it was delicious.

I made it without making any modifications and the flavor was up to the standards of a Coney Island Diner, however it was not quite as thick.

“Epic!” describes this dish perfectly. I’ve made it at least half a dozen times & it never disappoints. Easily in my Top 5 favorite meals. My variations: 1) I purée the vegetables in the stock (I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want this goodness as part of the dish!) 2) I use 1 cup of (FRESHLY SQUEEZED) lemon juice & pulp. If you use less than ½ c. …why bother with this recipe? Thanks, C.J.!