This Greek Lemon Soup 🍋 tastes like home to me, because my mom has been making this soup for me since I was a baby. There are so many outstanding versions of this soup, and my family learned this version while living in 🇬🇷 Greece. I love the creaminess that comes from the avgolemono in the soup and the ease with which the simple ingredients come together to create a hearty, one-pot meal that is so healthy. Even those in your family who don’t love veggies will be asking for seconds!

What is Avgolemono?

The creamy part of this soup comes from what we call a classic “avgolemono.” Avgolemono is a family of sauces and soups made with egg yolk and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until it thickens. If you’re interested in the origin of this word, “avgo” means egg and “lemono” means lemon. So the full word, Avgolemono, translates to ‘egg-lemon,’ which represents the base for the soup. In 🇧🇬 Bulgaria we call this “zastroika”.

Why You’ll Love Greek Lemon Soup

One of my favorite ways to consume vegetables is to blend them into soup broth, as I do in this recipe with 🥕 carrots, celery, 🧅 onion, and 🧄 garlic. This filling, one-pot meal also has rice, chicken, and egg yolks cooked directly in the soup.

This is such a comforting soup and it’s perfect for ❄️ chilly and ☀️ warm weather days alike. The 🍋 lemon adds brightness and freshness and the 🥚 eggs provide richness. This will definitely be your new favorite version of chicken and rice soup.

Another reason to love this soup is that the vegetables are cooked and then blended into the soup. This makes it a great option for those who aren’t fans of vegetables as it allows them to sneak some nutrients into their meal. Overall, it’s a win-win!

How To Prepare

• Start by adding the water, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and 🧂 salt to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

• Once the mixture is boiling, add the skinless 🐔 chicken breasts or thighs, then reduce the heat to medium, maintaining a hard simmer.

• Cover the pot halfway with a lid and allow the soup to cook for approximately 40 minutes.

• Next, transfer the cooked vegetables and a ladleful of broth to a blender while setting the chicken aside on a plate or cutting board.

• Blend the vegetables until smooth and return this mixture to the pot of broth. Use forks or tongs to shred the chicken, keeping it on the side.

• Add 🍚 white rice or orzo to the pot containing the broth and blended veggies. Increase the heat to medium and let it cook for about 20 minutes, tasting for doneness and then removing the soup from the heat.

• Meanwhile, prepare the “avgolemono” or 🥚🍋 egg-lemon sauce. In a bowl, combine egg yolks and the zest and juice of a lemon, and whisk until well blended. Gradually add some of the broth from the soup pot while whisking vigorously; this step is called tempering, which prevents the eggs from breaking or overcooking in the soup.

• Add the egg mixture into the soup pot with the shredded chicken and 🌿 freshly chopped parsley, and it’s ready to enjoy!

Substitutes and Variations

This Greek Lemon Soup lends itself to a number of different add-ins or variations. Let me know in the comments if you try any!

• Substitute the rice or orzo for quinoa, brown rice, or couscous.
• You could use 🥕 vegetable broth instead of 💦 water.
• Feel free to try this recipe with different 🌿 herbs like dill, thyme, or basil for added flavor.
• Try adding other vegetables to your soup, like peas, spinach, or kale.
• For dietary restrictions, this soup can be made egg-free if you have an allergy. 
• The soup can be made 🥬 vegetarian by omitting the chicken and swapping half (or all) of the water for unsalted vegetable broth made from my vegetable stock cubes. 
• For enhanced flavor, add a chicken bouillon cube (or 1 tablespoon bouillon paste) to the broth along with the rice. Alternatively, you could replace half or all of the water with chicken or vegetable broth.

Best Served With

For a complete and hearty meal, consider serving this easy Greek Lemon Soup with some delicious homemade bread. Here are some of my favorites:

• No-Knead Peasant Bread
• No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread
• Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread
• Grandma’s No-Knead Olive Bread
• No-Knead Focaccia

Similar Recipes

Don’t forget to explore other similar soup recipes on my blog if you’re interested in comforting soups.

• Lasagna Soup
• Pastina Soup
• The Best Lentil Soup
• Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup
• Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Healthiest Cream of Hidden Veggie Soup
• Hidden Veggie Meatball Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup

Common Questions