In my book The Second Chance Hotel, which is set in Greece, Amelia does a lot of cooking for guests and friends. She learns from friends on the island. This post is part of a series of delicious Greek recipes.
When I was a kid living in Greece, my step-grandparents made wonderful Greek meals, but I was too young and probably too American to appreciate them then, especially because they were vegetable-heavy, with tomatoes and peppers, neither of which I liked much. As an adult, I have come full circle.
Avgolemono soup
Avgolemono, which is pronounced ah-vgo-le-mono, is chicken lemon soup and it is HEAVEN. It is perfect any season, versatile, fast to make, and a dynamite dish to make with leftover rotisserie chicken or sous vide chicken. If you have neither, you could bake thighs or breasts and then add them in.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked (leftover rotisserie is great)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 eggs
- Fresh dill, fronds picked, stems tossed
- 1 1/2 cup cooked rice
- Baby spinach
- Salt and pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, juice the lemons.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cooked rice, and stir to break up any clumps of rice. Add the chicken and simmer to warm through, 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot occasionally. Turn down the heat to low.
- Slowly stream 1 cup of the hot broth into the beaten eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk the mixture back into the soup, and stir until thickened, but don’t let it boil, 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and about 4 cups of the spinach, and stir until wilted, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with dill and serve warm.
Buy The Second Chance Hotel