Lemons are kind of Jennifer Emilson’s thing. Her wildly popular blog and cookbook – are both named The Lemon Apron, after the first apron she ever owned. All of the recipes within are delicious, like her One-Pot Chicken and Rice, but this cheerful and warming Avgolemono soup highlights its namesake fruit flawlessly.

Avgolemono (avgolemono translates literally to egg-lemon) is a classic Greek soup with an egg-and-lemon base. Eggs are whisked together with lemon juice and the mixture is then added to warm chicken stock to make a silky lemony broth. Jennifer then adds cooked chicken shreds, basmati rice and yellow zucchini, which gives this soup its bright hue. According to her recipe, “You just can’t be in a bad mood when eating this soup.” We’ll vouch for that: each spoonful is pure sunshine.

Chicken and Rice Avgolemono Soup

Jennifer Emilson

This Chicken and Rice Avgolemono Soup puts a fresh spin on the classic Greek recipe with turmeric, yellow zucchini and tender chicken in a silky lemon-and-egg broth.

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Equipment

1 Dutch Oven Must be at least 8" in diameter

Ingredients

1 large yellow zucchini skin on
2 tbsp olive oil divided
1 small yellow onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1⁄2 cup basmati rice
5 cups chicken stock divided
1 cooked chicken breast poached, roasted or broiled, shredded
2 eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
flakey finishing salt
pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Slice the zucchini into rounds and then finely dice them.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and stir. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the lemon zest, turmeric, and salt. Stir to coat the veggies. Add the rice and stir until completely coated. Add 4 cups of the stock and then the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and then drop the heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. Meanwhile, warm the final cup of stock in a small pot over medium heat, not going past a gentle simmer.
At the 15-minute mark, check the rice to see if it’s almost, but not quite, tender. It might need another couple of minutes. Once it’s almost tender, add the chicken and cook until the rice and zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep warm on low heat.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add 1⁄4 cup of the warmed stock to the egg-lemon mixture and whisk to temper the eggs. Slowly add more stock, 1⁄4 cup at a time, until combined. Pour this into the soup and stir firmly to blend. Do not bring it to a boil or the eggs will scramble.
Remove the soup from the heat. Season to taste, starting with 1⁄2 teaspoon each of the finishing salt and pepper. This soup tastes even better slightly cooled. Serve with parsley, if desired.

Keyword Avgolemono Soup, chicken soup, Greek Chicken Soup, Greek Lemon Soup, lemon chicken soup

Jennifer Emilson's the Lemon Apron cookbook, A green cookbook on a cream background

Excerpted from The Lemon Apron Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes for the Curious Home Cook by Jennifer Emilson. Copyright © 2022 Jennifer Emilson. Cover and interior design by Lisa Jager. Cover and interior photography by Johann Headley. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.