Avgolemono translates to egg-lemon in Greek. It refers to a family of sauces and soups made with egg yolk and lemon juice mixed with broth. Avgolemono is also a staple of sephardic Jewish cuisine, called agristada. This recipe came to us from a BMC employee whose family frequented a Greek restaurant growing up. After they moved, her mother started making the soup herself. The canned chicken is a budget-friendly, time-saving alternative to raw chicken.
Ingredients
Broth
- 6 cups low sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
Rice
- ⅓ cup uncooked minute brown rice, or whole wheat orzo
Chicken
- 3 (4.5-oz) cans chicken breast
Carrots
- 2 medium carrots, chopped (or 2 cups baby carrots, chopped)
Spinach
- 4-5 oz fresh, or 1 cup, frozen
Lemon-juice
- ¼ cup
Egg-yolk
- 4 yolks from large eggs
Pepper
- to taste
Instructions
Step 1
In a large sauce pan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add carrots and rice or orzo and cook until tender (according to it cooking time indicated on package).
Step 2
Meanwhile, separate yolks from white and reserve whites for another use (like an egg white scramble). Whisk yolks together, add lemon juice and whisk again.
Step 3
Ladle about 1 cup of the simmering broth into the egg yolk mixture, slowly, while whisking. Then add the yolk mixture into the pot of broth.
Step 4
Add canned chicken and spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted or defrosted and warmed through. Season with pepper to taste.