Avgolemono (Greek Chicken & Rice Soup)

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The weather in Houston in the winter time is just ridiculous. One day, it’s 85 degrees and sunny and the next it’s 40 degrees and raining. It not only wreaks havoc on selecting an outfit for the day, but it also tends to get every one in our household sick. This season is no different. We’ve all been passing around a cough/cold thing, and I’m ready for it to just pack its things and leave already!

It’s on days like today (it dropped 35 degrees from this morning to this evening) that a stick-to-your-ribs kind of dinner is oh so needed. I found a recipe for chicken soup that used rotisserie chicken, but after adding a little something extra to it, I think it’s just perfect. Well, that and everyone devoured it at dinner tonight.

This traditional Greek food is avgolemono, a chicken and rice soup with an egg yolk and lemon base that is generally served as the first meal on Christmas day in Greece.

So, while I don’t think we’ll be having it for breakfast on Christmas Day, we will be making this one over and over again.

Here’s how you can make this chicken and rice soup too:

Avgolemono (Greek Chicken & Rice Soup)

This traditional Greek food is avgolemono, a chicken and rice soup with an egg yolk and lemon base that is generally served as the first meal on Christmas day in Greece.

4 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked white rice (warmed)
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 rotisserie chicken (meat pulled from the bones and coarsely shredded (1 pound))
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

In a large saucepan, season the stock with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Transfer 1 cup of the hot stock to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the rice, the egg yolks and the lemon juice and puree until smooth.
Stir the puree into the simmering stock along with the chicken and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of rice and simmer until thickened slightly, 10 minutes.
Stir in the dill and serve.