Avgolemono Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/2 cup orzo or rice
1 pound skinless chicken breast, cut in 1/4 inch dice
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 large eggs
Fresh parsley for garnish
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sauté the onions over medium-high heat until they are soft and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, bring another pot of salted water to a boil and add the orzo or rice. Cook according to package directions.
When the onions are ready, add the chicken stock and water and bring to a bare simmer.
When the orzo or rice is nearly done — firm, but mostly cooked — drain the boiling water and add the pasta or rice to the chicken broth.
Let this cook 5 to 8 minutes, then taste the soup for salt.
Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through by pulling a piece out and making sure there is no pink left inside. If not, continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Whisking constantly, add the lemon juice to the eggs. You will need to temper the eggs before you add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup. It takes both hands to do this.
With one hand, whisk the egg-lemon mixture vigorously. With the other, slowly pour in a ladle’s worth of hot broth.
Do this at least twice, and you can add as many ladle’s worth of broth as you want to the mixture.
Turn the heat off the soup. Whisk the soup with one hand while you pour the hot egg-lemon mixture in with the other.
Serve at once, garnished with parsley.
