Golden Avgolemono with Chicken and Orzo

⏱ 50 min · Serves 4

Greece's great restorative: a silky, lemon-bright broth thickened with egg rather than cream, studded with shredded chicken and tender orzo. Comfort in a bowl, ready in under an hour.

Per serving: 432 kcal · 29.0g protein · 29.0g carbs · 21.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 400g)
• 1.5 litres good chicken stock
• 1 small onion, halved
• 1 celery stick, halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 120g orzo (or long-grain rice)
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• juice of 2 lemons (about 80ml), plus zest of 1
• 30g cold butter, cubed (optional, for extra silkiness)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and white pepper, to taste
• extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method

1. Put the chicken thighs, stock, onion, celery and bay leaf in a large pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, for 25 minutes, skimming any foam.
2. Lift out the chicken and set aside to cool slightly. Discard the onion, celery and bay leaf. Strain the broth if you like it very clear, then return it to the pan.
3. Pull the chicken meat from the bones, discard skin and bones, and shred into bite-sized pieces.
4. Bring the broth back to a simmer, add the orzo and cook for 8–9 minutes until just tender. Turn the heat right down so it's barely steaming.
5. In a bowl, whisk the eggs hard for a minute until pale and frothy, then whisk in the lemon juice.
6. Tempering is everything: ladle a little hot broth into the egg mixture while whisking constantly, then repeat with 3–4 more ladles until the bowl feels warm.
7. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pan in a steady stream, stirring continuously. Cook over the lowest heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the soup thickens to a velvety, pourable cream. Do not let it boil or it will split.
8. Stir in the shredded chicken, the butter if using, lemon zest and most of the herbs. Season generously with salt and white pepper.
9. Ladle into warm bowls, scatter with the remaining dill and parsley, and finish with a thread of olive oil and an extra squeeze of lemon.