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Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

A simplified avgolemono-style soup — chicken and rice in broth finished with beaten eggs and lemon juice for a silky, tangy texture.

Total Cost $11.30
Per Serving $2.83
Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Servings 4
  • chicken
  • soup
  • rice
  • one-pot
  • gluten-free
  • high-protein

Ingredients

  • 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs $4.41
  • 2 cans (900 mL total) chicken broth $3.00
  • 150 g long-grain white rice, dry $0.38
  • 3 large eggs $0.99
  • 1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tbsp) $0.99
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced $1.23
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil $0.06
  • 1 bay leaf $0.03
  • 0.5 tsp dried thyme $0.03
  • 500 mL water $0.00
  • to taste salt and white pepper $0.02
  • Recipe total$11.30

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook 4 minutes until softened.
  2. Add garlic and thyme. Cook 1 minute.
  3. Add broth, water, bay leaf, and chicken thighs. Bring to a boil.
  4. Add the rice. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.
  5. Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred. Discard bay leaf.
  6. In a bowl, beat the eggs vigorously. Add lemon juice and whisk to combine.
  7. Remove the pot from heat. Slowly ladle 250 mL of the hot broth into the egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs so they do not scramble.
  8. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pot, stirring constantly.
  9. Return shredded chicken to the pot. Do not boil again — the egg will curdle. Reheat gently over low heat if needed.
  10. Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately.

Nutrition per Serving

Estimated values per serving.

400 Calories
35g Protein
35g Carbs
12g Fat
1g Fiber
620mg Sodium
~15% DV Iron~6% DV Calcium~12% DV Vitamin C

Gluten-Free

This recipe is naturally gluten-free.

All ingredients are naturally gluten-free. Verify broth is GF.

Budget Notes

  • The egg-lemon step thickens and enriches the broth without cream or flour. Tempering is not difficult but it must be done slowly — add the hot broth to the eggs a spoonful at a time at first.
  • Do not boil the soup after adding the egg mixture. This will curdle the eggs and produce a grainy texture.
  • A single lemon at $0.99 is enough for this recipe. The lemon flavor should be noticeable but not sharp.