What was the meal that was so common in your household but might have been rarely eaten in your neighbor's?
For me, that was my mom's avgolemono chicken soup. Avgolemono is greek for lemon and egg. Basically, this soup is a chicken noodle soup that's a little thicker and with more citrus flavor. Sharing this soup with my mom was a tradition on any day that was cold or didn't go our way. It was our avgolemono soup for the soul.
If you're in need of a soup to warm your body and soul, give this a try! It truly elevates a regular chicken noodle soup!
Recipe
10 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoon olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion
1 large lemon, zested, juiced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup rice OR 3 cups noodles
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
3 egg yolks
Salt and pepper
Directions
Place the olive oil in a large 6-8 quart sauce pot over medium-low heat. Peel the onion. Then quarter it and slice into thin strips. Once the oil is hot, saute the onion and minced garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Add the chicken stock, chicken breasts, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Raise the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice or noodles, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
Using tongs, remove the two chicken breasts from the pot. Use a fork and the tongs to shred the chicken. Then place it back in the pot.
Whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together. Bring a small amount of broth into the egg yolk and lemon juice bowl to temper the eggs. Allow the egg yolks to slowly come out to temperature. Slowly add mixture into the main pot, one small spoonful at a time. Taste and salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.