Lemon soup

This is a great year round recipe – light but hearty! The recipe for this Greek Avgolemono is from Skinny Spatula.

(Originally published 27/01/2023)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes: 5 portions

Ingredients
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
~350g chicken breast
1.5l chicken stock
175g orzo
1 lemon
2 eggs
Fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. So chick

In a large saucepan or a casserole dish if you a true yummy mummy, heat 1tbsp olive oil. While it warms chop 1 onion, 1 carrot and 2 celery stalks and add them to the pot. Cook over a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until softened.

Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, mix and cook for a hot minute. Next add 2 bay leaves and the 350g of chicken breast (whole, so that it looks like a disembodied hand in a diluted hot tub) and 1.5l of chicken stock.

Bring this all to the boil and then lower the heat. Simmer the vegetable-chicken concoction with the lid on for 15 minutes.

Once 15 minutes are up, take the chicken and the bay leaves out. Put the chicken on a chopping board to cool – but don’t put sunnies on it, you don’t want it too cool.

Add 175g orzo to the pot and cook for a further 10 minutes.

2. Shredding like a metal head

Using two forks tear the chicken into shreds. Tip it back into the pot once it’s all gnarly and shredded up.

Whilst the orzo cooks, whisk two egg yolks and the juice of 1 lemon in a bowl.

Pour two ladles of the soup into the egg mix to temper it, nobody wants angry egg.

Pour the eggy mix into the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Chop a couple of tablespoons of dill and add it into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve straight away with some fresh dill on top.

Dink and sink!

Food for Thought