Kotosoupa Avgolemono Recipe
Kotosoupa Avgolemono
Greek Chicken and Rice Soup with Lemon-Egg Sauce
Submitted By: Taz
Ingredients:
Broth:
1 3lb Broiler/Fryer Chicken
12 Cups Water
1 Leek - cleaned and quartered
1 Large Carrot - peeled and quartered
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tbs Kosher Salt
Soup/Avgolemono:
1 Medium Onion - small diced
1 Medium Carrot - peeled and small diced
1 Medium Celery Stalk - small diced
3 Large Eggs - room temperature
⅔ Cup Short Grain Rice (Arborio recommended) - can substitute Orzo if desired
½ Cup Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Kosher Salt
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
-OPTIONAL GARNISH-
A drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Lemon Slices
Fresh Parsley OR Fresh Dill - rough chopped
Preparation:
- Place the chicken along with 2 Tbs of kosher salt in a 6-8 quart stockpot and cover with the water - Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil
- As soon as a boil has been achieved, reduce heat to a low simmer - Skim the foam from the broth
- Add leek, carrot, and bay leaves to the broth and continue to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (apx 45 minutes to 1 hour) - Remove from heat
- Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool until easily handled
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve or a colander lined with 3 layers of cheese cloth (discard solids) - Allow broth to cool at room temperature until fat rises to the top (apx 30 minutes) - Skim off the fat - (Alternately, you can place the broth in the refrigerator to speed the process if you desire - If you leave it in long enough, the fat will congeal on the surface and can easily be lifted out but this takes quite a while so I suggest that you do this the day before if you plan on going the full 'congealed fat' route)
- While your broth is cooling and separating, your chicken will get to a temperature that it can be easily handled - Remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin - Shred or chop up the meat into bite sized cubes and set aside
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet - Add onion and carrot to the skillet and sauté for 4 minutes - Add celery and continue to sauté until celery is tender and onion is translucent (apx 3-4 minutes more) - Remove from heat and set aside
- Once the fat has been removed from the broth, return it to the stove over high heat - Add the rice (or orzo) along with the sautéed vegetables and bring to a boil
- As soon as a boil has been achieved, reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook until rice is almost cooked through or orzo is al dente (apx 18-25 minutes for the rice OR 8-15 minutes for the orzo)
- Reduce heat to a bare simmer - Add chicken
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and pepper until thoroughly combined and 'frothy' - While continuously whisking, SLOWLY add 2 cups of the hot broth to the egg mixture until fully combined (you are tempering the eggs so that they do not become 'scrambled' so the slower you raise their temperature the better)
- Add the tempered egg mixture to the soup and thoroughly combine - Add the remaining Tbs of salt and combine - Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, and/or lemon juice
- Serve immediately garnished as desired with some warm pita bread or as an appetizer/starter to any Greek meal
