This is the traditional way of making Greek
Chicken Lemon Rice Soup. I’ve seen
recipes that will add cornstarch or a can of cream of chicken soup to make it
thick, but this is the original recipe, more natural and very authentic. You can omit the chicken altogether and have
the plain version of Lemon Rice Soup, by using chicken stock. I often make this soup with a whole chicken
and I don’t add the chicken stock at all.
The whole chicken adds more flavor to the soup. On this version, I added the chicken stock
since chicken breasts don’t have much flavor.
You can also use chicken legs and thighs instead of breasts for more
flavor.
Greek
Chicken Lemon Rice soup
10 servings (approximately 2 cups = 16
oz each serving)
1.25 lbs chicken breast (2 large
chicken breasts)
2 quarts water (about 8 cups)
4 cups chicken stock
6 cups additional water
1 cup rice (not parboiled rice but
regular long grain rice)
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or
the juice of two (2) lemons)
Wash the chicken breast and place them
in a pot with the water. Let it cook for
½ hour to 45 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t
boil over. Skim the froth that collects
on the surface of the water till it’s clear.
When the chicken is cooked, remove
from the pot. Add the chicken stock to
the pot, the rice, the additional water, and the salt. Let the rice cook completely to the point
where each grain is almost split in half.
This will release extra starches thus making the soup thick.
In the meantime, cut the chicken
breast into pieces and add to the soup.
Let it heat through and remove the soup from the heat.
Egg
and Lemon Sauce:
Separate the egg yolks from the egg
whites. Set the egg yolks aside. Squeeze the juice of two lemons. Set that aside. In a bowl whisk the egg whites till
frothy. Add the egg yolks while you
continue beating. Add the lemon juice
while still beating. Slowly ladle some
of the soup into the egg/lemon mixture while continue beating. Add more of the soup to bring the egg/lemon
mixture to the soup temperature. (The
soup should not be too hot or the eggs will curdle). Then slowly pour the egg/lemon mixture into
the pot. Stir and serve. The soup will be thick and creamy. Enjoy!
Note
1: The soup freezes
well without the egg/lemon sauce. You
can freeze it, and when you are ready to use it, heat it through and then
add the egg/lemon sauce.
Note
2: When heating up the soup, heat it in
medium-low heat. Otherwise, the
egg/lemon mixture will curdle the soup.
Note
3: If you are using a whole chicken, when the
chicken is cooked pour the stock into a fat separator container. The container will separate the chicken fat from the actual chicken stock.
Then pour the chicken stock without the fat into a pot and continue
making the soup.
Nutrition
Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (476.4 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 192
Calories from Fat 32
Total Fat 3.6g
Saturated Fat 1.0g
Cholesterol 81mg
Sodium 369mg
Total Carbohydrates 16.3g
Dietary Fiber 0.3g
Sugars 0.7g
Protein 22.0g
If you try this recipe and like it please comment below. If you like what you see on this blog, feel free to follow it. If you have any questions post them in the comments box.
