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Easy Lemon Chicken Soup

This spin on the classic Avgolemeno soup comes together in under 30 minutes and has wonderful flavor from the lemon juice, lemon zest, and high-quality chicken broth.
Course Lunch and Dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Bessie Bakes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chicken bone broth
  • 2 lemons zest 1 lemon and juice 1 ½ lemons. Slice the remaining half lemon
  • 4 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups green beans fresh or frozen
  • ½ cup cauliflower rice or see ingredient substitutions below
  • 2 tsp flat-leaf parsley fresh, chopped finely
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt or add more or less to taste
  • 2 tsp olive oil for drizzling at the end

Instructions

  • Heat the 4 cups of chicken bone broth over medium-high heat in a large pot to a simmer. Cover with a lid to help it heat up faster.
  • Add the chicken thighs or chicken breasts and simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Timing depends on the size and type of chicken you use.
  • Remove the chicken and set aside to cool enough to handle.  Shred or chop the chicken.

If using pre-cooked chicken

  • If you use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store, shred about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chicken. Wait to add the chicken at the end to reheat it in the soup. This will save about 10-15 minutes of cooking time as well!

For the egg mixture

  • While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the lemon juice, and 2 eggs until nice and frothy. If you use pre-cooked chicken, make the egg mixture once the broth is hot.

Tempering the egg mixture

  • Once the chicken is removed from the pot, lower the temperature to medium heat.
  • Scoop out 1 cup hot broth from the pot.
  • Start whisking the egg mixture and very slowly drizzle in the hot broth while whisking constantly until all of the broth is combined.

Finishing the soup

  • Pour the egg mixture into the pot of hot broth while whisking constantly.
  • Add green beans (fresh or frozen) and cauliflower rice and heat until cooked but still has some texture, about 3-5 minutes. 
  • Add the chicken back in and season with salt and white pepper to taste.
  • Stir in the lemon zest at the end.
  • Serve each bowl with a slice of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil on top.  Enjoy!

Notes

Cauliflower Rice

For the cauliflower rice I used frozen pre-chopped for convenience.  But you can certainly chop your own as well.

A substitute for cauliflower rice

You can use regular rice or orzo pasta for a more traditional flavor, or egg noodles (for more of a chicken soup vibe).   Cook any of these to package instructions in a separate pot, then add the rice, pasta or noodles at the end.
Recipe Tips:
  • If you use chicken with the skins on, remove the skins and crisp them up in a dry saute pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes on both sides until they get nice and golden brown.  They are crispy and delicious!
  • You can use pre-cooked chicken from a whole chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken which will save about 10-15 minutes on the cooking time to this already easy soup!  If you use pre-cooked chicken simply add the chicken at the end to reheat once the green beans are cooked through.
  • I made my Upside Down Roasted Chicken Recipe before taking these photos and was able to serve it for dinner, plus I pulled a lot of meat off of the bones and reserved it for this soup, win win!

Can I make this ahead?

Yes, in fact it may taste better the 2nd day.  It will keep for up to 3 days in a container in the fridge or up to one month in the freezer.
To thaw from the freezer, put it in the fridge overnight or all day, then reheat the soup. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g