Recipe
One of the most traditional recipes of the Greek cuisine is the ‘Avgolemono’ (Egg and lemon) chicken soup. This dish is so old and so…Greek that it brings back memories of our mother, Yiayia etc to all Greek people, of all ages. We may as well call it simply “my mama’s chicken soup”. It’s perfect for the winter cold, full of vitamins and so easy to make. Many like it with orzo or rice.
INGREDIENTS:

1 medium-sized chicken
2 tsp of salt
12 cups of water
3 eggs
1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
2 cups of white rice (for soup or risotto) or orzo if you prefer

HOW TO:

In a large pot put the water, chicken, and salt.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Do not close the lid.
Get rid of the “white foam” on the surface of the water and keep boiling for about one hour.
Then take all ingredients out of the pot and place them on a large plate.
Drain the chicken broth using a drainer and return into the pot.
Bring the broth into a boil and add the rice. Boil for 20 minutes or until the rice is ready.
In a bowl bring together the eggs with the lemon juice and beat well until you have a white foam.

While you are still beating the egg-lemon foam, with the other hand pour a cup of the chicken broth into the bowl. Make sure you do it slowly while beating hard. We do not want the egg to fry but to integrate with the hot broth.
Little by little, empty the whole broth into the bowl and then put back in the pot.
Keep warm but do not boil (If you boil again, the egg will become omelet).
Cut the chicken into smaller pieces and discard all bones.
Serve into large bowls pouring enough broth and enough chicken pieces on top. Season well.

*SERVING TIP:

You may decorate each bowl with a lemon slice and sprinkle with fresh parsley, chopped.

Written by: Maria Boutsi Visit Maria’s ‘Fruit and Cake’ personal blog