Chicken Soup With Leeks and Lemon

Name: Chicken Soup With Leeks and Lemon
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 quarts chicken or turkey stock, preferably homemade; 1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced thin; 2/3 cup rice or coarse bulgur (to taste); 4 large eggs, at room temperature; Fresh juice of 2 lemons, strained, or about 6 to 8 tablespoons, to taste; Salt to taste; Freshly ground pepper; Chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Rating: 4(1,076)
Notes: Read community notes

This is inspired by both the classic Greek soup avgolemono and Scottish cockaleekee. Start with a flavorful chicken or turkey broth, simmer leeks and rice or bulgur in the soup until tender, then enrich with eggs and lemon. The trick here is to begin with a flavorful stock and not to allow the eggs to curdle when you combine the soup and the avgolemono sauce. You can make a vegetarian version of this using a garlic broth or by making a robust vegetable stock using the dark leafy parts of the leeks.

Featured in: Leeks in White Wine

Learn: How to Make Soup

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

2quarts chicken or turkey stock, preferably homemade
1pound leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced thin
⅔cup rice or coarse bulgur (to taste)
4large eggs, at room temperature
Fresh juice of 2 lemons, strained, or about 6 to 8 tablespoons, to taste
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Combine the stock and leeks, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add the rice or bulgur, and continue to simmer until the grain is cooked through, 15 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
Step 2
Beat together the eggs and lemon juice until frothy in a medium bowl.
Step 3
Just before serving, making sure that the broth isn’t boiling, gradually add 2 cups to the egg and lemon mixture while beating vigorously with a whisk to prevent the eggs from curdling. Turn off the heat under the soup, pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup, stir well and serve, adding a bit of pepper to each bowl and garnishing with chopped fresh parsley or dill.

Tip

Advance preparation: You can make this soup through Step 1 several hours before serving, but the grain will continue to absorb liquid; if you do make it ahead, use ½ cup instead of ⅔ cup.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,076 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Kristin6 years ago

This is delicious and simple. I added cooked, shredded chicken to make it a meal.

Hannah6 years ago

Delish but I should have added way less rice than this recipe suggested. It turned into a very tasty faux risotto, but I would have preferred soup! If I make it again, I'll use half broth, half water and add white wine.

Natasha5 years ago

Juice of two lemons much too much — even 1.5 juicy ones overwhelmed the flavor of everything else. Would do with one next time and serve with wedges for people who wanted a bit more. We used 1/2 cup of orzo - more or less the right amount and the texture was great.

Mike D in NC6 years ago

I use Orzo instead of rice and I usually add some cubed chicken thighs but all in all this recipe makes a delicious, satisfying soup. Don't be afraid to mess with it though. Some Parsley or Tarragon, a bit more lemon or zest, a bit of garlic or minced, caramelized onion. There are as many variations as there are Greek cooks!

Nicole4 years ago

This a great soup! I made a couple tweaks: sweat the leeks in a little butter for a few minutes, add some white wine before the broth, and throw in a parm rind . Amazing!

kccook3 years ago

You pour two cups of the soup into the egg/lemon mixture while whisking, then turn off the heat under the remaining soup and pour the egg/lemon/soup mixture that you just whisked together into the soup. Hope this helps--it's done this way to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Liz6 years ago

Delicious surprise. Used 1/4 cup of juice from lemons in our tree. Used a mix of veggie and chicken stock concentrate. No problems with curdling. The soup came out silky smooth with just the right amount of lemon.

Sarah5 years ago

This was lovely. Sautéed the leaks with garlic for a few minutes to start. Used brown jasmine rice and added rotisserie chicken. Added lots of chopped parsley and dill at the end. Perfect for a cold night.

lblalock6 years ago

Absolutely delicious and quick recipe. I used quinoa instead of rice, and it turned out great. As suggested, a few sprigs of dill pair great with soup!

Patricia6 years ago

I have made this recipe several times and always get rave reviews from my sick buddies! Plan on making it again today,save some for me and deliver it to friends in need of a helping hand. Have lemons to be picked and used as well,win/win.

michael1 week ago

My wife and I add carrots and lemon zest which we love.

chengysmalls1 month ago

2 lemons made the soup too sour. I’d start with 1 and see how it tastes. I also used barley because that’s what I had and it was still tasty. Had to add more water (and salt) because of the acid

hayley2 months ago

I added onion, carrots, celery, shredded chicken thighs, orzo and dill in addition to what was written. Very very good!

Catina3 months ago

Very good. Saute leeks with minced clove of garlic. Boneless skinless thighs. Used both dill and parsley and had some green tops from scallions left from breakfast - probably just dill next time. Used immersion blender to temper the eggs, and it worked perfectly

A&W cook3 months ago

2.15.2024. Another delicious chicken soup! Used ~6 c. homemade broth, 2 c. frozen previously prep’ed leeks (wt. ~6 oz.), 1/2 c. Basmati rice, 3 T. lemon juice. Poached 2 chix thighs in broth first, shredded, salt/pepper added back ~1 while whisking egg/lemon. Just the right texture…the leeks melted into the broth. (Remaining chix for curry chix salad.)

Simon Greedwell4 months ago

Big hit! Neither store I went to had leeks, so I subbed red onion, vidalia, fennel and garlic. Probably not exactly the same, but it was good. Definitely curdled the egg, so it looked disgusting!! Tasted great.

Emma Petrin4 months ago

Added: - 1 small head of Napa cabbage - Parmesean rind - bulb of garlic - used 3/4 cup of orzo instead of rice Started off with sautéing leeks and cabbage with 2 cloves of garlic for about 2 min Added chicken broth, Parmesean rind, and bulb of garlic with stem cut off The rest is to the recipe! Delicious!!

CC5 months ago

Tasty. Added 3 small chicken cutlets. Use whole pack next time.

cynthia t5 months ago

Made this once and it was pretty good with chicken added. made it again for thanksgiving lunch, without chicken and following the recipe. Not good! It was bitter and the lemon was too much. Will switch for another recipe but word to the wise, I would add the lemon to the soup so it cooks and dilutes a little more rather than the egg.

Doug R6 months ago

Sweated the leaks in butter as someone suggested and use a small amount of orzo. Didn’t add back any of the chicken meat. Served with toasted baguette Gruyère sandwiches. Really wonderful.

Kate7 months ago

Simmered one skin-on chicken thigh for 20 minutes with the leeks then removed it and took a bath with an aperitif (Carpano Antica vermouth, ice, lavender Epsom salts) while number four coarse bulgur simmered for 30 minutes. Stirred in a bunch of fresh radish greens I had on hand to wilt at the end while mixing up the lemon and egg. Served over Greek barley rusks with a bit of olive oil. Easy and excellent and approved of by Greek spouse. Avoglemono soups are always so great when you have a cold!

Kate7 months ago

forgot to say, removed chicken skin when adding shredded chicken back in but kept it on while it cooked as it added yummy fat/flavor to store-bought chicken broth (the paste kind).

Caitlin1 year ago

This recipe was so easy and delicious. Minimal prep and hands off cooking. I’ve never used egg to thicken a soup like this, and I’m so impressed with the results.

Drew P1 year ago

Made a half portion and took advice from this thread to add 1 cup water to the stock and reduced rice to .25 cup. I liked it but next time would reduce the cook time with the leeks to half—they had practically dissolved by the end—and reduce the lemon.

mamasaurus1 year ago

wonderful soup - my nephew is my biggest cook fan and I gave him a container after his basketball game and I got more raves - loved it

Ed1 year ago

The recipe is flawed big time. It says to add 6-8 T (juice of two lemons) "to taste" First it's way too much lemon and I love lemon. Second, it calls to add the lemon to the raw egg well before it's in the soup. You can not taste it in the egg mixture to gauge if it's the right flavor. I believe it would be a good soup but try 1-2 T and add more later after it's in the soup if necesary.

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