Avoglemono (Lemony
chicken and rice soup)
by Samantha Tingey
Ingredients
• 2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1
sweet onion, chopped
• 6
pounds split chicken breasts
• 2
carrots, each cut into 6 pieces
• 1
leek, split (top discarded)
• 2
bay leaves
• 1/3-1/2
cup fresh lemon juice (start with 1/3 cup; add more at the end if you prefer a
stronger lemon flavor)
• 4
eggs
• 1
1/2 cups orzo pasta
• kosher
salt, to taste (at least a few teaspoons)
• freshly
ground black pepper, to taste (use liberally if desired, the pepper and lemon
contrast is wonderful)
Instructions
1. Sweat onions in a
medium skillet with the evoo until soft and translucent, about five minutes.
2. Meanwhile,
place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven. Add water until it's covered by 1
inch. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
3. Remove chicken
and set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove meat, discarding the
bones. Add carrots, leek, bay leaves, chicken and onions back to pot; simmer
another hour (or longer, I've simmered as long as two hours). Remove the
carrots and leek (you can eat the carrots or discard).
4. Bring to a boil
and add orzo pasta. Cook until the orzo is done according to package
directions.
5. In a small
bowl, beat the lemon juice and eggs together. Slowly stir in two cups of the
broth, whisking continuously (this is called tempering). Pour the egg mixture
back into the pot, stirring well.
6. Season to taste
(don't skimp on the seasoning!) and serve. The mixture will thicken a lot after
sitting overnight in the refrigerator (I like it best after it's thickened but
it's delicious both ways).
