Greek Avgolemeno Chicken Soup

 Everyone in my house has the flu.  When I was a child and was sick my lovely mother would always make me this chicken soup and she still continues to make it for the grand kids when requested.  My heritage is Greek and our version of chicken feel good soup is called Avgolemeno Soup.  It is so comforting and delicious.  The lemon chicken broth goes down real smooth and the eggs give extra nourishment to the ill.  You don't have to be sick to enjoy this comforting soup.

I wanted to post this recipe for my wonderful nieces, Eleftheria and Penelope who are now of the age to start cooking for themselves and for my teenage daughter, Athena.  I am sure down the road they will appreciate this recipe when they start having families of their own, they can make this soup for their children. It is our duty to the pass the knowledge and the family recipes!  Enjoy girls!!!!

Ingredients:
10 cups chicken stock (homemade or organic ready made)
1 split chicken breast on the bone (salted, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil)
1/3 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 T. olive oil
1 T. salted butter
1 onion (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste, very important to season your soup!

2 T. corn starch
4 T. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. dried dill or fresh

2 eggs, separated
pinch salt
2 lemons (juice)

Sprinkle with dill, if desired

Directions:
Take your split chicken breast, salt and pepper it.  Place on a well greased roasting pan coated with olive oil.  Drizzle additional olive oil on top.  Roast for 35 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.  Remove from oven when done.  Cool.  Remove chicken from bone and chop into small size pieces to add to soup later.  This method produces a tender, moist piece of chicken.  It will not be tough in texture when added in your soup.  This can be done in advance.

In your soup stock pot, add butter and olive oil and sautee onions, celery, carrot and garlic until tender and translucent.  Add dried herbs.  Add 10 cups of stock and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes until all veggies are tender.  Using an immersion blender.  Blend until vegetables are still visible but fine in texture and size.  Add rice and simmer for another 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Adjust seasoning.
*If you don't have an immersion blender, just make sure you chop you veggies really fine when you add to the pot or ladle them out and add to a blender or food processor for a quick finer chop.  Place back into stock pot, add  your rice and continue with directions. 

Take 2 T. cornstarch and 4 T. heavy cream and blend with a spoon until smooth and no lumps are visible.  Slowly stir this into soup.  Mix well.  Add dill and chopped chicken pieces at this time.  Adjust seasoning if need be.   Continue to let soup cool for about 20 minutes.  You can now start to make the egg and lemon mixture.  You do not want to add this mixture to very hot boiling soup.  The egg/lemon mixture will curdle and we do not want that to happen.

Using a hand mixer.  Separate the eggs.  Start with the egg whites first, whip until frothy and foamy, not stiff. Add a pinch of salt.    Slowly add the egg yolks one at a time.  Continue to whip to a frothy texture.  Add lemon juice from the 2 lemons, slowly into the egg mixture while the mixer is still whipping. When it is all mixed and frothy.  Take a cup of warm soup and slowly add this to the egg mixture to temper the eggs while the mixer is beating.

Slowly pour egg mixture into the stock pot with the broth/chicken and with a large wooden spoon stir the pot gently to incorporate the egg/lemon mixture into the soup.  You can reheat the soup to a low simmer, do not bring to a boil.   Remember to always check for seasoning, salt and pepper.