Lemon Chicken Soup

  There’s one word that comes to my mind when I make and eat this soup – elegant.  It’s velvety texture is equisite, and belies the nutritious nature of  this soup, which without chicken is called Avgolemono (Greek for lemon and egg).  Easy to make, economical, and just what I needed for a between-seasons soup that has all the promise of spring in every delicious spoonful.

Ingredients for lemon Chicken Soup Recipe: (makes four servings)

6 cups low-fat,  low-sodium chicken stock

2 whole chicken legs, poached 

3 eggs

1/3 cup orzo pasta

2 lemons

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Begin by poaching the chicken legs. Other cuts of chicken can be used – I love the dark meat of the legs because it remains nice and moist in the soup and adds a lot of flavor.

In a medium pot, barely cover the chicken with salted water, add a few grinds of black pepper and simmer on low, partially covered with a lid, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover completely and let cool in the liquid for 10 minutes, or until they can handled easily. Remove the skin, and pull the meat from the legs in bite sized pieces.

Heat the chicken stock (either homemade or canned) in a soup pot to a simmer. Add the orzo, a little torpedo shaped pasta, to the water and cook for 10 minutes, still at a simmer. Ensure that the pasta is fully cooked.

Meanwhile beat the eggs with a fork until they are frothy and add the juice of 1 and 1/2 of the lemons. Reserve the other half of lemon for garnishing..

To the eggs, add a tablespoon of the hot chicken broth, beating it in quickly.  This will “temper” the eggs – or slowly bring them up in temperature so they will not scramble in the soup. Repeat with two more tablespoons of broth.

With the soup off the heat, add the egg mixture to the pot, stirring all the while. Place back on a warm burner, but  Do not bring the soup to a boil after this point, or the eggs will scramble.

Add the poached chicken, warm on very low and correct for salt and pepper. Garnish the soup with slices of lemon and Enjoy!