Avgolemono: The Greek Soup That Feels Like a Hug
By Rena Mihalopoulos | 15 May 2026
If there's one recipe I come back to again and again when the weather turns cool, it's avgolemono. It's the kind of soup that doesn't ask much of you — some chicken, a lemon, a few eggs — and gives back so much more than you'd expect. Silky, warming, and just a little bit tangy, it's the dish my mother made when anyone in the family was under the weather, and the one I still reach for on a grey Melbourne afternoon.
Avgolemono (αυγολέμονο) literally means "egg-lemon" in Greek, and that's exactly what makes it special. The combination of beaten eggs and fresh lemon juice is whisked into a warm chicken broth, creating a sauce — or in this case, a soup — that's impossibly creamy without a drop of cream in sight. It's one of those Greek kitchen tricks that feels almost like magic the first time you do it.
A little background
Avgolemono is one of the most beloved flavours in Greek cooking. You'll find it as a sauce spooned over stuffed vegetables (yemista), as a finishing touch on pork fricassee, and — most famously — as this simple, restorative soup. It's been on Greek tables for centuries, and once you taste it, you'll understand why it's never gone out of fashion.
In Greek Cooking in an Australian Kitchen, I've included avgolemono in the soups chapter because I think it's one of the best introductions to Greek cooking there is. It uses everyday ingredients, it comes together in under an hour, and it teaches you the egg-lemon technique that unlocks so many other Greek recipes.
The recipe: Avgolemono Soup
Serves 4–6
What you'll need:
1 free-range chicken, around 1 ½ kilograms
2 litres water
1 teaspoon salt
1 brown onion, peeled and cut into quarters
1 large carrot, cut in half
1 chicken stock cube
1 ¾ cups medium grain white rice (300g)
Egg-lemon Sauce:
2 eggs, free range, separated
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch salt
Ground pepper to garnish
How to make it:
Cut chicken into quarters, place in a large pot with the stock cube, onion and carrot. Add the water and salt, place the lid on slightly ajar, bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for around 40 minutes until meat is tender and broth flavours have developed. Strain broth into a large bowl using a colander, discard vegetables and set the chicken carcass aside to cool. When cool enough to handle remove the flesh tearing it into rustic pieces and save for the soup, discarding the skin and bones. Return broth to the pot and bring to a simmer then add the rice. There should be enough liquid but if not, add more water. Allow the rice to cook and prepare the egg lemon sauce.
Add a pinch of salt to egg whites then, using a hand blender, whisk the whites until soft peaks form. Add one yolk at a time, beating well after each addition. When the rice is cooked remove from the heat. Using a ladle, spoon some of the hot broth liquid (try not to include the rice) into the egg mixture, pouring it in slowly whilst continually whisking the eggs. This step is important; if the hot liquid is introduced too quickly the eggs will curdle. It helps to have someone else whisking while you pour. Once you've ladled about half a cup of hot liquid into the egg mixture stop whisking and fold egg mixture into the soup. Add the lemon juice and chicken pieces. Serve hot with cracked pepper.
A few tips from my kitchen
Room temperature eggs matter. Cold eggs are harder to whisk to a froth and more likely to curdle when they hit the hot broth. Take them out of the fridge 20–30 minutes before you start.
Don't rush the tempering. Adding the hot broth slowly — and whisking the whole time — is what keeps the soup silky rather than scrambled. It sounds fiddly but it becomes second nature very quickly.
Lemon is personal. I like mine quite bright and lemony, but start with the juice of one lemon and add more to taste. The flavour also mellows a little as the soup sits.
It doesn't reheat well. Avgolemono is best eaten fresh. If you do have leftovers, reheat very gently over low heat and don't let it boil.
Why this soup is perfect for an Australian autumn
We're well into May now, and if you're in Melbourne or Sydney you'll know the mornings have that proper chill to them. This is exactly the kind of cooking I love for this time of year — nothing heavy or complicated, just something that warms you from the inside out and reminds you that good food doesn't have to be fussy.
If you'd like to explore more recipes like this one — soups, dips, salads, and festive dishes that bring a little Greek warmth to an Australian kitchen — you'll find 124 of them in Greek Cooking in an Australian Kitchen. It's written for home cooks, with the kind of detail I wish I'd had when I was first learning to cook the food I grew up eating.
I hope this one finds its way onto your stove soon. ☀️