Kotosoupa Avgolemono: Chicken & Rice Soup with Egg and Lemon
INGREDIENTS
- 1 chicken, 3-4 pounds
- 12 cups of water
- 2 cups of "round" rice
- 2 eggs
- juice of 2 lemons
- sea salt
- ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- Clean chicken and remove skin and fat.
DIRECTIONS
- Clean chicken and remove skin and fat.
- Place the chicken in a large stock pot and add water to cover.
- Bring to a full boil.
- Skim off any foam that rises to the top.
- When the foam stops, reduce heat, cover the soup and simmer until the chicken meat is falling off the bone, (depending on weight, about 2 hours or more).
- Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Strain the broth, return to the pot, and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice, salt, pepper, and olive oil to the pot, reduce heat, and simmer until the rice is done, approximately 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.
- While the rice is cooking, bone the chicken and cut the meat into pieces.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and add the lemon juice a drop at a time.
- When the lemon and egg have blended, add 4-5 tablespoons of soup to the mix, one tablespoon at a time, stirring briskly to blend after each tablespoon.
- If the hot liquid is added too quickly, the mixture will curdle.
- When the mix is fully blended, stir the soup and pour in the egg-lemon mixture slowly, and shake the pot gently to distribute.
- Do not stir.
- Add the chicken meat to the soup and serve immediately.