Greek Lemon Chicken soup

Sometimes soup is just exactly what you need.  

This soup is so comforting, so creamy and lemony, bright and full of chicken flavor.  It is a favorite in Greek restaurants and homes, and I know why!  When I make a pot of this, my family go crazy for it.  Especially my husband.  He really enjoys this soup. 

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• meat of 3 chicken breasts shredded
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 eggs
• juice and zest of 3 lemons
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped herbs (I used sage, you can use thyme, parsley or sage)
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth, and bay leaf to a simmer. Add chicken breasts, cover and gently simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts, let cool slightly and pull or cut chicken into thin strips. Set aside. (If you don't want to cook the chicken in the broth, you can use a roasted chicken and shred the meat. I honestly made fresh chicken broth because I had the time. You can do this with store bought broth, make life easy!)


Strain soup and return to boil. Add rice and veggies and gently simmer for 20 minutes, then add chicken back to soup for another 5 minutes.


Whisk eggs until they are frothy, and whisk in lemon juice and zest. Add a cup of the hot soup to egg-lemon mixture, very slowly, whisking while you pour it in. Add another cup in the same manner. Take soup off the heat and add egg mixture to it. Add herbs, salt and pepper.


Cook's notes

I made twice this amount. I started by barely covering 3 carrots, an onion, a head of garlic, 2 celery stalks, 3 bay leaves, sage, and 5 huge chicken breasts on the bone with water. I slowly brought it to a boil, then turned it down and simmered for an hour or two. I took out the chicken, strained the broth, let the chicken cool and shredded it.


I then followed the above recipe, except double the amount. I used jasmine rice, you can use orzo pasta or whatever rice you want.


Enjoy!