greek-inspired creamy lemon chicken soup (egg-free avgolemono)

Avgolemono is a Greek sauce made of egg and lemon. When added to soup, it creates a lemony, luscious texture. In the US, avgolemono typically just refers to chicken soup made with this sauce. With egg prices sky-high, I decided to tweak this soup to make it egg-free. Silken tofu lends this soup the creamy texture that makes avgolemono delicious. Because I didn’t have orzo, I decided to experiment with pastina. Is this soup blasphemous? Maybe. Is it a cup of comfort? Yes.

ingredients

• Olive oil is used to sauté garlic, which lends a lot of flavor to this soup.
• Chicken stock is the base. Because this soup’s flavor is simple, using the best quality chicken stock you can is important. I prefer using homemade stock, but you can use Better Than Bouillon or your favorite store-bought chicken stock.
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast is poached in the chicken stock, then shredded. Cooking it like this keeps it tender while adding more chicken flavor to the soup broth.
• Silken tofu is the key ingredient for making this soup creamy. Instead of using the typical lemon and egg mixture, we create a slurry of lemon, salt, and silken tofu to make this soup thick and creamy.
• Lemon juice adds light acidity to this soup, which balances its rich creaminess.
• I used pastina, but you can use orzo or rice if you’d like.
• Salt and pepper and dill are used to season the soup.

how to make greek-inspired creamy lemon chicken soup (egg-free avgolemono)

step one

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step two

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tasting notes

greek-inspired creamy lemon chicken soup (egg-free avgolemono)

Avgolemono is a Greek sauce made of egg and lemon. When added to soup, it creates a lemony, luscious texture. In the US, avgolemono typically just refers to chicken soup made with this sauce. With egg prices sky-high, I decided to tweak this soup to make it egg-free. Silken tofu lends this soup the creamy texture that makes avgolemono delicious. Because I didn’t have orzo, I decided to experiment with pastina. Is this soup blasphemous? Maybe. Is it a cup of comfort? Yes.

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Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 package soft silken tofu 12 ounces
• Juice of 2 medium lemons about 4 tablespoons
• ½ cup pastina
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh or dried dill to garnish
• Lemon wedges to garnish

Instructions

 

• Heat a small soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, then the garlic. Sauté until the garlic starts to soften, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once the stock is boiling, add the chicken breast and gently simmer until the chicken registers 140 degrees on a meat thermometer. For me, this took about 25 minutes using a frozen chicken breast.
• While the chicken is cooking, add the silken tofu, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth. It should be slightly thick and creamy with no lumps.
• Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and shred the meat. Once shredded, place the meat back into the pot.
• Add the pastina and cook until just before al dente, about 4 minutes. Stir the tofu mixture into the soup. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, then serve. Garnish with dill and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Since this soup has minimal ingredients, the quality matters. Use the best chicken stock you can! I used homemade stock that I simmered for hours the day before. You could use store-bought bone broth or Better Than Bouillon, or just use the chicken stock you prefer.
2. Chicken is recommended to be cooked to 165 degrees. We are cooking it to 140 here, then shredding it and putting it back into the soup so that it can finish cooking. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, I recommend getting one! It’s one of my most-used kitchen tools and takes the guesswork out of when meat is finished cooking.
3. You can typically find silken tofu in the Asian foods area of your local grocery store or in an Asian grocery. If you can’t find it in-person, you can order it online.
4. If you don’t have pastina, you can use rice or orzo. Just simmer whatever grain you use until it’s almost done, or a few minutes less than what the package recommends for its cooking time.
5. You can make this up to a few days ahead of time! Refrigerate to store it, then reheat in the microwave or on the stove when you’re ready to serve. It’ll thicken up in the fridge. Just add a couple tablespoons of water to each serving so that it’s the consistency you’d like!