Quick Takeaway
Yes, Greek lemon chicken soup is a naturally low oxalate comfort bowl. Chicken, broth, egg, and bright lemon come together smooth and creamy with no dairy, keeping every spoonful in the Low tier. New here? Start with our Low Oxalate Foods List.
A bowl of warm, citrusy Greek lemon chicken soup is exactly what you want on a cold day, smooth, creamy, and packed with bright flavor, but light enough that it never feels heavy. This is a classic Avgolemono, the traditional Greek soup that gets its creamy texture from eggs and lemon instead of cream or flour. It comes together in just over an hour with simple, low-oxalate ingredients, and tastes like something you’d order at a Greek restaurant.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy without the cream. The egg-and-lemon tempering technique gives this soup a smooth, creamy body, no dairy, no flour.
- Naturally low oxalate. Chicken, white rice, lemon, eggs, and fresh dill, every ingredient is gentle on an oxalate-sensitive system.
- Family-friendly. Mild, comforting, and easy to adapt for picky eaters.
- Mostly hands-off. The Instant Pot does the work of cooking the chicken; the rest is light prep and a few minutes at the stove.
- Even better the next day. The flavor deepens overnight, making it perfect for meal prep.
What Is Avgolemono?
Avgolemono (pronounced ahv-go-LEH-mo-no) is the Greek word for both a sauce and a soup made by tempering eggs and fresh lemon juice into hot broth. The result is creamy, tangy, and surprisingly light. You’ll find it on the menu at most traditional Greek tavernas, served as a starter, a sick-day comfort meal, or a light dinner with crusty bread on the side. The egg-tempering technique sounds intimidating but it’s straightforward once you’ve done it once, it’s mostly a matter of warming the eggs gradually so they don’t scramble.
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Ingredient Notes
- Arborio rice. White rice is low oxalate, and arborio’s starch is what thickens the broth.
- Fresh lemon juice. Half a cup sounds like a lot but it is what defines avgolemono.
- Eggs, tempered slowly. Whisk hot broth into the eggs a ladle at a time before adding them back, or they will scramble.
- Fresh dill. Low oxalate and traditional here.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cooked boneless chicken breasts, shredded
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3/4-1 cup green onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 8 cups chicken broth or chicken bone broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- fresh dill for garnish (optional)
Equipment
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
- Large saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Fork or whisk
- Two forks (for shredding chicken)
Instructions
- Fill an Instant Pot 1/3 – 1/2 of the way full with water. Place the chicken in the water. All of the chicken should be submerged in the water. Set the Instant Pot to Poultry for 15 minutes on high pressure.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. While the chicken is cooking, chop the vegetables. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and green onions. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, broth, bay leaves, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the rice. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Temper the eggs by slowly adding two ladles of hot broth while whisking. Add two ladles of broth to the bowl with the eggs and lemon juice. Beat with a fork to combine.
- Remove the sauce pan from the heat. Add the lemon and egg mixture to the soup.
- Garnish with fresh dill and serve right away. Enjoy!
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Pro Tips for the Best Avgolemono
- Keep the heat low when adding the eggs. Too hot and the eggs scramble, leaving you with a curdled-looking broth. Aim for a gentle simmer, not a boil.
- Whisk constantly while tempering. Pour the hot broth in a thin, steady stream while whisking the egg mixture nonstop. This is the single most important technique.
- Don’t skip the dill. Fresh dill is the signature flavor, dried dill won’t deliver the same brightness.
- Adjust acidity to taste. The lemon should be present but not aggressive. Start with less juice and add more at the end if you want more punch.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator. Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavor actually improves on day two.
- Reheating. Warm gently over low heat. Don’t boil, high heat can break the egg emulsion and make the broth look grainy.
- Freezing. Avgolemono doesn’t freeze well, the egg-thickened broth tends to separate when thawed. Make a fresh batch instead.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use rotisserie chicken. Skip the pressure-cooking step entirely. Use 3 to 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken and stir it in at the same point the recipe calls for the cooked chicken.
- Stovetop method. No Instant Pot? Simmer the chicken breasts in salted water for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through, then continue with the rest of the recipe.
- Swap arborio for long-grain rice. The texture will be a touch less creamy but still excellent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Greek lemon chicken soup low oxalate?
Yes. The main ingredients, chicken, white rice (arborio works fine), lemon juice, eggs, and fresh dill, are all low in oxalates. Just stick with white rice (not brown) and avoid pasta or wheat-based thickeners.
Can I make this on the stovetop instead of the Instant Pot?
Yes. Simmer the chicken breasts in a pot of salted water until cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes, then continue with the rest of the recipe as written. The result is the same, you just lose a little of the time savings.
Why did my soup curdle?
Curdling happens when the eggs cook too fast. Two fixes: take the broth off direct heat before adding the tempered eggs, and make sure your eggs were tempered slowly, adding hot broth in a thin stream while whisking continuously.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?
Absolutely. Skip the pressure-cooking step and use 3 to 4 cups of pulled rotisserie chicken. Stir it in at the same point the recipe calls for the cooked chicken.
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