just what the doctor ordered

Spring is actually starting to feel like, well, Spring. Bright, seasonably warm days intersperse with damp, cool ones, making the common cold a common complaint heard round these parts lately. Almost caught one myself this week, so I decided that a good dousing of chicken soup would help nip it in the bud. But grandma’s variety wasn’t what I craved–I wanted something light, bright and filled with healthy veggies to help increase the vitamin count. My solution? Avgolemono. The classic Greek soup is a comfort fave for me and this recipe is such a snap to throw together. Perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather and not quite up to sweating over a hot stove. Best part is, it worked! My cold never really developed…now I just have to find a way to deal with these annoying allergies!

Spring Veggie Avgolemono

This chicken soup is lemony, velvety, and wonderfully soothing. And the secret ingredient is: eggs! Eggs whipped with fresh lemon zest and juice, and then tempered with the hot chicken broth (don’t worry, I’ll explain) combine to create a light, creamy base to this soup. To add some texture and bite to the broth, I throw in seasonal veggies (carrots and peas, please), shredded roast chicken breast, and orzo pasta. A final sprinkling of freshly minced herbs adds more Spring green and brightness–it’s a rejuvenating bowl of goodness.

Roast the chicken breast first. Ina Garten taught me long ago that the most flavorful way to prepare chicken breast for recipes (like her/my Chinese Chicken Salad) is to roast it whole on the bone. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the breast on a baking sheet, rub with olive oil, and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant read thermometer reaches 160 degrees. Let rest until cool.

Pull off the skin, remove the flesh from the bone, and shred the meat with your fingers.

I had some frozen homemade chicken stock on hand to use for the base of this soup, but you can certainly use store bought chicken stock instead–just make sure to choose low sodium, so you can control the salt content. In a dutch oven or soup pot, bring the stock to a low simmer.



This time of year, I can usually find fresh shelled peas at my produce market. If they’re not available to you, you could use English peas and shell them yourself, or substitute frozen peas. Snow peas would also work nicely: cut them on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces. Bring a small saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the peas, bring back to the boil, and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes–they should be al dente.

Remove with a spider strainer and shock them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Bring the water in the saucepan back to the boil.

Chop 2 peeled carrots so that the dice is about the same size as the peas. Add the dice to the boiling water in the saucepan, bring back to the boil, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Again, remove the carrots from the pan with a strainer and shock in the ice water bath. Bring the water in the pan back to the boil.

Drain both vegetables and set aside.

Add 1/4 cup orzo to the water in the saucepan and boil for 2 to 3 minutes less than package directions–extra al dente. The pasta will continue cooking in the chicken broth, so you don’t want it to be too mushy.

Stir the peas, carrots and orzo into the chicken broth. Add the shredded chicken and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with kosher salt and just a bit of finely ground black pepper.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Using a microplane or grater, zest 2 lemons and add the zest to the eggs. Juice the lemons to equal 1/4 cup juice and whisk the juice into the eggs until frothy.

Use a pyrex measuring cup to scoop about a cup of hot broth from the pot. To temper the eggs so that they won’t curdle in the soup, you want to carefully bring them up to the temperature of the broth. Slowly pour the hot broth into the lemon-egg mixture, whisking all the while. When all the broth is incorporated, it should be foamy and smooth.

Stir the tempered lemon-egg mixture into the soup. Bring back to the simmer, being careful not to let it boil. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or lemon juice if needed.

Ladle into shallow bowls and sprinkle with the freshly minced parsley and cilantro leaves. Serve with warm country bread and a green salad. You’ll be feeling better in no time.

Serves 2 to 3:

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