Chicken Soup With Leeks and Lemon

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated February 12, 2017

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
4(1,173)
Comments
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This is inspired by both the classic Greek soup avgolemono and Scottish cockaleekee. Start with a flavorful chicken or turkey broth, simmer leeks and rice or bulgur in the soup until tender, then enrich with eggs and lemon. The trick here is to begin with a flavorful stock and not to allow the eggs to curdle when you combine the soup and the avgolemono sauce. You can make a vegetarian version of this using a garlic broth or by making a robust vegetable stock using the dark leafy parts of the leeks.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 2 quarts chicken or turkey stock, preferably homemade

  • 1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced thin

  • ⅔ cup rice or coarse bulgur (to taste)

  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature

  • Fresh juice of 2 lemons, strained, or about 6 to 8 tablespoons, to taste

  • Salt to taste

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • Chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

38 grams carbs; 134 milligrams cholesterol; 276 calories; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 1113 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 9 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the stock and leeks, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add the rice or bulgur, and continue to simmer until the grain is cooked through, 15 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.

  2. Step 2

    Beat together the eggs and lemon juice until frothy in a medium bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Just before serving, making sure that the broth isn’t boiling, gradually add 2 cups to the egg and lemon mixture while beating vigorously with a whisk to prevent the eggs from curdling. Turn off the heat under the soup, pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup, stir well and serve, adding a bit of pepper to each bowl and garnishing with chopped fresh parsley or dill.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: You can make this soup through Step 1 several hours before serving, but the grain will continue to absorb liquid; if you do make it ahead, use ½ cup instead of ⅔ cup.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,173 user ratings
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Comments

Kristin

This is delicious and simple. I added cooked, shredded chicken to make it a meal.

Hannah

Delish but I should have added way less rice than this recipe suggested. It turned into a very tasty faux risotto, but I would have preferred soup! If I make it again, I'll use half broth, half water and add white wine.

Mike D in NC

I use Orzo instead of rice and I usually add some cubed chicken thighs but all in all this recipe makes a delicious, satisfying soup. Don't be afraid to mess with it though. Some Parsley or Tarragon, a bit more lemon or zest, a bit of garlic or minced, caramelized onion. There are as many variations as there are Greek cooks!

Ben

Here’s an alternate prep that uses chicken meatballs, a Parmesan rind and orzo: Lemon Chicken, Leek & Orzo Soup Ingredients: 2 qt chicken stock; 1 lb leeks, white/light green parts thinly sliced; 1 Parmesan rind; ½ cup orzo; 4 eggs; 6–8 tbsp fresh lemon juice; dill; salt; pepper. Meatballs: 1 lb ground chicken; ⅓ cup grated Parmesan; ¼ cup chopped dill or parsley; 1 egg; ¼ cup breadcrumbs; ½ tsp salt; pepper; 1 grated garlic clove (optional). 1. Prep: Wash leeks thoroughly. Mix meatball ingredients gently and form ¾–1” meatballs. Whisk eggs with 6 tbsp lemon juice until frothy; set aside. 2. Broth: Combine stock, leeks and Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered 20 min. Don’t salt yet. 3. Chicken: Add meatballs and gently simmer 5 min. 4. Orzo: Add orzo and simmer 7–9 min, stirring occasionally. Stop when orzo is just shy of done; it will continue cooking. Chicken should reach 165°F. Remove Parmesan rind. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 5. Temper: Turn off heat and wait 1 min. Slowly whisk 2 cups hot broth into egg-lemon mixture. Gradually stir mixture back into soup. Do not boil. 6. Finish: Taste and add remaining lemon juice as desired. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately with plenty of chopped dill and black pepper. Leftovers: Orzo absorbs broth as it sits. Add stock/water when reheating and warm gently without boiling.

Jennifer Montgomery

Made this because I have a tree full of lemons and a sick husband. Added cooked ground chicken meat, cooked in a pan w/ olive oil S&P. Really yummy. Sick husband loved it too!

RoseRover

This is such a delicious simple and satisfying soup! I've made it as per the recipe and most recently when I had no leeks on hand with finely sliced green onions and white onions in place of the leeks. Still delicious. It's also quite easy to halve the recipe. I usually start with a lower amount of lemon juice and then add more to taste. I quite like the nuttiness of bulgur and I haven't tried it with rice.

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