Avgolemono Chicken Soup With Gnocchi
Published April 24, 2025
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 quarts chicken stock (preferably homemade)
3 cups torn rotisserie chicken (or other cooked chicken)
3 medium lemons
Salt and black pepper
1 pound shelf-stable or refrigerated gnocchi
5 egg yolks (see Tip to save the egg whites)
4 garlic cloves, grated
Fresh dill (optional), for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
41 grams carbs; 198 milligrams cholesterol; 435 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1227 milligrams sodium; 27 grams protein; 7 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
- Step 1
To a large pot over high, add the chicken stock, torn chicken and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from about 1 lemon). Add a hefty pinch of salt (remember, you are seasoning a lot of liquid!) and a few cracks of black pepper and bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Step 2
Add the gnocchi to the soup and continue simmering for 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, squeeze enough lemon juice into a heatproof liquid measuring cup to get ½ cup juice. Add the yolks and the garlic to the juice and whisk to combine.
- Step 4
While constantly whisking, slowly stream 2 cups of the simmering chicken stock into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Add the tempered yolk mixture to the pot all at once and stir to combine. Turn the heat off right after incorporating the eggs. Taste and season with more salt as needed.
- Step 5
Serve with additional lemon zest on top, freshly cracked black pepper and dill, if using.
Don’t discard those leftover egg whites! They will keep, refrigerated, for up to 4 days — and are perfect for an egg white frittata with leeks or pavlova (or another use).
Private Notes
Comments
I halved the recipe making for just myself. Wanted more stew than soup, so cut stock from 4 cups (1/2 recipe) to 2.5, simmering as specified. Worked fine. Sacrificed 2 XL eggs for the yolks, freezing the whites in a recycled condiment jar, labelled. Between those and the lemon juice, zest, came out looking like pix, but thicker. Between the starch from the gnocchi and the yolks, plus less broth than specified, it thickened nicely. I liked it. A lot. No dill but subbing fresh basil and rosemary worked out well. That and the add'l lemon peel (used a zester vs grater - easier and prettier too!) it was visually appealing and really delicious. Fast! and a good use for gnocchi in a quickly made one-dish meal. Definitely accompany with crusty French/sourdough bread. Will repeat!
You can use the egg whites in avgolemono (more protein!). Just beat whole eggs thoroughly & temper as directed, but extra slowly. A blender works really well here - that’s how my Greek mama taught me. The downside will be more curdled bits of egg white if you reheat the soup, but there were never leftovers in my family!
@Maria thanks for sharing. When I saw gnocchi my Greek ness immediately felt offended. I will follow suit and see what it’s like replacing the white rice.
Loved this and added chopped fresh arugula to the pot at the end. A sprinkle of parmesan gave the dish some interest. Would make again!
I loved this and it was so insanely easy. Took me no time and had amazing flavor and silkiness. My kid loved it too. I halved the recipe but kept the whole pack of gnocchi, used 3 egg yolks, and used grilled and pre-sliced chicken from TJs. Yummy. Will definitely make again.
I much prefer the pillowy gnocchi to rice. Even more heretical to Zeus and the lesser gods, I used a light touch of fresh herbs including mint, basil and oregano but no dill, along with lacinato kale. As written, this recipe provides the Platonic ideal of the classic soup with a more interesting mouth feel. But I will continue to experiment with other spices to take it in a more north African direction. Sorry, Zeus!