What is avgolemono? Greek egg-lemon chicken soup explained

Greek chicken avgolemono soup is a bowl of pale gold broth with a texture somewhere between a clear soup and a light cream soup. It holds tender shreds of chicken, soft rice and chunks of potato, and the whole thing carries a sharp, clean lemon note over a deeply savory chicken base. It is gentle on the first spoonful and brighter on the second.

People love it because it feels rich without being heavy. The silkiness comes from egg yolk and lemon, not cream or flour, so the soup tastes like chicken and citrus and nothing else. It is the kind of food you make for someone who is under the weather, or for yourself on a gray day.

Where avgolemono comes from

The name is simple. Avgolemono is Greek for "egg-lemon," and it describes a family of sauces and soups made from egg and lemon juice mixed with broth. Britannica describes it as a soup or sauce originating in Greece, and the best-known version is the chicken and rice soup. The sauce is always built from the liquid in which meat, fish or vegetables were cooked, which is why the soup tastes so much of its stock.

Beyond that, the history gets less tidy. One source describes avgolemono as having ancient Mediterranean roots, but no specific date, place or person is firmly attached to it. Britannica credits Greece with the dish while noting that some historians suggest a Sephardic connection. Another source says its origins are often traced to Sephardic Jewish cuisine, to a sauce called agristada, with Greek kitchens adopting it as a finishing touch. We can say that avgolemono is deeply at home in Greek cooking. Exactly who first beat egg into hot broth is not something the record settles.

How avgolemono varies

The egg-lemon sauce is a technique more than a single recipe, so it turns up in several places in Greek cooking. It can thicken stews as well as soups. Yuvarlakia, a meatball and rice soup, gets an avgolemono finish. Magiritsa, a soup of lamb offal, is made with avgolemono and traditionally served to break the fast of Great Lent.

Within chicken soup, the differences are mostly about body. Some cooks use only rice. Others, like the version we cook, add potato and cook a whole chicken with onion and garlic for a fuller stock and more to eat. Some households blend part of the soup for extra creaminess. Others keep it brothy and thin. Pasta such as orzo sometimes replaces rice in modern versions. What does not change is the finish: eggs beaten until foamy, then gradually brought up to the temperature of the hot broth before they go in, so they thicken the soup instead of scrambling.

The version we cook on Meez comes from Dimitras Dishes. It starts with homemade stock from a whole chicken and ends with a rich egg yolk and lemon sauce.

When to make avgolemono

This is a cozy comfort soup, and it fits best from late autumn through early spring. A weeknight in October, when the first cold evening arrives and potatoes, onions and garlic are at their best, is a natural moment. So is a January Sunday, when citrus is at its peak and a bright lemon soup feels like a small counterweight to the weather.

It also suits a pot of soup for a sick friend, a quiet supper after travel, or a make-ahead lunch for a few days of the week. Because the stock is made from a whole chicken, it works well when you have an afternoon at home and want the kitchen to smell like dinner.

What to serve with avgolemono

Avgolemono is filling on its own, so the best sides are simple and a little crisp or fresh.

Crusty bread. It soaks up the lemony broth and gives the soup something to lean on.
A horiatiki-style salad. Tomato, cucumber, olives and feta add cold crunch and salt next to a warm, mellow bowl, and tomatoes and cucumbers are at their best in late summer, if you make the soup early in the cool season.
Simple greens with olive oil and lemon. A plate of boiled or sautéed greens echoes the citrus and keeps the meal light.
Olives and feta on the side. Their saltiness sharpens the soup's gentle richness.
A crisp white wine, such as assyrtiko, or sparkling water with lemon. Both keep the palate fresh between spoonfuls.

Make it at home

When you are ready to cook, get the recipe for the full ingredient list and method, or cook it step by step in Cook Mode so you can keep your hands free while you temper the eggs.

Questions about avgolemono

What does avgolemono mean?

It is Greek for "egg-lemon." The word refers to a sauce or soup of egg and lemon juice mixed with warm broth and heated until it thickens.

Is avgolemono Greek or Sephardic?

It is firmly part of Greek cooking and is credited to Greece, but some historians and food writers trace it to Sephardic Jewish cuisine and a sauce called agristada. The exact path is not clearly documented.

How does avgolemono thicken without cream or flour?

The egg yolks do the work. They are beaten with lemon juice, gradually warmed with hot broth, then stirred into the soup, where they thicken it gently into a silky texture.

How is avgolemono different from regular chicken and rice soup?

A regular chicken and rice soup is brothy and clear. Avgolemono finishes with the egg-lemon mixture, which makes it creamier, paler and distinctly tangy.

Sources

Last reviewed October 24, 2026. Written by the Meez editorial team with Meez Magic, from the sources above.