As I’ve written previously, Avgolemeno (eggs & lemon) are one of the most used bases and flavours for Greek cooking.
Here, we see Agvolemeno being used in it’s most rudimentary yet most satisfying and comforting way, as a chicken soup.
Avgolemeno soup is the Greek’s answer to chicken noodle soup. I swear, this soup will cure the common cold, warm you on a cold, winter night, or satisfy you for lunch with a sandwich.
The key to any good soup starts with good stock. Avgolemeno requires good chicken or turkey stock. If you don’t have any (nor the patience), then use some good quality (low sodium) commercial stock.
Greeks will enjoy this soup with or without the chicken meat inside. This time around is just soup and noodles.
Another variance is Avgolemeno can be served with rice in it. I could eat it with rice or with noodles, but I prefer the family favourite, noodles.
Greeks will often use fides‚ (fee-thess) or Vermicelli nests as the noodle of choice. One of my biggest pet peeves as a kid was trying to negotiate those long, awkward noodles found in Campbell’s chicken noodle soup…fide‚ solves that problem!
Avgolemeno Soup
10 cups of Chicken or Turkey Stock
6 nests of fide‚ or Vermicelli (fine) nests
salt to taste
Avgolemeno
2 eggs
1 tsp. corn starch
juice of 1 lemon
- Bring your stock to a boil. Once it’s boiling, break up the fide‚ with you hand and drop into the boiling stock. Boil for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Start making your Avgolemeno by adding your eggs, lemon juice, corn starch in a big bowl and whisk them together with a fork.
- Take the pot of soup off the element.
- While whisking, add one ladle at a time of the soup to the Avgolemeno mixture (to a total of 4 ladles) to temper the heat of the Agvolemeno).
- Add the contents of of the bowl back into the soup and stir in. Let the soup rest for about 5 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and serve with cracked black pepper, chives, crackers or bread.
Good Morning Canada!!! Hola Peter, this soup looks so good. I have to try all these greek addings… they must change completely the chicken’s flavour soup. Thick noodles are fine with me!
I new there had to be a simple way to make this classic soup.I just love it…but I love the lemon sauce on everything. One restaurant I went to in Greece had Avgolemeno on almost everything …I was in heaven!
Peter avgolemono is indeed a comfort dish but I never heard of “fides” avgolemono. But whatever is in it, the avgolemono is what makes it tasty.
i’ve just learned something new from your post today! thanks for the new culinary info!
With lemon and eggs, I’m in for some, Peter!
Looks delicious, Peter! We have always had avgolemono with rice in our family (and it’s how we serve it at our restaraunts), but when I was young my thea would always make me a basic broth soup with fides and I wanted to eat it ALL the time. That and soup with xilopites…which I have only been able to find in the states once.
HOLA Nuria, this is a classic Greek soup.
Val, Avgolemeno demystified!
Meghan, keep on visiting,
Ivy, Avgolemeno with Fides is quite popular.
Elly, as I stated, each family has it’s preference, ours being with Fide.
Always good to have another soup for the sick option.
I made this today for Randi (whos sick) and added chickpeas and dill. Delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe :)
Georgia, Dr. Pete at your service!;)
hey pepter! glad to have stumbled upon your blog:) there’s a plethora of exotic dishes here!! while this soup is really fabulous, I’m drooling over the figs below:)
Thanks for educating me, Peter.
Looks lovely, Peter. Could you send me a link to your spareribs again, please?
Another great looking avgolemeno soup!
This is one thing I will always order in a Greek restaurant! I just love it. However (to show how little I know about Greek food!) I had no idea it was sometimes made with noodles. What a fabulous sounding dish!
This is one of my favorite soups. Thanks for reminding me of it, I haven’t had it in ages.
One of my favorite soups! Thanks for reminding me with your great recipe.
Count me in the rice camp! But, honestly, I’ll take avgolemeno soupa anyway I can get it. And you’re right, it’s the cure for just about anything that ails you, especially with a good grind or to of black pepper. Yours looks great!
I love this soup and have had it in some Greek restaurants here but never with noodles, I have had it with rice though.
Peter, my mouth is watering. This dish looks fabulous. I must try it! Thanks for sharing.