Recipe: Greek Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon (Kotosoupa Avgolemono) for Lee Ann, FL

Hi Lee Ann :-) This recipe is from my cookbook, The Food and Wine of Greece by Diane Kochilas. Enjoy :-)

GREEK CHICKEN SOUP WITH EGG AND LEMON
(KOTOSOUPA AVGOLEMONO)

"Why are we always so enamored of our Mother's chicken soup? Mine makes a tangy, creamy one with nothing more than broth, rice, and avgolemono. This one is similar except that bits of chicken meat are incorporated into the soup."

1 medium chicken, 3 to 4 pounds
1 large onion, unpeeled and studded with 2 cloves
2 to 2 1/2 quarts water
Salt, to taste
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice, bulgur, or trahana (homemade pasta pebbles)
2 to 3 eggs, at room temperature
Strained fresh juice of 1 to 2 large lemons
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Bring chicken, onion, and water to a slow boil. Skim foam off top frequently. Add salt to taste and simmer, covered for 2 to 3 hours, until chicken meat comes away from the bones. (This seems way too long to me but you could try cooking it for this long the first time you make it, then adjust time accordingly the next time you make it.)

2. Turn off the heat and remove chicken and onion from pot with a slotted spoon. Discard onion and debone chicken, shredding or chopping meat fine. Put chicken meat back in pot, bring to a boil, and add rice, bulgur, or trahana. Simmer with cover ajar, adding more water if necessary or desired, until grain is cooked.

3. In the meantime, in a medium-size bowl beat together egg and lemon until frothy. Very slowly add 4 to 5 ladlesful (2 to 3 cups) of hot soup to egg mixture, beating vigorously with a whisk to keep egg from curdling. Pour egg mixture into pot and stir well with a wooden spoon. Serve immediately. Season individual bowls with freshly ground black pepper.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.