avgolemono

A creamy, healing soup inspired by Greek avgolemono (chicken & lemon soup). 

Ginger & Turmeric Avgolemono Recipe

During soup season, I love the variety of flavors you can play with: lasagna, creamy tomato, chicken and coconut. All are cozy and delicious! This soup, inspired by Greek avgolemono, is rich and creamy without requiring any dairy—all it takes is a few eggs and a lot of patience while whisking. If you only have two hands and find it tricky to whisk fast enough to keep the eggs uncooked, place a tea towel under your bowl to stabilize it.  

Ingredients for Ginger & Turmeric Avgolemono

  • 4 boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided

  • 2 yellow onions, trimmed and peeled

  • 3 celery stalks, trimmed

  • 3 medium carrots, trimmed and peeled

  • 6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

  • 8 cups vegetable broth

  • 1/2 cup white rice

  • 3/4 tablespoon grated ginger

  • 2 teaspoons turmeric

  • 2 eggs

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • Black pepper

  • Scallions, to garnish

How to Make Ginger & Turmeric Avgolemono

  1. Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. While it heats up, pat dry the chicken with paper towels and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken to the pot, skin down, to sear.
  2. After about 3 minutes, flip the chicken so it cooks on the other side.
  3. While the chicken cooks, roughly chop the onion, celery, and carrots.
  4. Remove the chicken from the pot and add the veggies, stirring to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
  5. Once the onions become translucent, stir in the garlic and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper.
  6. Cook the garlic for a few minutes, until aromatic. Pour in the vegetable broth, then return the chicken to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
  7. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to let the flavors come together. Stir in the rice, ginger, and turmeric, and remove the chicken from the pot.
  8. Shred the chicken and return it to the soup.
  9. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and lemon juice.
  10. Slowly—SLOWLY—whisk in 2 cups of broth from the soup to temper the egg mixture. This way, when you return it to the pot, it won't immediately scramble.
  11. Add the egg mixture to the soup slowly (about 1/2 cup at a time), stirring as you go. 
  12. Remove the soup from heat and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.

What You’ll Need

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