Chicken Soup (Greek, With Avgolemono - Egg/Lemon Sauce)

This is the Greek way to cure the common cold. It is delicious. Make sure to mince the vegetables quite fine - you want them soft and melt-in-the-mouth. This is not the soup for crunchy veggies. Please note that the eggs are not 'raw' in this soup, but are actually tempered in the hot broth.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3  lbs chicken or 3  lbs chicken pieces
• 8  cups water
• 1⁄2 bunch parsley
• 1  medium onion, minced very fine
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup long-grain rice
• 1  large carrot, minced very fine
• 1  stalk celery, minced very fine
• 1 1⁄2-2  lemons, juice of, adjust to taste
• 2  eggs
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Put chicken, water, parsley, onion and salt in a large pan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover pan and let simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Remove chicken and parsley, discard parsley.
4. Let chicken cool a bit, so you don't burn yourself, and cut into cubes.
5. Set aside.
6. Add rice, carrot and celery to broth and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Add lemon juice to the soup.
8. Stir.
9. Turn off heat.
10. Beat the eggs and cornstarch in a small bowl.
11. While whisking, slowly dribble in hot chicken stock- never stop whisking.
12. Do this until you have used up a couple of ladlefuls of stock.
13. This tempers the eggs so they do not curdle.
14. Slowly add egg to the hot soup and give a good stir.
15. Add chicken and serve, sprinkled with a bit of pepper (if desired).
16. Note: I would just like to point out that the eggs in this soup are not raw - they are cooked by the hot stock. That is what the tempering process is all about (and to make sure the eggs don't curdle :-) ).