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Lucy Loves…Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup

Categories: East Sheen,East Sheen News,News,Recipes

Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup from Lucy Loves Food Blog

Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup recipe

I’ve had my feet up for the last couple of weeks and been spending some time in the Isle of Wight with the boys and oh yes, turning 50. We didn’t have quite the big bash I had in mind, just a discreet lunch for 11 of my family cooked by yours truly, but it was just perfect. This time last year, I celebrated my 49th birthday with my feet in the Ionian Sea. With a whiff of reminiscence, this weeks post is this absolutely divine Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup.

I have been wanting to make this soup for years; ever since I saw Rick Stein making it on one of his Greek based shows. I was enticed by the simplicity of the flavours as well as the need to poach a whole chicken, which always makes me feel like the sort of wholemeal mother I wish I was. That said, you don’t have to poach a chicken, you could easily use good quality bought chicken stock, but where’s the therapy in that? The rest is simple, shred the cooked chicken, temper eggs with lemon juice and it’s job done. Hold on, temper eggs you say, what in God’s name is that? Don’t be alarmed, it just means whisking in some hot stock, before you whisk the eggs into the soup.

It’s been like a furnace over the last week, with soup not exactly being at the forefront of my mind. It’s still not chilly, but this fresh, flavoursome Chicken and Lemon soup can now be enjoyed without eating it in your underwear.

This post will feature on Lucy Loves later this week.

Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup from Lucy Loves Food Blog

Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup recipe

Serves a generous 4 to 6

You will just need pots and pans for this lovely recipe

1 good sized chicken

1 large carrot

1 leek

1 small onion, halved

Salt

2 eggs

6 tablespoons lemon juice

150g rice, I used basmati

Freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to serve

Take a really big pan and add the chicken, carrot, leeks and onion. Pour on 3.5 litres of water. Bring up to the boil, pop a lid on, turn down the heat and cook the chicken for an hour. Turn off the heat and carefully remove the chicken and the vegetables from the broth. Discard the vegetables and leave the chicken to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove all the meat from the bones, keeping the chicken breasts for another day but using the meat from the legs and thighs for this soup. Discard the skin. Shred the leg and thigh meat. Alternatively, you could use a good shop bought chicken stock and some leftover cooked chicken from a roast.

Simmer the remaining chicken stock for about an hour, or until it’s reduced to just under 2 litres. Season with salt, to taste.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs with the lemon juice until foamy and smooth. Decant 250ml of the hot chicken stock from the pan, then starting with a couple of teaspoons, whisk slowly into the lemon and egg. This will temper the eggs and stop them from curdling when you add to the soup.

Once the stock has reduced, tip in the rice, stir well so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken then cook for another 5 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.

Whisking the soup as you go, add a couple of teaspoons of the lemon/egg mixture to start, then slowly pour the rest in whisking all the time. The soup will thicken and look luxurious. Cook for a further 5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve in large, elegant bowlfuls, drizzled with good olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper.

Any leftovers will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Lucy Loves Food Blog
Author: Lucy Kellett