½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
1½ cup diced onion
¾ cup chopped celery
¾ cup diced carrots
½ teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups organic chicken broth
2 cups water
¾ cup dried orzo
2 large eggs
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and add to the pot, cook ~ 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
Add 2 more teaspoons of oil to the pot. Add onions, celery, carrots and thyme and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the chicken broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn heat down to low to keep soup hot.
Warm remaining 1 cup chicken broth in a small saucepan until it's hot, but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and gradually whisk lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking the entire time. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Add cooked chicken back to the soup and season with salt & pepper. Do not let soup come to a boil or it will curdle.
Notes
To make this gluten-free, just substitute rice for the orzo. This is a thick soup. If you want it thinner, just add less starch (rice or orzo) or more liquid (broth/water).
Recipe by Nutritious Eats at https://www.nutritiouseats.com/secrets-to-longevity-greek-lemon-chicken-soup-avgolemono/