There are quick dishes you make because you’re hungry, and then there are others you make because you want to feel better. Avgolemono is very much the latter. Bright, lemony, and impossibly silky—thanks to being thickened by eggs—it somehow manages to be both cozy and refreshing at the same time, a rare feat for a chicken-soup-for-the-soul situation.

This version comes from My Cypriot Table by Irene Matys. It’s a best-selling cookbook that came out in mid-2025 and celebrates the kind of food that’s meant to be cooked often, shared generously, and eaten without overthinking. Take this soup for example: its ingredient list is refreshingly short, but don’t be fooled—the payoff is big.

If her name sounds familiar, it might be because we’ve previously shared other Irene Matys recipes on Eat North too, including her clever Cypriot take on butter tarts. Yes please!

But we digress: The real party trick happens at the end, when eggs and lemon juice are carefully whisked with hot broth, turning the soup glossy, rich, and almost velvety—all without a splash of cream. It’s pretty magical, and it’s also a technique you can apply to virtually any other broth-based soup.

Finish it with good olive oil, lots of black pepper, and extra lemon wedges for squeezing, and you’ve got a bowl of soup that is sippable beauty in simplicity.

Irene Matys’ Cypriot Avgolemono (Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, bone in and skin on

1 cup uncooked short grain white rice, rinsed

2 cubes chicken bouillon or 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon paste

1/3 cup celery leaves, finely chopped

2 large eggs, room temperature

Juice and zest of 2 fresh lemons (about 1/2 cup), plus extra wedges for serving

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

Method

Rinse the chicken and place it in a large soup pot.

Fill the pot with 8 cups of water and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam or fat from the surface. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, until the meat pulls easily from the bones. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Add the rice, celery leaves, and bouillon to the pot, stirring to dissolve. Turn off the heat and cover.

Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the chicken skin and bones. Shred the meat and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in one ladle of hot broth to temper the eggs, then gradually whisk in two more ladles until warmed through. Pour the mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly.

Return the soup to medium-low heat, add the shredded chicken, and cook until the rice is tender, about 6–7 minutes. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve drizzled with olive oil, finished with black pepper, and extra lemon wedges on the side.

A tip from Irene Matys: You can refrigerate this soup in an airtight container for up to two days. It will thicken as it sits. To reheat, add 1/2 cup water (or more, to taste) and warm gently over medium-low heat.