Name: Vegetable Barley Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into bite-sized rounds; 2 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, about 1 1/2-2 pounds (preferably organic); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 large eggs; 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 cups cooked barley; 1 cup frozen peas; 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

This vegetable barley avgolemono (Greek lemon chicken soup) is easy to make from scratch, filled with whole grains and fresh veggies, and so comforting. It’s perfect for the freezer too!

When we moved a year and a half ago, even though it was just one town over, many of our routines changed. We started going to a new supermarket, a different CVS, another pizza place. Our new house is also about 15 minutes farther away from my favorite Greek diner. What was once a quick 10 minute trip is now almost half an hour, and so we rarely go anymore.

One of my favorite things to order was the avgolemono soup.

If you’ve never had it, it’s basically chicken soup thickened with egg and infused with fresh lemon and dill. It’s creamy, light, and incredibly comforting. Fortunately, as I’ve recently learned, it’s also really easy to make! If you have ever made basic chicken soup before, trust me: you’ve totally got this.

Tradtionally, avgolemono is made with white rice or orzo pasta, but I decided to give my version an extra healthy boost with nutrient-rich barley and fresh vegetables. The ingredient list is super short:

Chicken breasts (preferably organic)

Onions

Carrots

Eggs

Lemon

Barley

Peas

Fresh dill

Make a simple, uncluttered chicken soup by simmering the chicken breasts, onions, and carrots. You can do this for as little as one hour or up to several hours. I let it go for as much time as I’ve got.

Strain the broth, shred the chicken and dice the carrots. Next, whisk together eggs and lemon juice, and temper the mixture with a little hot broth. Stir everything back into the pot, add cooked barley, some frozen peas, chopped fresh dill, and there you go!

Did I mention this soup is freezer-friendly? After I took these photographs, I froze two quarts for the busy fall weeknights ahead.

For other chicken soup recipes, check out:

Healing Lemon Ginger Bone Broth

Chicken Sausage, Escarole, and White Bean Soup

Vegetable Barley Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

This Vegetable Barley Avgolemono is an easy, fresh, and delicious take on traditional chicken soup. It's perfect for weeknight dinners, and it freezes well too! Once you have added the egg mixture, be careful to heat the soup gently and not let it boil--otherwise it could scramble.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into bite-sized rounds
2 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, about 1 1/2-2 pounds preferably organic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups cooked barley
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pot and arrange the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the middle. Cook, without stirring, until the chicken is well browned on that one side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add 8 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and barely simmer, partially covered, for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Strain the broth, reserving the chicken and carrots (discard the onion). When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. (Soup can be prepared up to this point several days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to proceed.)
Return the broth, chicken, and carrots to the pot and bring to a simmer.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and lemon juice. Whisking constantly, stir about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture. Then stir the egg mixture back into the pot. Heat VERY gently (do not boil!). Stir in the barley, peas, and dill. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper as needed.