Greek Chicken, Rice & Lemon Soup

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g chicken breasts
• 2 chicken stock cubes + 1.5 l hot water
• 200 g long-grain rice
• 1 brown onion
• 2 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 eggs
• 2 lemons
• 15 g fresh dill
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan with lid
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Ladle
• Chopping board and knife
• 2 forks

📖 Steps

1. Peel and finely slice the onion; peel the carrots and cut into small 1 cm dice. Squeeze the lemons to get about 100 ml juice. Dissolve the stock cubes in 1.5 l hot water.
2. Heat the olive oil in the large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is translucent but not coloured.
3. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Add the whole chicken breasts and poach for 15 minutes at a gentle simmer, with small bubbles rather than a rolling boil, or the meat will dry out. They're cooked when the centre is white, not pink.
4. Lift the chicken out onto a plate. Add the rice to the stock, cover and cook for 15 minutes over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender. Meanwhile, shred the chicken with the two forks.
5. Remove the bay leaf and return the shredded chicken to the soup. If it has thickened too much, add a little hot water. Take the pan off the heat and wait 2 minutes: the soup must no longer be boiling for the next step.
6. In the mixing bowl, whisk the eggs for 1 minute until frothy, then whisk in the lemon juice. Whisking constantly, pour in a ladleful of hot stock in a thin stream, then a second one: the eggs warm up gently without scrambling into lumps.
7. Pour this mixture into the pan, stirring, then return to a very low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly and never letting it boil, until the soup thickens slightly and turns silky and coats the spoon.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper: the soup should be distinctly lemony. Chop the dill, scatter it over the bowls and serve immediately, piping hot, with a ladleful of chicken and rice per person.