Greek Avgolemono soup – Keto Foodie treat
Greek Avgolemono soup is the most famous and glorious Greek soup of them all. Tourists love it, Hellenophilles adore it, and anybody who just enjoys our food in numerous Greek restaurants around the globe. It’s creamy, delicious, sour, sweet and savoury at the same time. I have been asked many times during the summer to Ketonise this superstar-soup. However, I thought, let’s wait for the thermometer to go lower a bit more. I wanted to wait for the summer heat to go down in the Mediterranean countries. As the first days of September brought us the announcement of fall, I realised that this would be the perfect moment for Keto Avgolemono soup! I already presented the recipe for Avgolemono sauce, but this time, we will work on the unique, legendary and beloved Avgolemono soup in terms of ketonisation!
Greeks and soups
As you might know, Greece is located in the warmest area of Europe. But in some parts of Greece, for example, Epirus where a part of my family is from, winters are quite cold and you feel the mix of the Mediterranean and continental climate. In Greek home-cooking tradition, soups are quite rare. But when we make them, we make them rich, creamy, thick and always spiced up to the maximum. The original Greek Avgolemono soup in a bit different. It’s mild, yet empowering. It gives you a lot of energy while being the easiest soup to digest.
In Greek home-cooking tradition, soups are quite rare. In fact, if a friend calls you and you tell them you are preparing a soup, they’ll immediately ask if you are sick. This is a funny yet true story. I keep hearing it from freinds who can’t understand my love for the soup which I developed while living abroad and in northeren parts of the Balcan peninsula.
Greek Avgolemono soup goes Keto
What makes Keto avgolemono soup different from the traditional version? Well, the original recipe calls for rice, which in no case can be used in a Keto version. Furthermore, some less skilled cooks add cornstarch or wheat flour to thicken the soup. This goes against all the philosophy of Avgolemono soup! First, by adding starch you are making it less digestible, and secondly, you are destroying the tradition of thickening the soup with just eggs and lemon. Yes, this is possible, and I’ll be happy to share with you the secret of a perfect creamy soup with not even a dash of thickening agents added to the eggs…
Sesame seeds instead of rice
It might sound unusual, but trust me, sesame seeds will go perfectly with your bowl of Greek Avgolemono soup in Keto Mediterranean style. Not only that it will taste great, it will also keep our macros in order! Not to mention, sesame seeds will give us some powerful minerals! Now, I know some of you might expect me to use cauliflower rice here. However, in this recipe, it would destroy the mild taste and take over the aroma of lemon. If you don’t mind that, you can try adding it!
So, shall we prepare the creamiest chicken soup you ever tried? Greek style, Keto style, Mediterranean all the way!
Greek Avgolemono soup - Keto version
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs pasture-raised
- 2 large eggs free-range
- 1 large lemon organic
- 1,2 l (5 cups) filtered water
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp dill freshly chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley freshly chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds raw, not roasted
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a deep pot and add water, salt, and garlic powder. Bring it to a boil and reduce the temperature. Cook for 20 minutes or until the meat starts separating from the bones.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and add the sesame seeds. Let it simmer on low temperature while you are preparing the eggs and lemon mixture.
- Beat the eggs with a whisk until they get foamy in a deep plate or a ceramic bowl. Pour in the lemon juice and keep beating energetically. Now, remove the soup from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Using a ladle, very carefully, add some of the soup to the egg and lemon mixture and keep whisking. Add approximately 3 ladles of warm but not hot soup to the eggs.
- From a high distance, slowly pour in this mixture to the soup and whisk! All this is done away from the heat. (As you are doing it, send a few kisses to the soup, this is a grandma's secret to prevent the eggs from breaking and)
- Now, return the soup on a stove at a very low temperature and don't stop whisking. When the soup is heated but not boiling, remove it from the stove.
- Add freshly chopped parsley, dill and freshly ground black pepper.
- You can chop the meat from the chicken thighs and add it to the soup, or eat it as a main dish with some vegetables, olive oil, goat butter or Keto sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature so that they don't break and cook immediately when you pour in the hot soup.
- The soup should be warm but it shouldn't be boiling hot. When you finished cooking your soup, displace the pot from the stove and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
- The egg whites are more likely to curdle, as they tend to thicken up more quickly than the egg yolks when exposed to high temperature. For this reason, you need to whisk energetically and add the soup very slowly
This is delicious. I have never had Lemon Soup before and was blown away by this. Thank you
Hi what is the serving or portion size per serve please?
Thank you
Kindest Regards
Anna