A quick and easy Instant Pot Greek Chicken Lemon Rice soup recipe that you can make for any weeknight dinner. This Avgolemono soup is so creamy, silky, and refreshing. It's one of the best soup recipes you'll ever taste!
Instant Pot Greek Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
Today, I want to share an easy recipe for Avgolemono soup. This Instant Pot Greek Chicken Lemon Rice soup is absolutely the easiest and quickest way to make the classic Greek Avgolemono soup.
It's delicious, comforting, and filling! It's the perfect soup to make on a cold day!
What Is Avgolemono Soup?
Avgolemono means a classic Greek sauce made of eggs, lemon, and warm chicken broth. Avgolemono soup is basically a chicken soup with rice and finished with egg and lemon.
When going to Greek and other Mediterranean restaurants, like many others I gravitated right towards the meats and famous appetizers, sadly overlooking the soups. What a disservice to the delightful cooking from that region (and to myself). Their soups are diverse, yet each is rich in flavor.
The first time I tried an Avgolemono soup I wasn’t expecting the lemon taste to be so prevalent.
The lemon adds so much flavor. Even if it wasn’t healthy I’d still come back for seconds!
This Instant Pot Greek Lemon Rice soup is also perfect on a cold day, when I want a nice hot soup that also fills me up. This soup is also a great way for my kids and husband to enjoy eating healthier.
The Ingredients for Avgolemono Soup
This Instant Pot Avgolemono soup is a very simple recipe that doesn't require a ton of ingredients. Here's a list of ingredients you'll need to make this Instant Pot Greek Lemon Rice soup.
- Chicken thighs
- Lemon
- Long grain rice
- Lower-sodium chicken broth
- Eggs
- Onion
- Garlic
How to Make Greek Lemon Rice Soup (Avgolemono) in an Instant Pot
Step 1. Make Homemade Chicken Stock
Making your own homemade chicken stock is very easy. In this recipe, you are going to use chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on) and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
It's the same technique that I used to make this homemade chicken noodle soup.
After that, you are going to sear the chicken thighs for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Step 2. Cook the Aromatic Soup Base
Add diced onion into the pot, cook just until tender and translucent for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook just until fragrant.
Step 3. Deglaze the Pot
Add low-sodium chicken broth into the pot. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of pan to flavor the soup and to prevent burning.
Step 4. Cook at High Pressure
Add uncooked rice and the chicken pieces back into the pot. Secure the lid and cook on "Manual" for 5 minutes.
Once the cooking cycle is completed, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes then move the valve to venting to release the remaining pressure.
Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and shred into small pieces.
Step 5. Add Egg Yolk and Lemon mixture
Fill a blender with a cup of rice and broth mixture, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth.
Return the puree soup and shredded chicken into the pot, simmer until thickened slightly for a few minutes. Do not let it boil.
Check Out More Tasty Soup Recipes:
- STUFFED PEPPER SOUP
- RED LENTIL SOUP
- GREAT NORTHERN BEAN SOUP
- ALBONDIGAS SOUP (CALDO DE ALBÓNDIGAS)
- FRENCH ONION SOUP
- INSTANT POT CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER
How to Store Leftover Greek Avgolemon Soup
- First, let the soup cool at room temperature but no longer than 1 hour.
- Once your soup has cooled completely, you can store it in airtight individual serving containers.
- Properly stored, this soup can last up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.
HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER SOUP:
You can reheat this soup on the stove over medium-low heat, keep stirring, until hot.
Add a small amount of low-sodium chicken broth or water if necessary and do not let it come to a boil.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! I'd appreciate it.
Instant Pot Greek Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
Equipment
- a pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 6 pieces small-medium size chicken thighs (bone-in and skin on) - about 1¾ pounds total, pat the chicken dry with paper towels
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For Soup:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1½ tbsp minced garlic
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup uncooked long grain white rice, (rinsed and drained)
- ½ tsp kosher salt, (optional)
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Press the "Sauté" key and when the instant pot displays "hot", heat the oil and sear the chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Set aside.
- Add onion, cook until tender for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cook just until fragrant. Add in the broth. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of pan to flavor the soup and to prevent burning.
- Add rinsed rice, salt (optional), and the seared chicken thighs back into the pot. Secure the lid and set it to "manual" on high for 5 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is completed, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes then move the valve to venting to release the remaining pressure.Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and shred into small pieces.
- Fill a blender with a cup of rice and broth mixture, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth.Return the puree soup and shredded chicken into the pot, simmer until thickened slightly for a few minutes. Do not let it come to a boil, stirring often. Serve and enjoy!
Helen
I'm always looking for more things to make in my IP. This looks terrific!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This sounds like such a creamy and delicious soup! The days are super cold at the moment so a warming and fulfilling soup is just what I need!
Claudia Lamascolo
This is pure comfort food and looks so easy to make I have all the ingredients going to try it today! Thanks for the recipe
Rika
You're welcome, Claudia!
Rika
I am glad to hear that, Bintu!
Rika
Thanks, Helen!