Paleo Avgolemono (Greek Chicken Lemon Soup)

This is one of my favorite things to order when I eat at Nabeels or one of the many other Greek restaurants in Birmingham. Pronouncing it is another story. It’s one of those dishes that you just point to on the menu to avoid sounding like an idiot.

I was inspired to create a paleo version when I came across this recipe.

So here’s my version. I hope you enjoy this classic greek soup, paleo style.

Ingredients:

3 TBSP butter

1 large onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

1/4 arrowroot flour

salt and black pepper to taste

3 cups cauliflower, riced*

2-3 cups cooked chicken**

64 oz chicken stock (always more nutritious if you can use homemade, but if you use store bought buy one with good quality ingredients)

1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed (2-3 lemons, depending on the size and juiciness!)

2 T. honey

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

6 egg yolks, beaten well (and at room temperature)

*To rice cauliflower, cut into chunks and add to food processor 1 cup at a time. Just pulse until cauli is in rice size pieces.

**I like to roast 2-3 chicken breasts a head of time. Season chicken with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is 165 degrees. You can also dice up the white meat from a rotisserie chicken (check the ingredients).

To make:

Heat butter in a large pot over medium head and add chopped onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until the onions are translucent.

Add the arrowroot flour, salt and pepper and stir, cooking the flour for about a minute.

Add the chicken stock and fresh lemon juice and stir to loosen the flour and all the bits of caramelized onion from the bottom.

Add cauliflower and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Then turn the heat down to medium low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken, spinach and honey. Taste and add more salt & pepper if needed. You can also add a little more lemon here if you want more lemon flavor. (I added a few extra tablespoons to mine).

You need a little patience for the next part. You want to temper the eggs very carefully so you don’t scramble them. Starting with a very small amount, gradually add some of the hot soup to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Continue to add soup until your egg mixture is warm. Return the egg mixture slowly to the soup pot while stirring constantly. Heat through at a low temperature and make sure NOT to boil the soup once you have added the eggs.

Enjoy!