Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Comfort food doesn’t get better or easier than a cozy of bowl of this Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken Soup! It’s creamy and satisfying with tender shredded chicken, rice or orzo pasta and it’s bursting fresh lemon flavor. This is the easiest way to make avgolemono soup and it gets rave reviews every time!
It was feeling like spring for several weeks here in CA, and now cold winter temps are back. I couldn’t be happier, because eating soup is even more enjoyable when the weather is cold!
I make a lot of soup, and I especially gravitate toward some of my easy dump and go recipes like my chicken tortilla soup and turkey wild rice soup. They barely require any effort, and I don’t have to babysit them.
This Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken Soup recipe, otherwise known as avgolemono, is one of my all time favorites. It’s near and dear to my heart as I’m part Greek and it takes me back to my childhood.
It can be time consuming to make, so one day when I was feeling under the weather, I decided to simply things by making it in the slow cooker.
The rest is history, and now it’s a reader favorite!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Greek lemon chicken soup is packed with tender chicken, rice or orzo, and a creamy broth that’s bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
- It’s an easy, family-friendly soup recipe that’s great for meal prep.
- It’s creamy yet dairy-free, and rice may be used to make it gluten-free as well.
Recipe ingredients
This Greek lemon chicken soup recipe is unlike any other chicken soup you’ve had. It includes eggs, which thicken the soup and also adds a rich, creamy texture in a healthier way.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken breast. Use skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Bone-in breasts may be used for added flavor, but be sure to remove any bones after cooking.
- Orzo or rice. Orzo pasta or long grain white rice may be used in this recipe. Do not use instant rice as it will cook far too quickly and turn to mush. For best results, add the orzo or pasta during the last hour of cooking to ensure that it does not overcook.
- Eggs. The eggs are used in this avgolemono soup recipe to provide richness and creaminess to the broth, and they act as a thickener as well.
- Chicken stock. Use homemade chicken stock or good quality bone broth to take this soup to the next level.
- Lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice is key in this recipe for the best possible flavor. If you like your soup very lemony, add more if desired.
How to make Greek avgolemono soup
Authentic avogolemono soup can be quite time consuming to make. While this slow cooker method may not be your yia-yia’s recipe, it’s the easiest way I’ve found to make it and still achieve great results.
I truly don’t make this soup any other way, and it gets great reviews as well!
Pro tip: Add the orzo pasta or rice to the pot during the last hour of cooking to ensure that it does not overcook.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Add the chicken, onion, garlic, celery and broth to the slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high or 4 – 4 1/2 hours on medium. Add the rice or orzo pasta during the last hour of cooking to ensure that it does not overcook.
- Place the eggs and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Temper the egg lemon mixture with the hot broth.
- Shred the chicken, add the egg lemon mixture to the soup and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
FAQs
Avgolemono refers to a Greek soup or sauce made with eggs and lemon. The eggs and lemon are whisked together, then tempered with hot stock and stirred into the soup or sauce, which adds creaminess and lemon flavor.
Avgolemono is pronounced ahv-go-lem-uh-no.
Whisking constantly, add about a cup of hot broth to beaten egg a little at a time to ensure that the egg does not cook. Once all of the broth has been added to the egg, stir the mixture into the pot of soup.
Use any long grain white rice for this Greek avgolemono soup. Instant rice cooks too quickly and will turn to mush, while brown rice takes too long to cook.
Yes, avgolemono soup may be reheated, but it should not be brought to a full boil. Heat in a pot on the stovetop cooked on medium or medium low heat until warm, or in a bowl the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe notes:
- Pro tip: Use bone-in skinless chicken breasts to add flavor to the soup. Once the chicken is cooked, simply shred the chicken and discard the bones.
- You may also use leftover cooked orzo pasta or rice and add at the end of cooking time. Just heat until warm.
- The video in the recipe card below shows the rice or pasta added at the start of cooking time, but for best results I recommend adding it during the last hour of cooking to ensure that it’s not overcooked.
- If you like your soup even richer, add an additional egg. Add more lemon juice to taste if you like yours nice and lemony.
- Leftover avgolemono soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stove top, or in a bowl in the microwave until warm.
More soup recipes you’ll love:
- 35 Best Soup Recipes
- Butternut squash soup
- Italian sausage kale soup
- Minestrone soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup by The Recipe Rebel
- Turkey wild rice soup
- White bean and kale soup
Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast*
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 large stalk celery chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken stock homemade or low sodium
- 2 cups water or sub with more chicken stock for added flavor
- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice or orzo pasta do not use instant rice
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, onion, celery, garlic, stock and water in your slow cooker. Cook about 3 hours on high, or 4-5 hours on low, adding the rice or orzo during the last hour or so of cooking time to prevent overcooking.1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast*, 1 yellow onion, 1 large stalk celery, 1 clove garlic, 4 cups chicken stock, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup uncooked white rice or orzo pasta, salt and pepper
- When the chicken is done, remove it from the slow cooker and allow to cool slightly. Chop into chunks or shred, and place back in the slow cooker.
- Place the eggs in a medium bowl and beat lightly, then whisk in the lemon juice until combined. Place about 1 cup of hot soup broth in a measuring cup, and add a few droplets at a time to the egg-lemon mixture whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Continue adding the hot broth in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly.
- After all the stock has been added, add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pro tip: Use bone-in skinless chicken breasts to add flavor to the soup. Once the chicken is cooked, simply shred the chicken and discard the bones.
- You may also use leftover cooked orzo pasta or rice and add at the end of cooking time. Just heat until warm.
- The video in this recipe card shows the rice or pasta added at the start of cooking time, but for best results I recommend adding it during the last hour of cooking to ensure that it’s not overcooked.
- If you like your soup even richer, add an additional egg. Add more lemon juice to taste if you like yours nice and lemony.
- Leftover avgolemono soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stove top, or in a bowl in the microwave until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This recipe was originally published in February 2016. I’ve updated the photos to include step by step instructions, and modified the post to include more recipe information.
121 Comments on “Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken Soup”
What a creative twist on regular chicken noodle soup! I love the creamy broth and the lemon in here. Sounds so refreshing! And I love your video, Marcie! Looks so easy to prepare!
Thanks so much, Gayle! This soup is so refreshing with all the lemon, and it’s so much easier to make now in my slow cooker!
Hi… just a question…if not made in a crockpot would u do the eggs differently? My grandma taught me this soup from scratch where you beat whites separate from yellow … also this the first I found someone making it with rice & not just a creamy soup as our family does!
Hi Pat! I use the same method for the eggs when I make the soup on the stove top. The method your grandmother taught you would certainly work either way too! I’ll bet the beaten egg whites give the soup a nice, light texture. I hope this helps!
What are the nutrition facts on this soup? I need them to figure out points for Weight Watchers!
Hi Kara. I have included the nutrition information in the recipe now so go ahead and take a look! I used My Fitness Pal to calculate this information and it’s just an estimate only.
I tried using the orzo instead of the rise thinking the rice will get too mushy in the crock pot and my orzo turned into a gelatinous substance I’m hoping to still Salvage it and add some rice thinking the orzo is just going to make it a little thicker but it’s very smushy.Lol
Thanks so much Tricia! You can’t go wrong with MDR shrimp!
I’m sorry to hear this Sherri. Yes, orzo is prone to become mushy if overcooked just like rice. I did mention that in the notes…maybe add cooked orzo or rice at the end next time to avoid that? I hope you were able to salvage it!
There is water in the recipe but not in the instructions. Do I just throw it in the pot?
The water goes in with the stock as stated in the instructions.
This looks amazing!!! I actually just picked up some gluten free orzo, it was the first time I had seen it in our store! I will have to make this because before my husband was diagnosed with celiac there was this restaurant that had a chicken and rice soup with some lemon in it and my husband LOVED it! I bet this is really close to that, except better! 🙂
Thank you, Annie! Lemon makes this so refreshing, and the egg gives it such a nice creaminess — it’s the perfect way to use that GF orzo!
I absolutely loved seeing the video. Such a simple and comforting soup this is. I really need to get myself a slow cooker, so many uses. Good recipe.
xx
Thank you, Asha, and I hope you get a slow cooker! They’re lifesavers for busy nights. 🙂
It must be really delicious and I bet it can warm you up on cold days. Perfect dinner option! 🙂
Thank you, Agness, and it’s a perfect soup for cold days or when you’re under the weather!
Looks comforting and delicious! Avgolemono is one of my favorite soups!Love the video!
Thank you, Mira! It’s one of my favorite soups, too, and it’s so much easier to make this way!
I’m so intrigued by this! I have never heard of eggs in soup before, and I bet they make it so creamy! Yet another great reason to get my crock pot out 🙂
I know egg in soup sounds so different, and it really does make this soup so creamy! This is another win for my slow cooker. 🙂
I love how the egg makes it creamy yet you would never know there is egg in the soup.
Thank you for leaving me your feedback and I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the soup!
Stunning photos! Lemony soups are just so healing and warming 🙂 This looks sooo good!
Thanks so much, Medha, and the lemon really makes the difference here!
Lovely clicks. Comforting and super delicious soup recipe!
Thank you, Kushi!
Chicken soup, I heard is good for cold and my husband finds it a reason to make one for himself.
Yes, it really is good for a cold! This one is especially nice with the lemon. Thanks, Puja!
Oh I love that you are sharing a classic Greek recipe. This soup looks so comforting and delicious, Marcie! I can just see how creamy the eggs make this and my mouth is watering for a big bowl of this lemony goodness! Loved your video too 🙂
Thanks, Kelly! This soup has always been so special to me — the creaminess and lemon flavor make it extra delicious!
Oh man, this is SO my kind of comfort food! I loooove cooking with greek yogurt and I can hardly stand how cozy this gorgeous soup looks, Marcie! I’ll bet the lemon adds such an interesting flavor!
Thanks, Sarah! The lemon perks this chicken soup right up! 🙂
I LOVEEEE orzo and yet for whatever reason sort of always forget to actually use it!! haha This soup sounds awesome and even better that I can make it in the crock!
I’m not greek but my maiden name was also one that everyone butchered horribly… much easier last name once I got married!!
I sometimes forget to use orzo too, and it’s one of my favorite things! You understand my last name pain, then. haha My married name is much shorter, but sadly that gets butchered too. 🙂
I adore Avgolemono, such a simple and refreshing dish. I’ve never made it myself and love your video. Makes me excited to try!
Thank you, Mary! It is such a simple dish, but the creaminess and lemon make it so special! 🙂
This looks so good Marcie! Love that you made it in the slow cooker. The video is awesome too!
Thanks so much, Christin! I will be eating this soup a lot more often because the slow cooker makes it so much easier!
I loooove avgolemono soup, but I’ve never made it myself! Now that I see how easy it is, I’ve got to try it. Love that it’s made in the slow cooker too. Yum 🙂
Thank you, Rachel! This is the easiest method of making avgolemono so I’ll be making it a lot more often!
Lemon makes it seem like spring for me, too! Thanks, Dannii!
Where did the garlic come in. It’s not in the recipe, how much. I am making this as we email. My previous mail was wrong the video is right.
I’m so sorry I inadvertently left the garlic out of the recipe! It goes in with the onion and celery, Madeline. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Just finished making a his soup. Yummy just enough thickness and lemony flavor.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, Madeline, and I really appreciate the feedback! 🙂
Marcie, you certainly grew up with some great food! This soup is one of my favs and I’ll be giving it a try!
I did, and I bet you had some amazing Italian food growing up, right? Thanks, Deb!
Great recipe! I can’t wait to try it! Can I include a photo in a round up I am doing? I will include a link back!
Thank you Jacqueline, and yes, I’d love it if you included a photo in your round up and linked back to my site! Happy Easter!
SO GOOD! (I am also 1/2 greek!) This recipe is WAY easier than my Yiayia’s but with the same great flavor! I cooked my soup on “low” in my slow cooker for 4.5 hours, chicken was great but the orzo got too soggy, but kind of thickened the broth. Next time I might add the Orzo later or cook it on warm in stead of low and see how it goes!
Yia sou! ?. Thank you so much for your input — I really appreciate your taking the time to let me know how this worked out for you! Yes…adding the orzo later on would keep it from getting soggy, or I have boiled it up separately and added it at the end just to warm it up. I’m so glad you enjoyed it…my whole purpose for creating this was so I could get avgolemono without the fuss!
This soup is my absolute favorite! It’s very easy and not complicated at all!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Im so glad you enjoyed it Crystal and thank you so much for leaving me your feedback! ?
I found your recipe on Pinterest last week and made it today. Wow! It is just wonderful. I’m so excited to have leftovers and will certainly put it in the rotation. I was nervous about the egg because I’ve tried that technique before and ended up with stings of scrambled eggs in broth. Your video was super helpful and I was able to copy your technique. Total success! I did use chicken breasts on the bone because I think bones give a soup more flavor. It works just fine since I had to take the breasts out and cut up the meat. Thank you so much for sharing this one.
Hi Lora! I’m so glad the soup was a success for you and that the video was helpful! Chicken on the bone does add great flavor and that is something I like to do a lot when I use my crock pot. Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback — I really appreciate it!
This would be so comforting on a cool evening!
It really is! 🙂
I do not like celery, Think it will matter if I leave it out? or cook the soup with the stalk in and then toss it?
Hi Cindy — you can leave the celery out completely and the soup will still be great!
Greek is one of my favorite types of food, but I’ve never had soup! I have to try this!
This soup is an easy way to get my favorite traditional soup and my kids even love it!
The instructions state “one tablespoon, and one half teaspoon pepper”. Hopefully skimming out as much pepper as i could will save it. Might want to fix the typo. The tablespoon was supposed to be salt. We’ll see in a couple hours.
Also, no pepper at all in the video.
I love this recipe, it comes out wonderfully every time!
Would it thicken just as well with only the egg yolks? I have a friend who is allergic to egg whites.
I’m glad you enjoy it — thank you for the feedback! I’m sorry, but I’ve never tried it without the egg whites, nor I have I ever seen a recipe for it with just the yolks.
I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I inadvertently left out the words “kosher salt” after the one tablespoon in the recipe instructions. It was in the ingredient list, but didn’t make it to the instructions and I apologize. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Kerry. I’ve corrected the recipe and I hope your soup isn’t ruined.
It’s a little peppery 🙂
But not ruined! Thank you!
I’m glad to hear it’s edible at least!
Do you know if this soup will freeze well?
While I haven’t tried freezing this particular soup yet, I’d venture a guess and say yes since soups in general freeze very well. I’m definitely going to try it at some point.
Thanks for this great recipe! I was craving the avgolemono soup from my favorite restaurant back home and this recipe was perfect! I have limited cooking space and rely heavily on my crockpot but I don’t want to sacrifice home cooked meals. I let the chicken thighs cook all day and then made things even easier by using a pack of Ready Rice and letting that just simmer for a few minutes with the rest of the soup.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Stephanie, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! ?
I’ve been trying to look this up…can I sub egg beaters for real eggs on this recipe or does it compromise the integrity of the soup? ?
Hi, Shanon! I don’t use egg beaters, but my guess is that the soup wouldn’t have the richness that it has with the yolk of the eggs. I don’t think the egg beaters would harm the soup, it just won’t be as rich. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
I would also like to use long grain wild rice instead of white…does this work or would it be too much like regular chicken and lemon rice soup?
I think if you prefer wild rice to white that you would love it in this soup!
Hi! I don’t have lemons but I do have lemon juice… In a bottle *gasp*!! Can this be used instead of fresh lemon or would it make it blah???
Hi Jamie! I’ve found bottled lemon and lime juice to have a concentrated flavor that just isn’t the same for me. That said, I think fresh is best!
I left it in the crock pot on low for about an hour after adding the lemon egg mixture. IT looks like the lemon seperated from the broth. IS it still ok to eat?
Hi, Diane! Did the eggs possibly scramble a bit? It’s definitely still fine to eat!
Made this in my instant pot on manual for 25 minutes. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for the feedback Elise, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
It looks so yummy! I will cook this chicken soup for my little girl. Thanks for your sharing!
Thank you Salina and hope your little girl likes it! 🙂
HIT & MISS…my fault
First off I doubled the recipe cuz I was confident we would like this. This is what likely led to the “MISS’ part as it was under cooked. I doubled the volume and still expected in done in the same time…what was I thinking? I let it go for four hours and it was still under cooked(veggies too hard for soup). I also removed the lid after first hour to add Orzo, then again to remove chicken, then again to replace chicken after chopping, so?? Any idea on how long I should cook on high for double recipe? Maybe next time I’ll just use a soup pot?
I still consider this a “HIT” though because the flavor was EXCELLENT. I made a couple little changes by adding carrots and used my micro grater to zest one whole lemon (careful just to take the color off the lemon) and added to kick up the lemon flavor.
Thank you for the recipe/video, I’ve never made this type of soup before. Had a look around your site and found a few more recipes to try (Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is at the top of the list).
One suggestion: you should have a link back to the recipe here in your YouTube videos for those that find you there first and want to find the complete recipe…I was lucky and found this site first via Google.
I’m sorry you ran into trouble doubling the batch but I am happy to hear that you liked it when everything was said and done! All crock pots are different, but I would think 4 hours on high would be plenty (or 6 tops on low). Making it in a soup pot is always an option too! I think adding carrots and lemon zest sound like great additions, and I appreciate your feedback!
Hi. I just wondered what ingredients you recommend doubling to double this recipe? I need to make a lot of soup for 3, as I am sure this will be a hit! Thanks for your help.
Hello! You should double all of the ingredients. Hope you enjoy it!
I made this today as my quarantine weekend meal (I have a touch of the flu!). This soup totally warmed my soul!! Just delightful. My question is about leftovers. I wound up using 1.5 lbs of chicken and some additional rice, so I definitely have extra. How many days in the fridge have you gone with this soup considering the eggs, etc?
Hi Erika! Thank you so much for the feedback and I’m so glad you liked the soup! I would keep it for up to 5 days. ?
Thanks for this recipe ! This is my favorite soup at a local restaurant but they only make it on Sunday !
followed the recipe to a tee and it came out delicious ! Creamy and flavorful!
i am so happy i can make this now anytime i want !
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the feedback! 🙂
I had this for the first time last week at a new Greek restaurant in town. Awesome!! My daughter would love it but she is insanely allergic to eggs (think anaphylactic shock – yes, it’s that serious). Is there a substitute to thicken the soup without eggs?
Hi Delana! I’m so sorry but I really don’t know what else could use to thicken the soup and add richness like the eggs would. Egg substitute could work but without having tried it I’d hate to recommend it.
I want to make this soup but I am on a low card diet and can’t have the rice or orzo. Have you ever substituted with cauliflower?
Hi Stephanie! I haven’t tried that but I’m sure it would work perfectly! I would cook the cauliflower rice separately and add it to the soup during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I just made this and after 4 hours in my slow cooker on low, the orzo had completely disintegrated into nothing… I literally can’t even find any after stirring! Next time I would add the orzo for only the last 20 minutes or so.
I’m sorry about the orzo Rebecca. I’ve modified the recipe to add the orzo or rice during the last hour or so for best results.
you should also take the rice or orzo out of the directions on step one completely and add it as its own step. I put the rice in on step one and then saw the bold print below but it was too late…
I’m sorry that you missed it…I’ll take your feedback into consideration. Thank you!
Great recipe, but yes, please put the orzo in its own step so readers don’t put it in first before seeing the rest of the instruction / suggestion. I made this recipe a couple of years ago, I can’t remember the order of how I put them in back then (can’t even remember if I used orzo or basmati rice), I just remembered it was delicious, and I’m making it again tonight… in the slow cooker right now… 2 more hours to go and I can’t wait!
I appreciate your feedback and I will modify the instructions to be clearer about the orzo/rice. Enjoy your soup tonight!
Hi! Does the size of the crock pot matter at all for the listed ingredient sizes? My crock pot is only 4 quarts, can I still use all the same measurements in the list of ingredients? Thanks!
Hi Krista! A 4 quart slow cooker will be plenty big enough for this recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Quick question-I may have missed
It….but how much is 1 serving?
The entire recipe serves 6 — an exact amount isn’t listed. I hope this helps!
I’ve made this several times and it always turns out perfectly! It’s also the only chicken soup my husband will eat. Thanks for a great recipe!
Your feedback makes me so happy! I’m glad you enjoy one of my favorite soups, Asheley! 🙂
I added in all the Ingredients on accident in the beginning. Do you think it will still turn out okay?
Hi Marjorie — the rice or orzo May be a bit mushy. Just keep an eye on it as soon as the chicken is done, turn off the slow cooker. Hope this helps!
Okay great! Thanks was more worried about adding in the egg so soon but if you think it will be okay then that helps! 🙂
Oh…I didn’t think you meant the egg too. That will be a problem as it will scramble. You can probably skim it out with a slotted spoon as it starts to cook though!
This was SO delicious! I used 2 eggs as suggested and the broth was so refreshing! Can’t wait to make this again on a cold winter’s night!
Thanks for the feedback Gary and I’m so glad that you enjoyed the soup! It’s a favorite of mine. 🙂
This recipe is amazing! I order the soup at Greek restaurants and did not think I could make anything like it easily at home. Very flavorful a bright yellow color and filling. Just the thing for a cold winter day. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the soup Tracey! Thanks for your feedback.
My fiancée and I absolutely LOVE this soup!!! And he usually doesn’t even like soup! Honestly cooking it in the crockpot is genius I get the house smelling delicious all day long and it’s so easy to put together! He’s allergic to chicken so we use turkey for the meat and veggie broth and it turns out so good every time!! Definitely a meal to add to the regular rotation at our house 😌
I’m so happy that you love the soup Alexis and thank you for sharing your feedback with me!
My grandfather on my dad’s side was from Greece, also. My dad’s Greek cousin Despina was my favorite relative, and like a mother to me. She spoke Greek, and the two of us went to Greece and visited our relatives in Athens. I miss her so much!
I love avgolemeno and am happy to find your recipe, since I have all the ingredients and can make it tomorrow! Thanks for this bit of Greece.
Your family sounds wonderful…I miss my Greek relatives too! I hope you enjoy the avgolemono Carol!