Soup’s on: A creamy, luscious chicken and lemon soup is fall’s ticket to comfort

It’s soup season! In my household, we eat soup nearly every day starting in September. The moment the air is slightly crisp, the soup is on the stove. Soup is the easiest meal since you make one big batch that lasts all week. Making soup is also a great way to practice those knife skills. Grab your vegetables, and practice your precision cuts like a pro. There are so many benefits to making soup and just as many flavors to explore.

This season, I have already made quite a few soups, including chili, pozole, and chicken and lemon soup. This chicken and lemon soup recipe is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. This recipe taught me the power of salt and seasoning during culinary school. I made the school’s version of this soup during a practical exam. It taught me how difficult it is to make a deliciously seasoned soup and how to be patient in the kitchen. As simple as it seems to make soup, you must nail the seasoning and layering of flavors. Nothing is worse than a bland soup.

My chicken and lemon soup recipe is based on the Greek soup Avgolemono. This recipe uses eggs as a thickening agent, providing a slightly creamy texture to the broth. This soup requires a bit of an advanced technique, but once you nail it, you can apply it to many more recipes.

The technique, called tempering, refers to using the protein and lecithin in the eggs to thicken the recipe. The goal is to slowly introduce the eggs into a small amount of the hot liquid. This process reduces the hot broth’s temperature to prevent the egg from curdling but stays warm enough to cook the egg. Then, you introduce a small amount of the tempered liquid and egg into the larger batch of soup. You must be very careful while tempering the eggs because once the egg reaches above 180 degrees, it will curdle. If the egg curdles, you will end up with a soup like egg drop soup, but if properly tempered, you will have a luscious, rich, creamy soup.

Enjoy this comforting yet bright and acidic chicken soup to warm up any chilly fall day!

• Grace Goudie can be found making composed but not complicated recipes on her website gracegoudie.com or @chefgracegoudie on Instagram and TikTok. You can try Chef Grace’s dishes at Scratchboard Kitchen in Arlington Heights.

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Chicken & Lemon Soup

Chicken stock:

1 whole chicken

½ gallon water

½ tablespoon black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 thyme sprig

Vegetables:

1 onion

1 carrot

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 leeks (Pro tip: Use the white part in the soup and use the green part in the broth.)

2 celery stalks

1 cup dill

Egg mixture:

2 lemons, zest

1 cup lemon, juice

3 eggs

Orzo:

1½ cups orzo

For the broth: Start by roasting the chicken at 425 degrees until the internal temperature is at 165 degrees. Once the chicken is roasted, transfer it to a large pot (pan drippings and all). Once the chicken is in a large pot, cover it with water (about 64 ounces), peppercorns, leek tops (green part), bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook about 3-4 hours on low heat. Take the chicken out, separate the meat from the bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Strain the herbs out of the broth. Reserve 2 cups of hot broth on the side.

For the veggies: While the broth is simmering, prep the vegetables. Start by cutting the onion into a small dice. Next, peel and small dice the carrot, celery and leeks. Finally mince the garlic and dill.

Soup assembly: Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Sweat the onions, leeks, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook on medium-low heat until the vegetables are al dente — you do not want to gain color on these vegetables. Add the broth (still saving the 2 cups on the side). Season and simmer until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Add the shredded chicken and minced dill to the soup.

For the egg: Beat the lemon juice and eggs together. Slowly whisk 2 cups of the warm broth into the egg mixture. This is called tempering the eggs. If you do not do this step, your eggs will immediately cook in the soup and it will resemble more of an egg drop soup. This technique will help to thicken the soup and achieve a creamy texture. Once the 2 cups of broth are successfully mixed into the eggs, whisk that into the hot soup. You should see a cohesive creamy soup. Season the soup with salt.

For the orzo: Cook the orzo separately. I like cooking it in water separately from the soup and adding it to the individual bowls so I can save the soup as leftovers without overcooking the pasta. Add the orzo to a bowl, pour over piping hot soup and garnish with a little olive oil, fresh dill and enjoy.

Serves 8

— Grace Goudie