These Greek Souvlaki Chicken Avgolemono Broth Bowls are easy and delicious! Broiled souvlaki chicken (seasoned with lemon, garlic, and oregano) and cooked orzo (or rice), are topped with a good helping of Avgolemono broth (a luscious Greek chicken broth with lemon and egg). You’ll love this unique take on the Greek classic soup!
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I keep seeing these brothy rice bowls trending on social media, and they’re absolutely gorgeous! Many of them have East Asian flavor profiles – think ginger soy chicken, rice, and a curry coconut broth poured over. They’re such a fun marriage between soup and a rice bowl.
I knew I had to do a Greek version of this trend with Avgolemono broth immediately. This is such a fun twist on traditional Greek Avgolemono Soup – one of my all-time favorites.
If you’ve never had avgolemono, buckle up… you’re in for a treat! It’s a silky smooth Greek broth that appears creamy, but has no dairy. Instead, the silky creamy texture comes from tempered eggs and lemon juice. I’ll explain my foolproof avgolemono trick in this post.
While I’m usually a one-pot-person when it comes to anything soup related, the parts of this come together without much fuss and without tough-to-clean dishes. Broil the chicken on a foil-lined pan and clean-up will be a breeze.
These souvlaki chicken avgolemono broth bowls are fun to make, gorgeous to look at, and a sure way to impress anyone at dinnertime!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken thighs – you can use breasts if you want, with a few adjustments (see recipe notes for more).
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Orzo – or rice
- Chicken broth
- Eggs
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper
How to make Souvlaki Chicken Avgolemono Broth Bowls
You’ll make these broth bowls in three parts – the chicken, the orzo, and the broth.
For the chicken – marinate in a lemon, garlic, oregano, olive oil, and salt mixture and then broil on a foil lined baking pan until charred and cooked through. Allow them to rest for a bit before slicing.
For the orzo – toast the dry orzo in olive oil before adding water and salt, then cover and simmer on low until cooked.
To make the avgolemono broth – heat some chicken broth in a pot. Crack eggs and squeeze lemon juice into a bowl or glass measuring cup. Here’s my foolproof trick – most recipes would tell you to whisk the eggs and lemon together, but I use an immersion blender.
After the eggs and lemon juice are thoroughly blended, ladle a bit of the hot broth into them while continuing to blend. Then stir that mixture gradually back into the pot with the hot broth. It will have some foam – that’s normal, and a sign of great avgolemono! Please refer to the video in the recipe card for a better visual on how the avgolemono comes together.
Once you have all three components made, it’s time to assemble the bowls. Just add sliced chicken and orzo to each bowl and ladle some of the avgolemono broth on top.
Optionally, you can top the bowls with some of the souvlaki chicken juices, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, some fresh dill or other herbs, and some cracked black pepper.
Tasty Tip
Use an immersion blender instead of a whisk to make the avgolemono broth. It results in a perfect, silky smooth broth every time!
To use chicken breasts instead of thighs
If you prefer to use chicken breasts, I recommend slicing them in half lengthwise to make them thinner (butterfly them into cutlets). This will allow them to cook more quickly and evenly under the high heat of the broiler. Be careful not to overcook them, as breasts tend to dry out more easily because they are lower in fat. They won’t need as long to cook, and make sure they don’t go too much above fully cooked at 165 degrees F.
Make ahead and freeze
These broth bowls are perfect for meal prep. You can assemble the bowls in individual containers to reheat throughout the week. Or, you can freeze them! The avgolemono broth and orzo’s texture may change a bit in the freezer, but that’s never stopped me before.
Immersion blender recommendation
I think every kitchen needs an immersion blender. A couple of years ago I splurged on a vitamix immersion blender and never looked back. I use it a ton, it’s very powerful, and it’s safe for delicate surfaces because the tip isn’t metal. But it’s definitely an investment. For a more affordable option, try a KitchenAid immersion blender.
Other Easy Greek Recipes
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Souvlaki Chicken Avgolemono Broth Bowls
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Equipment
- Immersion Blender recommended for making the avgolemono broth
Ingredients
For the Souvlaki Chicken
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, see notes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon about 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Toasted Orzo
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Avgolemono Broth
- 3 cups chicken stock/broth
- 2 eggs
- juice of 1 lemon about 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- To make the chicken, whisk together the 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, minced 2 cloves garlic, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Add the 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs and toss to coat. (Optional, but recommended: allow these to marinate for a couple hours, or overnight.) Preheat your broiler on high and adjust an oven rack to the top third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and broil the marinated chicken thighs for about 8 minutes on each side, or until starting to get charred and chicken is fully cooked (ideally around 190 degrees F). Let sit for 5 minutes or so before slicing.
- To make the orzo, heat the 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the 1 cup orzo and stir frequently, for a few minutes until the orzo gets toasted and some of the pieces develop a deep golden color. Pour in the 2 cups water (careful of the sizzle!) and add the ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 10 minutes or until the orzo is fully cooked.
- To make the avgolemono broth, heat the 3 cups chicken stock/broth in a medium pot until it's simmering. In a small bowl of glass measuring cup, add the 2 eggs and juice of 1 lemon. Use an immersion blender (or whisk very vigorously) to mix the eggs with the lemon juice. Then get a ladle of the hot broth and gradually add it in, while continuing to blend (or whisk). Pour the egg and lemon mixture into the hot broth in the pot gradually and stir it in. It will be foamy, this is normal! Taste and add salt if necessary; you may not need any at all, depending on how salty the broth is.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the chicken and orzo amongst four shallow bowls. Spoon a generous helping of avgolemono broth on top of each – about 1 cup in each bowl. Optionally, you can top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and/or the juices from the souvlaki chicken, some fresh dill or other herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
- To use chicken breasts, I recommend slicing the breasts in half lengthwise, to make thinner pieces, so they cook more evenly and more quickly under the broiler. Follow the same instructions as the thighs but broil for a shorter amount of time – the total time will depend on how thick they are. Check the internal temperature and make sure they don’t go much past 165 degrees F, otherwise they may be dry.
- Swap out the orzo for rice if you want, or if you need a gluten-free option. Any cooked rice will do, toasted or not – no need to get fancy here if you don’t feel like it!
- This is great for meal prep. Just assemble the portions in to-go containers for the week and reheat. You can also freeze this in portions – the avgolemono and orzo may change somewhat in texture but that’s never stopped me!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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