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Close-up of Chicken Magiritsa Greek Easter soup with spinach, rice, and avgolemono, garnished with fresh dill.

Chicken Magiritsa – Greek Easter Soup with Chicken & Avgolemono

Kastra Recipes Staff
A light yet comforting twist on the traditional Greek Easter soup, this Chicken Magiritsa replaces lamb offal with whole chicken and liver, infused with fresh dill, spinach, and a silky avgolemono (egg-lemon) finish. A modern favorite for those seeking tradition with a gentler touch.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course, Soups
Cuisine Greek
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Broth (makes ~4 liters)

  • 1.5 kg whole chicken
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 4 liters water
  • 1 onion halved
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 leek white & light green part, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns

For the Soup

  • 800 g cooked chicken meat from above, diced
  • 250 g chicken livers cleaned and chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 leek white + light green part, sliced
  • 3 scallions chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup medium-grain rice
  • 400 g spinach chopped
  • 1/2 bunch fresh dill chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce)

  • 2 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp corn stach
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • A ladle or two of hot broth to temper the egg

Instructions
 

Make the Broth

  • In a large stockpot, add the whole chicken, bouillon cube, and all broth ingredients. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, and reduce to a simmer. Let it cook uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours.Remove the chicken and strain the broth. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, dice 800g of meat for the soup (store the rest for another meal!).

Cook the Livers

  • In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Sauté the chicken livers for 2–3 minutes until lightly browned but not overcooked. Remove and set aside.

Build the Flavor

  • In the same pot, sauté the onion, leek, scallions, and garlic until soft. Add fennel seeds and cook for another minute. Deglaze with the white wine and let it reduce slightly.

Add the Chicken & Rice

  • Add the chopped chicken, livers, rice, and spinach. Pour in about 2.5–3 liters of the broth. Simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the rice is tender.

Prepare the Avgolemono

  • Take three to four ladles of the soup and set aside, allow to cool a bit.
  • Take a medium sized bowl, place two whole eggs and one egg yolk at room temperature into the bowl, whip them.
  • While whipping, slowly add in the juice of two lemons.
  • Slowly add in the cooled broth, whipping to incorporate.Slowly add the avgolemono to the pot of soup which has been removed from the heat.
  • Pour in slowly and shake the pot to mix, do not stir until the soup is boiling again
  • If you want a thicker avgolemono, add some corn starch. There is a method to it, make a slurpy with two tablespoons of cold water and one tablespoon of corn starch.
  • This would be added to the pot with the rest of the soup.Place the pot back onto a heat source, medium heat, for two minutes, stir until well heated. Ready to serve!

Finish and Serve

  • Stir in chopped dill. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon if needed.
Keyword Chicken Magiritsa