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Chicken Zoodle Soup gets a Mediterranean twist in this lightened up version of a traditional Greek soup recipe known as Avgolemono. It has everything you love about this classic comfort food, but without all the carbs. Plus a twist of lemon to lighten the flavors and add a little zing.
Originally published on Mar 27, 2016.
There are many things I miss about New Jersey, and one of them is this amazing little Greek restaurant that we used to love. The keftedes. The souvlaki. The hummus. The saganaki. The bakalava. ALL. SO. GOOD. And don’t just take this Polish girl’s word for it.
After I had already been going there for a few years, I was chatting with my Greek coworker. And I’m not talking about a coworker whose grandparents were born in Greece. He himself was born in Greece. He told me that it was the best Greek restaurant he had been to since he moved to the United States. Plus, it was even better than the pricy places in New York City.
One thing I never actually ordered, though, was avgolemono. I wish I had tried their version. But now I have my own… with a twist. And not just a twist of lemon.
What is avgolemono?
This is the traditional Greek chicken and rice soup, flavored and thickened with an egg and lemon mixture. When I was looking for a recipe to try, I saw avgolemono from The Mediterranean Dish. The classic version is actually already gluten free. However, after trying that, I wanted to change it up a bit and make a light version.
By making it into a chicken zucchini noodle soup, it is now gluten free, grain free, low carb, paleo, and Whole 30 friendly. Comforting in winter but perfect for those who enjoy soup even in the spring, everyone will love one of my favorite easy low carb dinner recipes.
Low Carb Avgolemono Soup
This the perfect soup recipe as the weather starts to warm up and you are moving away from the rich comfort foods of winter to the fresher flavors of spring. Swap out the usual rice for some zucchini noodles, and it still has a ton of flavor and was just as satisfying, but was filled with even more veggie goodness.
Plus this is perfect for anyone on a grain free, dairy free, low carb, or paleo diet. Or anyone who just wants a tasty and nutritious meal!
What is in Greek Chicken Zoodle Soup?
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Chicken stock or broth
- Bay leaf
- Cooked chicken breast
- Fresh lemon juice
- Eggs
- Spiralized zucchini
- Fresh parsley
Directions
- Saute carrots, celery and onions until starting to soften, then add the garlic.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaves and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the cooked chicken.
- While whisking together the lemon juice and eggs slowly add 2 ladles of the broth from the pot to temper the eggs. Then slowly pour the egg-lemon sauce into the pot while stirring. Remove from the heat
- Divide the spiralized zucchini between six bowls and pour the soup over the zoodles. Sprinkle with parsley.
What kind of chicken do you use in soup?
This is a great recipe to use up leftover rotisserie chicken if you picked one up at the grocery store or Costco or if you make Lemon Herb Slow Cooker Roast Chicken.
You can double the batch if you are making Lemon Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts or cook add an extra one to the oven when you make Rosemary Balsamic Roast Chicken.
How do you make zoodles?
- You can carefully use a knife to slice your zucchini into thin noodle-like strips.
- A julienne peeler is very inexpensive and easy with little to clean, but you don’t get those long spiral shapes.
- A handheld spiralizer is also quite cheap, and it also is small, and easy to use and clean. Plus it gives you those twisty and twirly zoodles.
- A tabletop spiralizer is the easiest way to make a lot of spiralized vegetables at once. It costs a few more dollars, and they are larger and there are more pieces to clean.
- The priciest, but most heavy-duty option is a spiralizer attachment for your KitchenAid Mixer.
How to cook zoodles in soup?
To avoid having the zoodles get too soggy, you can drop them into the pot right before serving. Or you can add the zucchini noodles to each individual bowl and pour the hot soup over the top to warm them up and cook them slightly.
Make it a meal
Pair this Greek soup with one or more of these low carb or gluten free Mediterranean-inspired recipes:
- Zucchini Noodles Greek Salad
- Mediterranean Chicken Zucchini Boats
- Tomato Cucumber Salad with Feta Cheese
- Air Fryer Gluten Free Falafel
- Socca Pizza with Spinach, Roasted Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Brizola (Greek-style Pork Chops) by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Roasted Vegetables by Food Lust People Love
What are some more low carb soup recipes?
- Low Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Cheddar Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
- Stovetop or Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Plus 16 of the Best Low Carb Soup Recipes
Greek Avgolemono Chicken Zoodle Soup Recipe
Enjoy a veggie-packed version of the traditional Greek soup. It has everything you love about winter comfort food. But with lighter ingredients and fresh flavors, you’ll even love this low carb soup in the spring and summer. Plus, it’s not only gluten free, but it’s also paleo and Whole 30-friendly.
I hope you’ll leave a comment and give it a FIVE STAR rating or share a photo on this pin on Pinterest!
Greek Avgolemono Chicken Zoodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chopped carrots and celery about 1/2 inch pieces (I used about 1 1/2 cup carrots and 1/2 cups celery, but you can adjust based on your preference)
- ½ medium onion chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken breast will work)
- ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 zucchini spiralized
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the carrots, celery and onions, season with salt and pepper, and saute for about five minutes or until starting to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaves, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the cooked chicken.
- Prepare the egg-lemon sauce by whisking together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking, slowly add 2 ladles of the broth from the pot to temper the eggs. Once fully combined, slowly pour the egg-lemon sauce into the pot while stirring, then remove from the heat immediately.
- Divide the spiralized zucchini between six bowls and pour the soup over the zoodles. The heat from the soup will cook the zucchini. Or if you will be serving the soup immediately or don’t mind soft zoodles, you can add them directly to the pot.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired
Notes
Categories:
Enjoy!
This was delicious. Perfectly lemony and the eggs give it the best texture. Husband loved it!Thank you.
Brianne this is a smashing hit. An artful blend of all-natural ingredients. Low carb and gluten free. Perfect for a Keto diet. Love the fact you made a light version. I think that egg and lemon mixture is the essence of this soup. Never been this excited about a soup. Your story reminds me of my years in Toronto Canada where there is a sizable Greek community and many Greek restaurants which I miss dearly.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thank you for your nice comment and for rating the recipe.
Hi, what happens if you don’t add the EGG? Thx
Hi Kimberly,
Avgolemono is actually a Mediterranean sauce, made from eggs, lemon, and chicken broth. The eggs in the soup act as a thickener, making the soup creamy. If you leave them out, you’ll end up with a thin stock, similar to traditional chicken soup.
This looks amazing. We got a new food processor / spiralizer too and I’ve been searching for a chicken zoodle recipe – This one will hit the spot!
I hope you enjoy it!
What is the restaurant that you all love so much? Need to know!
Hi Mary Kay!
The restaurant is Pithari Taverna in Highland Park, NJ. I miss that place SO much!
I made this and love it. I added spinach at the end instead of zoodles. I also added extra carrot, celery, and onion. Yum!
I’m so glad to hear that you loved the soup, Kim!
So healthy using zoodles! Love it!
NEVER thought of zoodles (or noodles!) in this, but it sounds awesome
I am SO making this soup! I love everything about it
When I get hungry for Greek food I head for our Farmer’s Market to a little out of the way stand. So good! I want to try this Avgolemono version with all my future extra zucchini!
Greece is definitely on my list of places to visit! Until I make it there, we have tons of amazing Greek restaurants local to enjoy. I love your twist with zucchini instead of noodles to this soup!
You did an awesome job, it looks delicious! I love that you used zoodles! I am definitely going to be making this recipe, it will fit right in with how we are eating these days!