A close-up of a ladle holding a serving of creamy chicken and rice soup with vegetables, above a pot filled with the same soup in a kitchen setting.

This Easy Sicilian Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup is my Italian take on the classic Greek Avgolemono soup, also known as lemon drop soup. Instead of making homemade stock from scratch, I use simple shortcuts like rotisserie chicken and low-sodium chicken broth, so you still get that silky, lemony flavor without hours in the kitchen.

My Sicilian recipes tend to be your favorite like my Creamy Sicilian Sausage Ditalini Soup. And because Sicily and Greece share so much culinary heritage, dishes like this naturally cross cultural lines. My version keeps the traditional egg and lemon sauce that thickens the broth, but I add a little Sicilian personality with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a splash of Chardonnay, which adds depth and richness to the soup.

The result is a bright, creamy, comforting chicken and rice soup that tastes like it simmered all day but comes together surprisingly fast.

A bowl of creamy soup with herbs, vegetables, and shredded chicken sits on a wooden surface, with a lemon beside it and a white pot of more soup in the background.

A hand with red nail polish is whisking eggs in a clear glass bowl on a wooden surface.

This method is so simple, yet it is the reason people don’t make this soup. For the Lemon Drop or Avgolemono Sauce: First whisk up 2 eggs.

Lemon juice is being poured from a small glass container into a Pyrex measuring cup with beaten eggs, next to a metal whisk on a wooden surface.

Second, freshly squeeze lemons into a measuring cup. Once you reach a 1/2 cup of juice. Stop. Pour it into the eggs and whisk again.

A person pours flour from a metal measuring cup into a glass mixing bowl with a whisk and yellow liquid mixture, preparing ingredients on a wooden surface.

Next, is optional. This is one of the reasons I call this Sicilian Avgolemono, I add Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese to the sauce. If you want extra flavor add the cheese into the sauce. Whisk again until smooth.

A person ladles hot broth from a white pot on the stove into a glass measuring cup. The persons hand shows a gold ring and red nail polish. Steam rises from the pot.

Then, add some of the broth from the pot of soup the rice is cooking in; into a measuring cup. (about 1/3 cup). Then, while you are whisking the eggs continuously, slowly drizzle the hot broth into the egg mixture and whisk the entire time fairly quickly.

Close-up of a glass mixing bowl with yellow batter being whisked, while a stream of liquid is being poured in from the side. A whisk is partially submerged in the mixture.

TIP: Do not add the hot broth all at once. (drizzle a little, pause, drizzle a little, pause, etc…)Many people show this method with a ladle. But, since you have to add a little at a time and whisk continuously it’s is best to use a measuring cup for more control. THIS IS EASY! I promise. Once all the broth is added and whisked you are done! If you don’t see any scrambled eggs in the sauce. You DID IT! and you can do it forever more.

A hand with red nail polish pours shredded chicken from a plate into a pot of simmering soup with visible rice, carrots, and broth.

BEST TIP for making Avgolemono Sauce: Do NOT add the shredded chicken until after you make your lemon sauce. This way the hot broth will be easy to ladle from the pot without the pesky chicken shreds getting in the way.

A ladle is lifting a serving of creamy chicken and rice soup with vegetables from a large white pot in a kitchen setting.

A smiling woman in a black top holds a ladle of soup over a white pot and presents a lemon in her other hand. A bowl of soup sits on the wooden counter in a bright kitchen.

🤔 Common Questions

What is Avgolemono soup?

Avgolemono soup is a traditional Greek lemon chicken soup made with eggs, lemon juice, and broth. The eggs are tempered into the soup, creating a creamy, silky texture without using any cream. This Sicilian version keeps that same technique but adds Pecorino Romano and white wine for extra depth of flavor.

Why didn’t my egg lemon soup thicken?

This usually comes down to temperature. If the eggs aren’t properly tempered, they won’t thicken the soup correctly.
The key is slowly whisking hot broth into the egg mixture before adding it to the pot. And once it goes in, take the soup off the heat immediately. The residual heat is what creates that smooth, creamy texture.

Tips for Success

Watch the Video

This recipe is incredibly easy, but watching the video helps show exactly how to temper the eggs, which is the key to achieving that smooth, silky soup texture.

Use fresh lemon juice

Do not use bottled lemon juice. Fresh lemons give the soup its signature bright flavor.

You’ll need ½ cup fresh lemon juice, which usually takes 2–3 lemons depending on size.

Temper the eggs slowly

Tempering prevents scrambled eggs in your soup.

Whisk together:

2 large eggs
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup grated Pecorino Romano

Then slowly whisk in a small amount of hot broth from the soup, just a few drops at a time while whisking constantly. This gently warms the eggs so they blend smoothly into the soup.

Pull broth before adding the chicken

Before adding the rotisserie chicken, scoop out about ½ cup of broth from the soup. This is what you’ll use to temper the lemon-egg mixture.

Take the soup off the heat

After adding the lemon-egg sauce, immediately move the pot off the burner. The residual heat will thicken the soup perfectly without curdling the eggs.

Season in layers

Cavender’s seasoning builds the flavor in this soup. Add 1 tablespoon while sautéing the vegetables and another tablespoon after adding the chicken, then adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

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