Here’s the Chicken and Zucchini Soup You’ll Be Making All Season

Yellow is such a happy color. Since I was little, it’s been right up there with green for me. This soup takes the yellow from summer squash (or yellow zucchini), lemon, and turmeric to create a light but filling soup. It kind of morphed from a fresh vegetarian soup to a chicken soup to an avgolemono-inspired soup during my experiments in the kitchen.
Finishing the soup with eggs and more lemon makes it pleasantly creamy and thick. You just can’t be in a bad mood when eating this soup.

Chicken and Yellow Zucchini Avgolemono- Style Soup

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large yellow zucchini, skin on
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup basmati rice
• 5 cups chicken stock, divided
• 1 cooked chicken breast (poached, roasted or broiled), shredded
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Flakey finishing salt
• Pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Slice the zucchini into rounds and then finely dice them.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and stir. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the lemon zest, turmeric, and salt. Stir to coat the veggies. Add the rice and stir until completely coated. Add 4 cups of the stock and then the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and then drop the heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. Meanwhile, warm the final cup of stock in a small pot over medium heat, not going past a gentle simmer.

At the 15-minute mark, check the rice to see if it’s almost, but not quite, tender. It might need another couple of minutes. Once it’s almost tender, add the chicken and cook until the rice and zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep warm on low heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add ¼ cup of the warmed stock to the egg-lemon mixture and whisk to temper the eggs. Slowly add more stock, ¼ cup at a time, until combined. Pour this into the soup and stir firmly to blend. Do not bring it to a boil or the eggs will scramble.

Remove the soup from the heat. Season to taste, starting with ½ teaspoon each of the finishing salt and pepper. This soup tastes even better slightly cooled. Serve with parsley, if desired.

Excerpted from The Lemon Apron Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes for the Curious Home Cook by Jennifer Emilson. Copyright © 2022Jeniffer Emilson.Cover and interior design by Lisa Jager. Cover and interior photography by Johann Headley. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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