A Greek chicken dish built on whole ingredients.

Servings: 4
Active time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h

Organic sourcing

Lemons are on the Dirty Dozen list due to pesticide residues—organic lemons are worth the investment. Parsley is also prone to residues, so organic is preferable. Organic chicken is a better choice for animal welfare.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup medium grain rice
• 2 eggs
• 3 lemons
• 2 tsp sea salt
• to taste freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Place the chicken in a large pot and add the water. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
2. Simmer the chicken for 40 minutes until fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.
3. Strain the broth, return it to the pot, and bring back to a boil. Add the rice and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
4. While the rice cooks, juice the lemons and beat the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.
5. Slowly add 1 cup of the hot broth to the egg mixture while whisking constantly, tempering the eggs.
6. Remove the pot from the heat and stir the lemon-egg mixture into the soup gradually.
7. Shred the chicken meat and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.

Notes

• Use chicken thighs instead for more robust flavor.
• Leftover chicken can be used in salads or sandwiches.
• For extra tang, add another lemon's juice to taste.

Source

Paraphrased from the culinary canon by Organic.is editors, 2026. Classic Greek recipe. If you'd like a specific source for further reading, ask Tinni (bottom-right) for a book recommendation.