Let’s talk about this broth. This Mediterranean Brothy Chicken and Rice has a silky golden lemon egg broth inspired by Greek avgolemono, and once you make it, you will be looking for other things to pour it over. Spiced ground chicken with oregano, coriander, and fresh dill, fluffy rice, raw baby spinach that wilts the moment the hot broth hits it, and that golden, silky lemon situation ladled over everything.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Mediterranean Brothy Chicken and Rice
🕒 Ready In: ~ 25 minutes
👪 Serves: 5 servings
🍽 Calories: ~ 654 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Chicken broth, jasmine rice, ground chicken, spinach
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Avgolemono is a classic Greek technique where you whisk eggs with lemon juice and slowly drizzle in hot broth until it turns silky and slightly creamy without any cream at all. I fell in love with it while spending time immersed in Greek and broader Mediterranean food culture and have been finding excuses to use it ever since. This bowl is one of the best excuses!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
That lemon egg broth. Silky, golden, bright! Once you try avgolemono-style broth, you will not go back.
Ground chicken browns fast and flavors deeply. Warm spices and fresh dill, so every bite is properly seasoned before it even meets the broth.
Make-ahead friendly. The chicken and rice keep beautifully. Make the broth fresh when you are ready to serve. Three minutes of whisking and you are there.
Mediterranean Brothy Chicken and Rice Video
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Ingredient Notes
Ground Chicken: That undisturbed sear is where all the flavor comes from. Grey steamed chicken crumbles are a tragedy this bowl does not deserve haha! Golden caramelized chicken is what we are going for. The same sear-first approach I use in my Chicken and Pepper Lettuce Cups, and it makes a real difference every single time.
The Spice Blend: Oregano, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper. The coriander is warm, slightly floral, and earthy; it bridges the Greek lemon broth and the spiced chicken. Fresh dill goes in at the very end and adds that bright, herby note.
The Lemon Egg Broth: Eggs whisked with lemon juice until frothy, tempered slowly with a cup of hot broth, then stirred into the pot off the heat. The result is a silky, slightly creamy golden broth that coats every grain of rice and every piece of chicken in the most satisfying way.
Chicken Bone Broth: The collagen in bone broth gives the finished soup a slightly silky quality even before the egg temper goes in. Think of it as a head start on the silkiness you are building. Regular chicken broth works but the bone broth version is noticeably richer and higher in protein!
Baby Spinach: The hot broth wilts it perfectly as you ladle it over, and it stays bright green and slightly fresh-tasting. This small detail makes the bowl look and taste significantly better. Spinach in the bowl, broth over the top, everything wilts at exactly the right moment.
Pro tip
The Secret to Perfect Broth
Add more lemon before more salt. If the broth tastes flat, squeeze in more lemon first. Flat lentil soup, flat broth, flat anything with lemon in it almost always needs more acid not more salt. Taste with lemon in mind.
Substitutions & Variations
No ground chicken? Ground turkey or ground beef work! Ground lamb adds a deeper, slightly gamier flavor that is very much at home alongside a Greek lemon broth. Both work well.
No fresh dill? Fresh flat-leaf parsley in the same quantity. Different flavor, but still Mediterranean and still good. Dried dill is a last resort; use half the amount.
Want to make it vegetarian? Chickpeas tossed in the same spice blend and warmed through in olive oil instead of the ground chicken. Vegetable broth for the avgolemono base. The egg temper technique works just as well with vegetable broth.
No chili garlic oil? A drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes gets you some of the same warmth.
FAQ
Either the eggs were not tempered slowly enough, or the broth was still boiling when the egg mixture went in. Both will curdle the eggs. The pot needs to be off the heat, and the tempered egg mixture needs to go in slowly with constant stirring. There is no fixing curdled avgolemono, but you will know exactly what to do differently next time, and it will be perfect!
Orzo is actually very traditional alongside avgolemono-style broths and works beautifully. Farro and quinoa both work too. Cook separately and add to the bowl before the broth goes in.
More Soup Recipes You'll Love
- Stuffed Pepper Soup25 Minutes
- Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup25 Minutes
- Sheet Pan Broccoli Zucchini Soup45 Minutes
- Roasted Tomato Soup with Pesto Grilled Cheese
⭐️ Recipe
Mediterranean Brothy Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
Spiced ground chicken
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- ½ tablespoon chili garlic oil optional
Lemony Broth
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 6 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 large eggs
- Juice of 2 lemons about ⅓ cup
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Bowls
- 4 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
- 1.5 cups baby spinach roughly chopped
- Fresh dill for garnish
- Chili garlic oil for drizzling
Instructions
Make the broth base
- In a medium pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken bone broth, oregano, turmeric, bouillon, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and reduce the heat to low.½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 6 cups chicken bone broth, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp chicken bouillon, 1 bay leaf
Temper the eggs
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together vigorously until smooth and slightly frothy. Using a ladle or measuring cup, slowly drizzle the hot broth into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. You are slowly raising the temperature of the eggs so they do not scramble when they hit the pot.2 large eggs, Juice of 2 lemons
Finish the broth
- Take the pot completely off the heat. Slowly pour and stir the tempered egg mixture into the remaining broth. Stir gently as it goes in. The broth will turn silky, slightly opaque, and golden. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.Salt and pepper to taste
Brown the ground chicken
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the ground chicken and press into an even layer. Leave it completely alone for 3 to 4 minutes until a deep golden sear develops on the bottom. It will release from the pan when it is ready. Break into pieces and cook through until no pink remains.1 lb ground chicken, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Build the flavor
- Turn the heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic, oregano, coriander, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili garlic oil, if using. Stir to coat everything and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the fresh dill. Set aside.½ yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp sweet paprika, ¾ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp fresh dill, ½ tbsp chili garlic oil
Assemble
- Add a generous scoop of rice to each bowl. Spoon the spiced chicken alongside. Add a handful of raw chopped baby spinach. Ladle the silky lemon broth generously over everything. The hot broth wilts the spinach perfectly as it hits the bowl.4 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice, 1.5 cups baby spinach
Finish and serve
- Top with fresh dill and a drizzle of chili garlic oil. Serve immediately.Fresh dill for garnish, Chili garlic oil for drizzling
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!