Avgolemono Chicken Soup With Gnocchi
Rotisserie chicken and store-bought gnocchi turn avgolemono into a twenty-minute dinner. Egg yolks make the broth silky; lemon keeps the whole pot from feeling heavy.
Method
Add the chicken stock, torn chicken, and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest — about 1 lemon's worth — to a large pot. Season with a hefty pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add the gnocchi and keep the soup at a simmer for 3 minutes.
While the gnocchi cooks, squeeze ½ cup of lemon juice into a heatproof liquid measuring cup. Add the egg yolks and grated garlic, then whisk until smooth.
Keep whisking the yolk mixture while you slowly stream in 2 cups of the simmering stock. This is the part that keeps five yolks from becoming scrambled eggs. Pour the tempered mixture into the pot all at once and stir until the broth is uniform, then immediately turn off the heat. Taste and add more salt if it needs it.
Ladle into bowls and finish with more lemon zest, freshly cracked black pepper, and torn dill if you are using it.
Notes from the line
Once the yolks go in, the heat goes off. Boiling the finished soup can curdle the eggs.
Use a stock you would drink from a mug. There is nowhere for a flat one to hide here.
Adapted from NYT Cooking. Headnote and method rewritten for Dad Made.