Feel Better Soup

The past couple of days Nathan and I have been trying to get a wee sinus infection out of our systems.  I love having chicken soup around for when we do get sick, but I get tired of plain chicken noodle soup.  A couple of weeks ago on a whim, I decided to give the Greek variation a go.  What I discovered was a soup that was creamy, rich, deeply satisfying, and makes you feel better almost instantly--sick or not. 

Avgolemeno--Greek Chicken and Rice Soup

3 T olive oil
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2 bay leaves
6 T rice
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped leftover chicken
3 eggs
6 T of fresh lemon juice (a little more or less is fine)
fresh dill and/or parsley--as much as you like
salt and pepper

Heat a 8 qt pot over medium heat.  Add the oil and saute the carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves, stirring occasionally until softened--about 10 minutes.  Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with the oil from the pot.  Add the stock.  Bring the stock to a boil and reduce to medium low heat until the rice is al dente--15 to 20 minutes.  Add the chicken towards the end of cooking.  Meanwhile, break up the eggs in a glass measuring cup and whisk in the lemon juice until combined.  When the rice is cooked to your liking, ladle out about 1 cup of stock and incorporate it quickly into the egg mixture to warm it up.  Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and continue heating until the eggs just begin to thicken.  This will only take a minute or two.  The soup will be glassy and creamy looking.  Do NOT let it come to a boil or you'll end up with custard (this is true if you reheat the leftovers later too).  Roughly chop the herbs and throw them on top as the soup finishes, stirring to incorporate.  Season with salt and pepper.