Easy Greek Lemon Pheasant Soup Recipe (Avgolemono)
Warm up with a bowl of Greek Lemon Pheasant Soup, my wild game twist on the Greek classic Avgolemono that comes together in just 30 minutes.This pheasant soup is comfort in a bowl! Pheasant breasts are leaner than chicken, so I love using it in soups like this Avgolemono soup so there is no need to worry about it drying out.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 12 to 16 ounces boneless, skinless pheasant breasts (from 2 birds)
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 12 baby carrots, diced
- 6 cups pheasant or chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 sprigs fresh dill, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup orzo
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Go pheasant hunting!
- Place the pheasant breasts on a large dinner plate and season all over with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Meanwhile, place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook and stir for about 4 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
- Pour in the broth and water and bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the pheasant breasts and two sprigs of fresh dill, lower the heat to a simmer, and poach the pheasant in the broth for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Using tongs, remove the pheasant breasts and transfer them to a cutting board. Remove and discard the dill.
- Working in batches, transfer ½ of the soup and vegetable mixture to a blender and puree for 10 seconds. Return the blended broth to the saucepan. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the orzo to the broth and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the cooked pheasant.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice. When the orzo is cooked, slowly ladle about ½ cup of the hot broth into the egg and lemon mixture while whisking constantly for about 1 minute. Pour it back into the saucepan, add the shredded pheasant meat, and stir it all together until well combined.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with dill and lemon slices if desired. Serve immediately with some crusty bread.
