INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse the chicken thoroughly in cold water before placing in a large saucepan over high heat with 3.5 liters of water and bringing to the boil. Use a slotted spoon to remove the scum that forms on the water’s surface for about the first 10 minutes of boiling. When the scum stops forming, add the carrots, parsley stalks, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot and boil for about 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and other solids to a platter. Keep simmering the broth. Discard the onions as they’ve gone too soft to use. The carrots can be saved for a different use or diced and dressed with a dash of olive oil and some oregano so they can be served with the soup. Debone the chicken and add the bones to the stock, boiling it for an additional 10 minutes so it becomes richer. In the meantime, cut the chicken you want to use in your soup into 2 cm cubes and place the rest aside to refrigerate.
Strain the broth into a separate bowl to remove all solids and return to the saucepan. Bring back to the boil and add the rice, cooking until it’s done. Add the chicken, give it a stir and then remove from the heat to cool while preparing the egg-lemon mixture.

Egg-lemon mix: In a bowl, whisk the egg whites into a light meringue and then slowly add the beaten egg yolks and the lemon juice. Once the broth has cooled down, slowly add 2 ladlefuls to the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Once the egg mixture is warm to the touch, carefully pour into the saucepan, shaking the pot continuously so the liquids blend well. Add the chopped carrots and some freshly-ground black pepper when serving.