Prep your aromatics and chicken. Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery. Mince the garlic. Shred your cooked chicken and set aside. Zest one lemon and juice 2–3 lemons to get about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of juice.

Sweat the vegetables. Warm 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 5–6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add broth and simmer. Pour in 6 cups of chicken broth and add the bay leaf if using. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Cook the rice or orzo. Stir in 1/2 cup of rice or orzo. Simmer until just tender but not mushy. For most white rice or orzo, this takes 8–10 minutes. Taste a grain to check doneness.

Add the chicken. Stir in 2–3 cups of shredded cooked chicken and the lemon zest. Simmer 2–3 minutes to warm through. Reduce heat to low. You want the soup hot but not boiling for the next step.

Make the egg-lemon mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk 3 large eggs until frothy, 30–45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the fresh lemon juice. This is your avgolemono base.

Temper the eggs. This step prevents curdling. Ladle a cup of the hot broth (only broth, avoid solids) into a measuring cup. While whisking the egg-lemon mixture constantly, slowly stream in the hot broth to gradually warm the eggs.

Thicken the soup. With the pot over low heat, pour the tempered egg mixture back into the soup in a thin stream, stirring gently and continuously. The soup will turn creamy and slightly thicken in 1–2 minutes. Do not let it boil.

Finish and season. Stir in 2–3 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill or parsley. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Add more lemon juice if you like it brighter.

Serve. Ladle into warm bowls. Garnish with extra herbs and a grind of pepper. A drizzle of good olive oil on top is lovely.