Classic Jewish Chicken Soup

Kishka's Note:

Makes a nice big pot of cure a cold, feel-good, Friday Night chicken soup. If you are looking for crisp veggies and a light, clear broth, this is not the recipe you want. Long cooking allows for the flavor of the veggies and chicken to really penetrate the broth (leaving the veggies quite soft), and keeping the cover off concentrates the flavors further. Add fine egg noodles or kreplach (Jewish meat dumplings) and you'll want to dive into the bowl! Enjoy!

• Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 20 cups cold water
• 8 chicken, bottoms
• 4 large carrots, cut to 2 . 5-inchx . 5-inch pieces
• 3 stalks celery, cut like carrots
• 2 parsnips, cut like carrots
• 1 turnip, cubed (bite-sized)
• 2 large onions, cut in half
• 1 bunch parsley (tied up)
• 1 bunch dill (tied up)
• salt & pepper or chicken bouillon

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil, add chicken, return to boil (covered).
2. Add all vegetables except for parsley & dill and allow to cook on medium to low heat, uncovered, until reduced by about half (2-3 hours). You may skim during the cooking or refrigerate the finished soup and remove the solidified fat.
3. Add parsley & dill and cook for 20 minutes, then remove the herbs and discard.
4. Season soup with salt & pepper or boullion powder to taste. If soup is too strong, add water. If it is too weak let it boil out longer (uncovered).
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Remove the chicken and separate out the meat into bite sized pieces (shreds). Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Serve immediately or freeze.

Reviews

[scancan]

I have been making this soup for years. I always use the Israeli brand of chicken soup mix (Osem) which gives it incredible flavor and really makes the soup. My kids love this so much they want me to make it on hot summer nights too but I let them wait and have something to look forward to. I also cook mine covered on a low flame, keeping it off would only make it evaporate and I don't quite see how that helps.

[Oolala]

I have made soup like this many times but I always have to refer to a recipe, so tonight I chose yours! I liked that you put the water measurement in cups (not quarts), which is easy since I used a large measuring cup. I made only a few changes: no turnip, added a bay leaf and peppercorns to a tea infuser ball and used 2 1/2 tsp. of salt. I also added 3 chicken bouillon cubes. Once the soup was finished, I strained it and put in a few pieces of chicken (and reserved the rest of the chicken for a curry chicken spread). I poured the soup into separate quart containers cool them in the refrigerator to let the fat harden for easy removal. I am making matzo balls from a mix now and will add those to the soup once they cool down. The soup is very delicious- I have made it many times and this is the recipe I will use from now on. It just got RAVE reviews at my seder from real chicken soup experts. Thank you! Everyone said it was the BEST I ever made! Thanks Kishka!

[Maeven6]

Wonderful. I will say I put mine in the crock pot overnight and then deboned and used Kreplach in the soup. Perfect for my Rosh Hasanah first course.