Rosół z kurczaka (homemade chicken soup)

Of all the meals my grandmother made when I was growing up, the one I looked forward to the most was her chicken soup invariably served as Sunday dinner.  While the variety of ways chicken soup can be made is nearly endless, the hot clear broth filled with chicken, simple veggies and served over thick noodles or dumplings is a favorite that has warmed the people of Central Europe for generations.  I can’t wait for the first cold rainy day each year to duplicate as well I can my grandmother’s recipe (although I have been known to make a large pot on the hottest days of summer).  There are numerous variations on the Polish translation, but the one I have seen most often is rosół z kurczaka,  although my grandma’s word for soup was zupa rather than rosół.


INGREDIENTS:

A whole chicken (of course).  A fryer or broiler chicken can be used, but a mature stewing chicken will give the soup a richer old-world flavor.  Assuming you will be preparing the soup in a large stockpot a 3-5 lb chicken should do.

• 1 tablespoon salt (+/-)
• 2 whole small onions
• 1 fresh tomato, seeded and peeled
• 4 - 5 carrots quartered and sliced into 2” spears
• 4-5 celery stalks with some of the leaves still on. Slice lengthwise in half and cut into 2” lengths
• 6 peppercorns
• A pinch of allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 springs fresh parsley for garnishing 

PREPARATION:

Wash the cut-up chicken thoroughly in cold water using every part, place in pot, add salt and enough COLD water to cover all chicken pieces (about 3 quarts).  Bring to full boil and then reduce heat to a slow gentle boil cook 90 min or until meat is tender. (Reduce cook time to about an hour if a fryer is being used).

There will be a scum ringing the pot and floating on top.  Skim it off.  Remove the chicken and let cool to the touch then cut into bite-sized pieces, removing and discarding all bones.  Some people like to strain the soup at this point and add the peppercorns and bay leaf back in for the remainder of the cooking.  I do not strain my soup.

Add the cut up chicken back to the broth as well as all of the remaining ingredients except the parsley and simmer on low heat for about an hour until the vegetables are tender.  Remove and discard peppercorns and bay leaf and shred the parsley into the soup and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Place about a cupful of noodles in a large soup bowl and ladle soup over it.  Enjoy.

HINTS:

For variety, serve the soup over small dumplings, cooked rice or barley, or even diced tofu.  Chicken soup “ages” beautifully so it is an ideal cook-ahead meal.  It is a fat-rich food so your cardiologist might recommend that you reduce the salt you add and also to refrigerate it for a day before serving it, removing the thick layer of congealed fat that will form before reheating  it.

NOODLES (KLUSKI):

In my opinion the best way to enjoy homemade chicken soup is over thick egg noodles called kluski.  You can choose ready-made ones or make your own.

Good – dry noodles sold in the pasta aisle of virtually every supermarket (brand names will vary by region)

Better – frozen noodles sold in the frozen food case of most stores.  There are several brands but most stores will only sell one brand.  These are the closest to homemade I have found.

Best – homemade noodles.  Not a task to take on lightly but if you’re handy in the kitchen, it is well worth it.  Here’s how:




INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large beaten eggs
• 4-6 tablespoons water

PREPARATION:

Combine flour and salt In the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor.  Add eggs and enough water for dough to form a ball. Knead it until smooth and stretchy which should take about 7-8 minutes. Cover with a pastry cloth or Saran wrap and let relax 30 minutes.

Assuming you don’t have a pasta machine, roll the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of two CD’s stacked on top of each other.  Let it dry about 20 minutes then cut it with a sharp knife into uneven strips about 2-3” long and about ¼” wide (now is not the time to worry that they all look exactly the same).

Once again you’re going to let them dry a little, but leave them scattered over your cutting board so they don’t stick together.  About 30 minutes of drying is good enough.  Now cook in boiling, salted water 5-10 minutes like you would any other similar pasta. 

When they are done to your taste, drain them and serve as suggested above.

Homemade chicken soup can look like anything you want it to

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

"You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life"

- Winston Churchill

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