Ciorbă rădăuțeană, Romanian chicken soup

Name: Ciorbă rădăuțeană, Romanian chicken soup
Ingredients: 1 chicken back (700 g); 1 bone-in chicken thigh (250 g); 3 carrots (300 g); 2 parsley roots (200 g); 1 celery slice (100 g); 1 medium onion (150 g); 1 pepper (150 g); 1 potato (150 g); 2500 ml water; 5 garlic cloves; 3 egg yolks; 200 ml cultured sour cream with 20% fat; 1 teaspoon salt; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 15 g parsley

Soups - Ciorbă rădăuțeană, Romanian chicken soup by Florentina G. - Recipia

Ciorbă rădăuțeană, a Romanian chicken soup, simmers gently with chicken and root vegetables, then gets finished with egg yolks and sour cream; the broth stays creamy, with garlic and lemon in the mix. When choosing the chicken, I look for a back with meat still attached between the bones; I keep the thigh whole until it cools, then chop everything finely. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 42 minutes. Rest: 35 minutes. Total time: 102 minutes. Serves: 6. About 250 kcal and 16 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

1 chicken back (700 g)
1 bone-in chicken thigh (250 g)
3 carrots (300 g)
2 parsley roots (200 g)
1 celery slice (100 g)
1 medium onion (150 g)
1 pepper (150 g)
1 potato (150 g)
2500 ml water
5 garlic cloves
3 egg yolks
200 ml cultured sour cream with 20% fat
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
15 g parsley

Preparation

1. Pat the chicken back and thigh dry with paper towels. Put them in a pot with the carrots, parsley roots, celery slice, whole onion, pepper and potato, then pour in 2500 ml water. Simmer over low heat for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the root vegetables are soft. 2. Remove the chicken, carrots, parsley roots and celery from the pot and leave them to cool for 20 minutes. Leave the onion, pepper and potato in the broth. Crush the garlic cloves, add them to the hot broth, cover the pot and leave to infuse for 15 minutes, off the heat. 3. Finely chop the cooled meat and root vegetables. Strain the broth, discard the onion, pepper, potato and garlic, then return the broth to the pot along with the chopped meat and vegetables. 4. Bring the soup to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, until thoroughly heated and the pieces are distributed through the broth. 5. Mix the egg yolks with 150 ml sour cream. Gradually pour a ladleful of hot broth over them, stirring constantly. Turn the heat to low, pour the mixture into the pot and heat the soup for another 2 minutes, without letting it boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and the juice of half a lemon, then turn off the heat. 6. Serve with chopped parsley and the remaining 50 ml sour cream.

Notes

Keep the soup covered in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days, and sprinkle the parsley into the bowls, not the pot, so it keeps well from one day to the next. For a lactose-free version, you can use 200 ml lactose-free sour cream; the soup still contains eggs. I do the simmering before mealtime, since chopping the meat and finishing the soup need a little attention at the end. Serve with fresh bread. Choose a back with meat clearly visible around the bones, and if it’s very small, taste the broth before adding all the salt. Large root vegetables may need a few extra minutes, so take them out when they soften easily when pierced with a fork. If the lemon is very juicy, start with less juice and add more after tasting. When finishing the soup, don’t rush the pouring: add the broth to the egg yolks a little at a time, while whisking.