Mama Leah's Chicken Soup

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Yield: 4 servings as a main dish or 8 to 10 for just soup. The miraculous Jewish Band-Aid for whatever ails you. The soup can be strained and served clear with matzah balls (kneidlakh), kreplakh (Jewish wontons), or noodles, and the vegetables can be removed to make soup greens latkes (pancakes) and served with the boiled chicken. Or the meat and vegetables can be left in the soup and served as a main dish, "chicken in the pot". (From "Mama Leah's Jewish Kitchen" by Leah Loeb Fischer).

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Mama Leah's Chicken Soup Ingredients

1 large broiler chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces	1/2 bunch parsley stems included
8 cups water 7-8 cups or just enough to cover chicken and vegetables	1/2 bunch fresh dill stems included
3 stalks celery with their leaves	1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 ea carrots peeled but left whole	1 teaspoon white pepper
2 ea parsnips peeled	1 clove garlic peeled but left whole
1 large leeks or 2 small; substitute 1 medium onion if leeks are not available

Instructions for Mama Leah's Chicken Soup

Wash chicken pieces well and remove any quills or pinfeathers. Pull away any visible excess fat. Do not remove the skin because the skin adds flavor to the soup. Place chicken in a 6-quart soup kettle and add 8 cups cold water. Wash celery and cut each stalk in half crosswise and add to pot. Cut each carrot in half crosswise, then cut down the middle, making 12 pieces. Add the carrots to the pot. Cut the parsnips in half lengthwise and add these to the pot. Trim the ends off the leeks, cut in half lengthwise, and wash carefully under cold running water, separating the layers to remove all the grit. Cut leeks in half crosswise and add to the pot. Wash parsley and dill and add to pot along with the salt, pepper, and garlic clove. Add more water if needed, to just cover the chicken and the vegetables.

Bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and skim away the scum that forms on the top. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 hour longer.

Skim away any fat that has risen to the surface of the soup or degrease the broth in a degreasing pitcher. Of course, if you have the time, you can simply chill the soup until the fat congeals and remove it that way.

Main Ingredient: ChickenCuisine: Jewish

Ingredient Insight - look inside this recipe

Carrot

Celery

Chicken

Dill

Garlic

Kosher Salt

Leek

Parsley

White Pepper

Meat Ashkenazic Soup Main Dish Jewish Chicken Dinner Lunch

for flavor and categorization

This homemade Chicken Soup tastes so good and makes the house smell so wonderful...there's nothing more comforting! I own a copy of "Mama Leah's Jewish Kitchen" by Leah Loeb Fischer. It's a terrific cookbook with lots of Old World recipes, including this soul-warming recipe for chicken soup. This recipe is almost identical to my paternal (Polish) grandmother's recipe. The differences being that my grandpa liked rutabagas and potatoes in the soup and there was always homemade Kluski noodles served on the side to ladle the soup over. I did make a couple of changes when I made this recipe (pictured) -- I added 1 medium rutabaga, I omitted the parsley and increased the dill. I love the flavor of dill, and wanted it as prominent in the soup as possible (my personal Polish taste for that day). If you want people to rave about your soup, try using this recipe.