Traditional Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe: (2024)

Stovetop Instructions:

Clear out both openings of the chicken and remove any giblets. Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel and place in a large stockpot. Fill the pot with cold water until the chicken is covered by about an inch of water. Place the stockpot of chicken on the stove over medium-high heat. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low to let simmer.

During the first part of the simmering process, you will see foam rise to the top of the water and clump together. Use a large spoon to skim off the foam and discard. Once all the foam has stopped producing, add back hot water to the pot so the chicken is covered by at least an inch again.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, parsnip, peppercorns, kosher salt, cloves, bay leaves, parsley and dill to the pot of chicken stock. Cover with a lid, butallow some venting and let the stock cook at a steady simmer. If it starts to boil too hard, the broth results will be cloudy.(steady bubbles coming up with steam, butnot a rolling boil). Let the stock cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the chicken meat is cooked and tender. You may have to occasionally add more water to keep the chicken covered.

When the chicken is done cooking, turn off the heat. Use large tongs to transfer the chicken and vegetables to a cutting board and let cool.

Pour the stock from the pot through a strainer into another large pot or large bowl. Discard any remaining herbs, spices, and onion chunks. This will give you a nice clear golden chicken broth. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. If desired, cover and refrigerate the broth for up to 8 hours and skim off any hardened fat from the surface and save the fat to use in other recipes. Otherwise, let the broth cool down for a couple hours and use a spoon to skim off the fat that is rising to the surface and discard.

Note: Rendered chicken fat skimmed off the top of cooled chicken broth is also known as the Jewish term "schmaltz". You can save that fat to help bind matzo balls in Chicken Matzo Ball Soup, or wrap the fat in plastic and freeze to use as a shortening replacement in other savory recipes such as homemade biscuits.

When the chicken is cooled, pull the meat off the bones and shred. Set aside the chicken meat until ready to use. Discard the chicken carcass and skin. Chop up the carrots and celery into smaller bite-sized pieces. In a large 5 quart Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the chopped vegetables and chicken broth. Note: If you do not prefer really soft vegetables in your soup, you can discard all the vegetables from your stock, and chop up fresh carrots, celery and parsnip and saute with a couple tablespoons chicken fat (schmaltz) or butter for a few minutes, until softened. Then add the sauteed vegetables to the broth.

Heat the vegetables and broth until they just start to boil, add noodles if desired and bring the soup back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low to let the soup simmer until the noodles have become tender. Stir in the chicken meat and let simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup in bowls to serve and garnish the tops with chopped fresh parsley or dill.

Serves 4-6

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Instructions:

Place a trivet with handles facing upwards inside the inner pot.

Clear out both openings of the chicken and remove any giblets. Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel and place on top of the trivet inside the inner pot.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, parsnip, peppercorns, kosher salt, cloves, bay leaves, parsley and dill on top of the chicken. (Tuck vegetables into open pockets of space to make enough room in the inner pot.) Note: If you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot, reduce the number of vegetablesto have enough room in the inner pot. If using an 8 quart Instant Pot then the amount on the ingredient list should be fine.

Fill the inner pot with enough cold water to cover the chicken. Place the inner pot inside the Instant Pot appliance and cover with lid. Close the lid to the sealing position. Next, make sure the pressure valve is closed to the sealing position. Press the Manual button, with the High-Pressure setting. Adjust the pressure cooking time to 30 minutes. When the pressure cooking time is completed, let the pressure naturally release until you see the pressure pin drop. (this could take 25-30 minutes since there is a large quantity of liquid in the pot.) Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot and open the lid and set aside.

Using tongs, pull out the carrots and celery to a cutting board to let cool. Place silicon mitts on your hands for protection and grab the trivet handles to pull the chicken up and out of the Instant Pot. Place the chicken on a plate and cover with a foil tent to let cool.

Pour the stock from the inner pot through a strainer into another large pot or large bowl. Discard any remaining herbs, spices, and onion chunks. This will give you a nice clear golden chicken broth. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. If desired, cover and refrigerate the broth for up to 8 hours and skim off any hardened fat from the surface and save the fat to use in other recipes. Otherwise, let the broth cool down for a couple hours and use a spoon to skim off the fat that is rising to the surface and discard.

Note: Rendered chicken fat skimmed off the top of cooled chicken broth is also known as the Jewish term "schmaltz". You can save that fat to help bind matzo balls in Chicken Matzo Ball Soup, or wrap the fat in plastic and freeze to use as a shortening replacement in other savory recipes such as homemade biscuits.

When the chicken is cooled, pull the meat off the bones and shred. Set aside the chicken meat until ready to use. Discard the chicken carcass and skin. Chop up the carrots and celery into smaller bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped vegetables and chicken broth back into the inner pot. Note: If you do not prefer really soft vegetables in your soup, you can discard all the vegetables from your stock, and chop up fresh carrots, celery and parsnip and saute with a couple tablespoons chicken fat (schmaltz) or butter for a few minutes, until softened. Then add the sauteed vegetables to the broth.

Press the Saute button and then press the Adjust button until you see the "More" heat setting on the panel. Once the broth starts to come to a boil, add noodles if desired and bring the soup back up to a boil. Let the soup simmer until the noodles have become tender. Stir in the chicken meat and let simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls to serve and garnish the tops with chopped fresh parsley or dill.

Serves 4-6