This creamy chicken soup recipe holds a special place in my heart. It's a classic Romanian dish called Ciorbă Rădăuțeană, and it's the ultimate comfort food. With its rich, garlicky broth and creamy texture, it's both restorative and incredibly delicious. I can't wait to share my family's recipe with you and show you how to make it from scratch!
While most chicken soup simply simmer chicken and vegetables, this recipe, similar to my Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, takes it up a notch. It features a unique creamy base made with sour cream, egg yolks, and garlic, giving it a rich texture and tangy flavour.
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In Romania, this recipe is known as "Ciorbă Rădăuțeană" (Rădăuțeană Soup) and is highly sought-after in restaurants. Ciorbă Rădăuțeană shares some flavour similarities with Romanian tripe soup (Ciorbă de Burtă), such as a garlic-infused broth and a tangy finish. However, it uses chicken instead of beef tripe, giving it a lighter and more delicate taste.
Let's Start With the Ingredients
This recipe makes a hearty pot of soup, perfect for eight servings. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 kg Whole Chicken: We'll use a whole chicken to create a flavourful broth, ensuring the soup is rich and satisfying. Using bone-in, skin-on pieces adds depth and richness to the final dish.
- 300 g Carrots: These sweet and earthy vegetables add a vibrant colour and a touch of sweetness to the soup. They also provide essential vitamins and nutrients.
- 100 g Parsley Root: This root vegetable, similar to a parsnip, offers a subtle sweetness and a hint of pepperiness, adding complexity to the broth.
- 150 g Celery Root: Another root vegetable with a slightly nutty and celery-like flavour, it adds depth and a unique aroma to the soup.
- One Onion: A staple in soups, onions provide a savoury base and sweetness to the broth. We'll use a whole onion for maximum flavour.
- Half of Red Bell Pepper: This adds a pop of colour and a touch of sweetness with a hint of bitterness to balance the other flavours.
- 300 ml Sour Cream: The star ingredient! Sour cream creates the signature creamy texture and tangy flavour of Ciorbă Rădăuțeană.
- Four Egg Yolks: These enrich the soup, adding to the creamy texture and providing a velvety mouthfeel.
- 8 cloves of Garlic: Aromatic and pungent, garlic adds a depth of flavour and a subtle kick to the soup.
Preparing the Ingredients
First, we'll cut up the chicken. Don't throw anything away! We'll use every part, from the breast and thighs to the wings and back, to create a rich and flavourful broth.
Wash and peel the vegetables, but keep them whole. This allows them to release their flavour slowly as they simmer in the broth.
How to Cook the Best Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe?
We'll start by boiling the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in a soup pot, ensuring they have plenty of room.
Add two bay leaves, a teaspoon of black peppercorns, and a tablespoon of salt. Then, fill the pot with cold water and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on top of the soup with a whisk. This will help make the broth clearer.
It's time to add the vegetables! Add them to the pot with the chicken and continue to cook over medium-low heat.
Let the soup simmer gently for 40-45 minutes, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and the vegetables are soft.
Once the chicken and vegetables have simmered, remove them from the broth and place them in a bowl to cool slightly.
Strain the broth through a sieve, discarding any solids. This will give you a beautifully clear and flavourful base for your "Ciorbă Rădăuțeană".
Allow the meat to cool for about 10 minutes, or until it's comfortable to handle. Then, carefully remove the meat from the bones.
You can now dice the chicken, shred it into smaller pieces, or leave it in larger chunks, depending on your preference.
While the other vegetables added flavour to the broth, we'll only be using the carrots in the final soup. Dice them into small cubes for a pleasing texture.
Add the chicken and diced carrots back into the pot with the broth. Heat until simmering, then it's time to create the luxurious, creamy base that makes this soup so special.
How to Make Thickening Cream for Soup?
Unlike many thickened soups that rely on flour, this recipe achieves its creamy texture with just egg yolks and sour cream. To start, separate four egg yolks into a bowl.
Add 6-8 cloves of garlic to the bowl with the egg yolks. You can grate them, press them, or finely mince them – whichever method you prefer.
Instead of chopping the garlic, we recommend grating or pressing it. This helps the garlic infuse its flavour more evenly throughout the soup.
Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and garlic together until they form a pale yellow paste. Add 300 ml of sour cream and whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Whisk briskly until the mixture transforms into a light and airy cream, with no lumps or streaks.
This luscious cream will be the key to transforming our simple chicken soup into a rich and flavourful Ciorbă Rădăuțeană.
Finishing the Chicken Soup
We need to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling in the hot soup. First, turn off the heat and allow the soup to stop simmering.
Then, we'll slowly bring the cream up to the temperature of the soup by whisking in a couple of ladles of the hot broth.
Whisk in another 2-3 tablespoons of soup, then pour the tempered cream mixture back into the pot. Season with sea salt to taste, a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
And that's it! You've just made Ciorbă Rădăuțeană, the incredibly delicious and best creamy chicken soup. I know you're going to love it!
Variations
While Ciorbă Rădăuțeană has a fairly traditional base, there's room for some delicious variations! Here are a few ideas of ingredient swaps:
- Meat: While chicken is classic, you can use turkey or even duck for a richer flavour. Some recipes even use beef or pork.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add other vegetables like diced potatoes, chopped leeks, or even a handful of spinach for extra nutrients.
- Sour Cream: For a lighter version, you can use Greek yogurt or a mixture of sour cream and yogurt.
Serving the Soup
Ciorbă Rădăuțeană is traditionally served hot in bowls, often with a dollop of extra sour cream on top and a sprinkle of fresh parsley for garnish.
Here are some other serving suggestions:
- Bread: Crusty bread is a perfect accompaniment for dipping and soaking up the flavourful broth.
- Spicy Peppers: For those who like a bit of heat, serve with a side of pickled hot peppers or a sprinkle of chili flakes.
- Vinegar: Offer a small bowl of vinegar for those who want an extra tangy kick.
- Rice: Some people like to add a spoonful of cooked rice to their soup for a more filling meal.
How to Store?
To store Ciorbă Rădăuțeană, allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Here are some tips for storing the soup:
- Cooling: It's crucial to cool the soup thoroughly before refrigerating to prevent bacterial growth and maintain quality.
- Container: Use a container with a tight-fitting lid to prevent the soup from absorbing odors from other foods in the fridge.
- Portioning: If you plan to freeze the soup, consider portioning it into individual serving sizes for easier reheating.
FAQ
The magic ingredient in this creamy chicken soup is a mixture of egg yolks and sour cream! This creates a velvety smooth texture and adds a delightful tangy flavour that sets this soup apart from other creamy chicken soups.
Signs that chicken soup has gone bad:
- Sour Smell: Fresh chicken soup should have a pleasant, savoury aroma. If it smells sour, off, or unpleasant in any way, it's likely spoiled.
- Change in Appearance: Look for changes in colour or texture. If the broth becomes cloudy, develops a film on the surface, or the chicken or vegetables appear discoloured or slimy, it's best to discard it.
- Mold: Any signs of mold growth, even a small spot, indicate spoilage.
- Taste: If you're unsure, and the soup passes the smell and appearance tests, you can taste a tiny amount. If it tastes off or sour, don't eat it.
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Related
If you enjoyed this creamy chicken soup, you're in for a treat! Here are a few more comforting and flavourful soup recipes from our blog that you'll definitely want to try:
Best Creamy Chicken Soup (Ciorbă Rădăuțeană)-Comfort Food Classic
Equipment
- 1 Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg whole chicken
- 300 g carrots
- 100 g parsley root
- 150 g cellery root
- 1 piece onion medium size
- ½ piece red bell pepper
- 300 ml sour cream
- 4 pieces egg yolks
- 8 pieces garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon peppercorn
- 2 pieces bay leafs
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 piece lemon juice
Instructions
- We start with the chicken, which we cut into pieces. We will use all parts of the chicken, both the chest and thighs and the wings and back of the chicken.
- We wash the vegetables and peel them, but we leave them whole, so we will boil them.
- Place the chicken pieces in a soup pot. Add two bay leaves, a teaspoon of peppercorns and a tablespoon of salt, then fill the pot with cold water and bring to a boil.
- After it boils, reduces the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. With a whisk, gather the resulting foam from the soup to make it clearer. Add the whole vegetables, which we cook together with the meat, over medium to low heat. Boil everything for about 45 minutes, until the meat comes off the bones.
- After they have boiled, take out all the meat and vegetables in a bowl, and let them cool a bit. After the meat has cooled a bit, detach it from the bones and chopped it. From the vegetables, we will use only the carrots, which we cut into cubes.
- Prepare four egg yolks in a bowl. On top, grate or press, 6-8 cloves of garlic. Mix well until you get a paste, then add sour cream and mix well again. Stir further until you get a homogeneous cream.
- Bring the thickening cream to the soup temperature. For this, pour over the cream two ladles of hot soup and mix. Pour another 2-3 tablespoons of soup over the cream, mix, and pour everything back into the pot. Season with sea salt, to taste, a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper and lemon juice.
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