Authentic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe

Authentic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe originated in snowy Eastern Europe, and has warmed many generations of Mediterranean and Israeli hearts since the 1700s.

I’m thrilled to share this cherished recipe with you that my late mother-in-law shared with me. May it bring warmth and connection to your table for generations to come. Shabbat Shalom!

It’s perfect for Pesach too—just swap the noodles for matzo balls.

The veggies are left pretty whole but you can just make smaller cuts if you like.

Ingredients of Authentic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe

Let’s get acquainted with the ingredients of this Jewish Chicken Soup.

Ingredients

Here’s the run-down when serving 4 people:

• Chicken drumsticks, thighs or wings, cleaned and dried with paper towels
• 5 carrots – The soup gets a yellow-orangish tint thanks to the carrots. The carrots create a mildly sweet broth.
• Zucchini – For more color and texture.
• Potatoes
• A large white (yellow) onion
• Garlic cloves
• Celery stalks + leaves
• Parsley sprigs, rinsed, left whole (About 20 sprigs, or a handful)
• Extra optional veggies also taking part in Grandma Chana’s Mediterranean Twists: fresh tomato, red and green bell peppers
• Spices: You wouldn’t believe how simplistic this soup is. There are just 2 – 3 spices:

• Turmeric + Kosher salt (or Chicken bouillon powder to taste)
• Black pepper, to taste

You can add other savory spices too.

Preparation of This Authentic Jewish Chicken Soup Recipe

Step 1

Slice veggies into halves and quarters. Yay! No tiny chopping.

Step 2

Place everything in the pot and add hot water. Cook.

Step 3 –

Got the flu? Try this Perfect ‘Penicillin’ Soup with Grandma Chana’s Tweak

Remove the parsley, celery leaves, onion, tomato, bell peppers as part of Grandma Chana’s tweek-technique.

This not only infuses the soup with its extra flavor and nutrition, but it also prevents the broth from disappearing into the solid ingredients. When reheating the soup, you’ll still have broth left.

As Grandma Chana used to do, you can remove the chicken from the pot and store it in a separate container. Return the chicken to the soup upon reheating it before the meal.

Veggie Substitutes

It’s completely up to up if you’d like to add the following veggies. These have never been in this soup, but here are more options. Don’t forget to adjust water and saltiness.

• Parsnips aren’t typically added to soup in Israel, though they are slowly starting to appear at some supermarkets and in some recipes.
• Leeks do appear in some Israeli chicken soups, but Grandma Chana (and I) never added them to this soup.
• For even more enhanced medicinal benefits, you can add ginger if your family and guests like its flavor. People from India do this in many recipes.
• Fennel – I’ve added 1/2 a fennel (sliced while lying on its long side) as per-recommendation by a friend of mine from Argentina. If you’re going to add fennel and it’s the first time for you, I’d suggest adding just a tiny piece this time. If you like the flavor, you can adjust the amount the next time you make the soup.

This is the simple way to create Jewish Chicken soup. That being said, chicken soup is a customizable dish you can alter to suit your personal preferences and dietary needs.

Variations – Creating A Thicker Broth

Care for a thicker broth? Here are some options:

Do you like a thicker broth? If you’re nodding, then here are 3 ways you could achieve that.

• Thicken with cornstarch: Mix ⅓ cup cornstarch with ⅔ cup room-temperature water. Stir into the soup just before turning off the heat. Add late—adding it too early can cause it to sink and burn. Stir gently to avoid breaking vegetables.
• Reduce the broth: Add extra water at the start, then simmer uncovered until the broth naturally thickens. Leave enough liquid to serve. For firmer zucchini, add it 15 minutes later than the recipe calls for.
• Blend some vegetables: Blend carrots (and yam/sweet potato), onion, potato, garlic, and peppers with some broth, then return to the pot. Keep selected vegetables sliced for texture. A blender or hand blender both work—just remove the slices first and add them back afterward.

Note: For an orange broth, make sure not to add too many green or white (potatoes) vegetables.

Storage of Chicken Soup

Freezing

You can freeze the soup, excluding the potatoes, in an air-tight container, for up to a few weeks. Some freeze food for much longer. It’s advised not to freeze potatoes because reduced quality of their texture.

Refrigeration

Refrigeration is up to 2 days after preparation.

Carb toppings for this ultimate Jewish Penicillin Chicken Soup

For Pesach/Passover:

• Thick Floater Matzo Balls for Passover or year-round. They are great and won’t fall apart in the soup.

For the Rest of the Year:

• Thin Egg Noodles – Bring to boil and cook around 7 minutes (depending on their thickness and the brand) in mildly salted water. Strain under running water. This is what Grandma Hanna used.
• Israeli Mini-Croutons (Sh’kedei Marak) – They are sold in packages at the supermarket.
• Regular Croutons

Main dishes to Precede or join this Chicken Soup

• Mildly Sweet Mushroom White Rice
• Stuffed Mashed Potato Cakes with Quinoa – Vegan and Passover Friendly

Gondi – A Chicken-Patty-Ball Soup: This is another Jewish Chicken Soup, but this one was created by Persian Jews. It’s a thin broth with ground chicken patties/balls, and is super easy to make.

Vegetarian Soups

Velvety Orange Soup

Garden Bliss Split Pea Soup (with carrot and potato small chunks

Mushroom Barley Tomato Soup with Mediterranean Aromas (sweet and a tad sour)

Grandma Chana

Born in 1920, Chana was a fifth-generation Sabra Jerusalemite, possibly rooted in Safed. A master home cook for over 50 years, she taught me the basics of cooking.

We spent 14 Shabbats together, sharing her beloved recipes. Cooking without a refrigerator or modern conveniences, she even koshered chickens herself. She lived through poverty, war, and joy with strength and grace.

Special Lineage

A descendant of one of the hundreds of disciples of the Great Rabbi “The Vilna (Lithuania) Gaon”, who migrated to the Land of Israel at the beginning of the 1800s.

Though the Jews were expelled from their homeland by the Romans in the year 70 BCE (2100 years ago), there were always small concentrations of Jews who lived in Israel (known as Judea).

I hope you love Chana’s Jewish Chicken soup.

For questions and comments, please refer to the Comments section below.

Enjoy!

For more on the benefits of chicken soup you can visit: the National Library of Medicine and Science Direct.