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Ciorbă de pui cu tarhon
Chicken soup with tarragon
Ciorbă ardelenească de pui: Transylvanian chicken soup with tarragon, vinegar and sour cream
Tarragon grows in almost every garden in Transylvania, from Saxon villages near Sibiu to the Hungarian towns of Harghita, and it is what makes this chicken soup taste of the region. Pieces of chicken simmer with root vegetables and potato, the pot is soured with a splash of vinegar, and at the end sour cream and a big handful of chopped tarragon go in, giving a pale, creamy broth with a gentle aniseed lift. Unlike the egg-thickened soups of Moldavia, this one stays light and brothy. It is eaten as the first course of a Sunday lunch, with fresh bread and a hot pepper. A common mistake is adding the tarragon too early; long cooking turns it bitter and grey, so stir it in just before serving. Chef's tip: a spoon of tarragon pickled in vinegar, as Transylvanian cooks keep it, does the souring and flavouring in one.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 10 ½ cups cold water
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 carrotsdiced
- 1 parsley root or parsnipdiced
- 3 ½ oz celeriacdiced
- 10 ½ oz waxy potatoespeeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
To finish
- 7 oz sour cream (20% fat)
- ½ oz fresh tarragonleaves chopped
- 6 fresh hot pepper (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ¼ lb chicken legs, thighs and wings in a large pot with the 10 ½ cups cold water and 2 tsp salt, bring slowly to the boil and skim off the foam for a few minutes, until the broth looks clear.
15 minStep 2: Lower to a bare simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
25 minStep 3: Meanwhile heat the 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat and soften the 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 parsley root or parsnip and 3 ½ oz celeriac for 8 minutes, until fragrant and just tender, without browning.
8 minStep 4: Add the softened vegetables, 10 ½ oz waxy potatoes, 1 bay leaf and ½ tsp black pepper to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken reads 165°F at the thickest part next to the bone.
15 minStep 5: Lift out the chicken, pull the meat from the bones into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot. Remove the bay leaf.
6 minStep 6: Stir in the 3 tbsp white wine or tarragon vinegar, then taste; the soup should be clearly but gently sour.
1 minStep 7: Whisk the 7 oz sour cream (20% fat) in a bowl with two ladles of hot broth until smooth, then take the pot off the heat and stir it in.
2 minStep 8: Stir in the ½ oz fresh tarragon and serve straight away, with a 6 fresh hot pepper on the side. Reheat leftovers gently without boiling.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ciorbă de pui cu tarhon take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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