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Lancaster chicken corn soup
Pennsylvania Dutch chicken and sweetcorn soup with rivels
Every summer fire company picnic and church fair in Lancaster County sells this golden soup by the quart: chicken broth tinted with saffron, packed with sweetcorn and shredded chicken, and thickened with rivels, little rubbly dumplings rubbed between the fingers. Some cooks add chopped hard-boiled egg on top. Chef's tip: rub the rivel dough over the simmering soup through your fingers so the pieces fall in small, like grains of rice.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb whole chicken legs
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 celery sticksdiced
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ⅛ lb sweetcorn kernelsfresh or frozen
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp parsleychopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer the 2 ¼ lb whole chicken legs in the 8 ¼ cups water with the 1 onion, 2 celery sticks, 1 pinch saffron threads, 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper for 1 hour, skimming, until very tender.
65 minStep 2: Lift out the chicken, shred the meat and discard skin and bones. Add the 1 ⅛ lb sweetcorn kernels to the broth and simmer 10 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Mix the 3 ½ oz plain flour, 1 egg and 2 tbsp milk with a fork into a crumbly, shaggy dough.
3 minStep 4: Rub the dough between your fingers over the simmering soup so small rivels fall in, stirring as you go. A common mistake is dropping big lumps, which stay raw in the middle.
3 minStep 5: Simmer 10 minutes until the rivels are cooked and the soup thickens, then return the chicken and heat until piping hot. Stir in the 2 tbsp parsley and top with 2 hard-boiled eggs if you like.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lancaster chicken corn soup take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of celery sticks?
- Fennel, same weight.
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