Classic Jewish-Style Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles, Dill and Parsnips

Name: Classic Jewish-Style Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles, Dill and Parsnips
Prep time: 52 min
Cook time: 1 h 35 min
Total time: 2 h 27 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Jewish-American
Ingredients: 3 lb (1360 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks), rinsed and patted dry; large breasts cut in half crosswise; 12 cups (2800 ml) cold water; 1 large (300 g) yellow onion, peeled and halved through the root; 2 medium (150 g) carrots, peeled and cut in half crosswise; 1 medium (100 g) parsnip, peeled and cut in half crosswise; 2 ribs (100 g) celery ribs, cut in half crosswise; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 6 large sprigs (15 g) fresh dill, tied with kitchen string into a bundle with the parsley sprigs; 6 sprigs (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, tied together with the dill sprigs; 1 tsp (3 g) whole black peppercorns; 2 leaves (1 g) dried bay leaves; 2 tsp (6 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if using Morton kosher or table salt, use 1 tsp / 6 g... see note: weigh 6 g of any salt type); 2 medium (150 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons; 1 medium (100 g) parsnip, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons; 2 ribs (100 g) celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices; 6 oz (170 g) wide dried egg noodles; ⅓ cup (15 g) fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped; 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice (optional); kosher salt, to taste, added at the end; freshly ground black pepper, to taste

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A golden, deeply savory chicken soup built the traditional way: bone-in chicken simmered slowly with parsnip, carrot, celery and dill stems, then finished with tender vegetables, wide egg noodles, shredded chicken and a handful of fresh herbs.

Prep: 52 min
Cook: 1 hr 35 min
Wait: 15 min
Total: 2 hr 42 min
Makes: About 3 quarts (2.8 L), 6 generous bowls

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the broth
3 lb (1360 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks), rinsed and patted dry; large breasts cut in half crosswise
12 cups (2800 ml) cold water
1 large (300 g) yellow onion, peeled and halved through the root
2 medium (150 g) carrots, peeled and cut in half crosswise
1 medium (100 g) parsnip, peeled and cut in half crosswise
2 ribs (100 g) celery ribs, cut in half crosswise
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6 large sprigs (15 g) fresh dill, tied with kitchen string into a bundle with the parsley sprigs
6 sprigs (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, tied together with the dill sprigs
1 tsp (3 g) whole black peppercorns
2 leaves (1 g) dried bay leaves
2 tsp (6 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if using Morton kosher or table salt, use 1 tsp / 6 g... see note: weigh 6 g of any salt type)
For the soup
2 medium (150 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons
1 medium (100 g) parsnip, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons
2 ribs (100 g) celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
6 oz (170 g) wide dried egg noodles
⅓ cup (15 g) fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice (optional)
kosher salt, to taste, added at the end
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Equipment (7)

8-quart (7.5 L) heavy stockpot or Dutch oven with lid
Fine-mesh strainer
Large heatproof bowl or second pot (4 quart / 4 L or larger)
Large spoon or skimmer for removing foam
Instant-read thermometer
Cutting board and chef's knife
Kitchen string

Steps

Before you start

Use bone-in, skin-on chicken (a mix of breast, thighs and drumsticks gives the best flavor and body). Boneless chicken will make a thin broth.
Start with cold water. Cold water draws flavor out of the chicken and helps the broth stay clear.
The broth simmers 1 hour, so plan about 2 hours 40 minutes from start to bowl.
Have a fine-mesh strainer and a large heatproof bowl or second pot ready for straining the broth.

1
Prep the vegetables
- Peel and cut the broth vegetables as listed: halve the onion through the root, cut the broth carrots, parsnip and celery into large halves, and smash the garlic.
- Tie the dill and parsley sprigs together with kitchen string.
- Then peel and slice the soup carrots and parsnip into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons and slice the soup celery ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Keep the two sets of vegetables separate (the soup vegetables go in later), and chop the fresh dill and parsley for the end.
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Ready when: Vegetables are cut to the sizes listed and kept in two separate piles.
Tip: Cutting the soup vegetables small and uniform means they cook at the same rate and fit on a spoon.
2
Start the broth
- Put the chicken pieces in an 8-quart (7.5 L) stockpot.
- Add the onion, broth carrots, broth parsnip, broth celery, garlic, the herb bundle, peppercorns and bay leaves.
- Pour in the 12 cups (2.8 L) cold water; the chicken should be covered by about 1 inch (2.5 cm).
- Set the pot over medium-high heat, uncovered, and bring just to a gentle simmer, which takes about 12 to 15 minutes.
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Ready when: Tiny bubbles break the surface and a gray-white foam gathers on top.
Tip: Don't let the pot reach a rolling boil. Hard boiling clouds the broth and toughens the meat.
3
Skim and season
- Use a large spoon or skimmer to lift off the foam that has collected on the surface and discard it.
- Stir in the 2 tsp (6 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; the broth will be lightly seasoned now and you will adjust at the end.
- Reduce the heat to low so the surface barely shivers with a bubble or two every second or so.
- Set the lid slightly ajar.
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Ready when: The surface is mostly clear of foam and the liquid is barely simmering.
Tip: Skim thoroughly now; foam skimmed early won't turn into cloudy bits later.
4
Simmer gently
- Simmer, lid slightly ajar, for 60 minutes without stirring.
- If the broth bubbles vigorously, lower the heat.
- After 60 minutes, check the chicken: the meat should be very tender and pull easily from the bone.
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Ready when: Chicken breast reads at least 165°F (74°C) and thighs and drumsticks at least 175°F (80°C) at the thickest part, away from bone, and the meat pulls from the bone easily.
Tip: The broth should look pale gold. If it tastes weak, simmer 15 minutes longer after removing the chicken.
5
Strain and cool chicken
- With tongs, move the chicken pieces to a rimmed plate or baking sheet to cool.
- Set the strainer over a large heatproof bowl or second pot and pour the broth through it; discard the cooked vegetables, herb bundle, peppercorns and bay leaves.
- Rinse out the stockpot.
- Let the broth settle for a couple of minutes, then spoon off most of the fat floating on top (leave a little for flavor).
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Ready when: You have about 9 to 10 cups (2.1 to 2.4 L) of clear golden broth and the chicken is cool enough to touch.
Tip: If you have less than 9 cups of broth, add water to bring it up to 10 cups (2.4 L).
6
Shred the chicken
- Pull the skin off the chicken and discard it along with the bones and any gristle.
- Shred the meat into bite-size pieces with two forks or your fingers; you should have about 3 to 4 cups (400 to 500 g).
- Cover and set aside.
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Ready when: All meat is pulled into bite-size pieces with no bones or skin left.
Tip: Shred the meat while it's still slightly warm; it pulls apart more easily than fully cold chicken.
7
Cook the vegetables
- Pour the strained broth back into the clean stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add the sliced soup carrots, parsnip and celery.
- Simmer, partially covered, for 12 minutes.
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Ready when: A piece of carrot slides off a fork when pierced and has no hard center.
Tip: Add the vegetables to broth that's already simmering so their cooking time is predictable.
8
Add the noodles
- Stir in the egg noodles and cook at a steady simmer, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice so they don't stick, until the noodles are tender but still slightly springy.
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Ready when: A noodle bitten in half is tender throughout with no white, raw-looking center.
Tip: Start tasting at 6 minutes; noodles keep softening in the hot soup and turn mushy fast.
9
Finish with herbs
- Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and warm for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped dill and parsley, and the lemon juice if using.
- Taste and add kosher salt and black pepper as needed; with the lighter early salting it usually needs another 1 to 1½ tsp (3 to 4.5 g) Diamond Crystal salt.
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Ready when: The chicken is steaming hot (165°F/74°C) and the broth tastes savory and bright, not flat.
Tip: Add the fresh herbs off the heat to keep their color and flavor vivid. Add salt a pinch at a time and taste between additions.
10
Serve
- Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, making sure each gets chicken, noodles and vegetables.
- Finish with a little extra dill and a crack of black pepper, and serve right away.

Good to know

Tips

Keep the broth at a bare simmer the whole time for a clear, golden result.
Salt by weight when you can: 6 g of salt in the broth is right for any salt type, while 2 tsp is only right for Diamond Crystal (use 1 tsp of Morton kosher or fine table salt).
For a richer broth, simmer the strained broth uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes to concentrate it before adding the vegetables.
If you'll have leftovers, cook the noodles separately in salted water and add them to each bowl so they don't get soggy.

Make ahead

Make the broth through step 6 up to 3 days ahead; refrigerate the strained broth and the shredded chicken separately. The fat will solidify on top and can be lifted off. When ready to serve, reheat the broth and continue from step 7.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 4 days in airtight containers (noodles will absorb broth and soften). Freezer: freeze broth, vegetables and chicken without noodles for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until steaming hot (165°F/74°C), adding a splash of water if needed; cook fresh noodles to add.

Substitutions

wide dried egg noodles → fine egg noodles, small pasta shells, or matzo balls. Fine noodles need only 3 to 4 minutes; cook matzo balls separately and add at serving.
parsnip → more carrot or a small peeled turnip. Parsnip gives a slightly sweet, earthy note; a turnip is closer than carrot alone.
fresh dill fronds → all flat-leaf parsley. Use about ¼ cup (12 g) chopped; flavor will be milder and less traditional.
bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks) → a whole 3½ to 4 lb (1.6 to 1.8 kg) chicken, cut up. Increase water to 14 cups (3.3 L) and simmer 75 minutes.