Supă de Pui cu Tăiței

Easy·20 min

A clear, golden Romanian chicken soup simmered with root vegetables and finished with delicate homemade egg noodles, the gentle Sunday comfort soup of countless households.

Unlike the sour ciorbă, this clear supă is the gentle Sunday soup of Romanian homes, ladled out for lunch before the roast. Cooks prize a long, slow simmer of a whole hen with garden vegetables, and the thread-thin homemade noodles dropped in at the end are a small ritual of care that distinguishes a grandmother's pot.

A clean, restorative golden broth deeply flavoured with chicken and sweet root vegetables, the silky homemade noodles slipping through it. A bowl tastes like being cared for when you are unwell.

Starting in cold water and skimming diligently draws out flavour while keeping the broth crystal-clear rather than cloudy. Cooking the noodles directly in the finished broth thickens it slightly and infuses them with chicken flavour.

Variations

With semolina dumplings (galuste) instead of noodles, enriched with an egg-yolk liaison, rooster broth for richer flavour, garnished with lovage

On the Palate

Where Supă de Pui cu Tăiței sits in the Romanian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

1 (about 1.5 kg)Whole Chicken

3Carrot

1Parsnip

1 small pieceCeleriac

1Onion

150 gEgg

1 bunchLovage

How it's made

8 steps · 20 min

1
10 min
Cover a whole chicken or chicken pieces with cold water and bring slowly to a simmer.
Watch out
Start the chicken in cold water and bring it up slowly — a gentle rise draws out flavour and keeps the broth clear instead of cloudy.
2
5 min
Skim off the foam carefully to keep the broth clear.
Watch out
Skim the grey foam off patiently as it rises — every bit you leave clouds the finished soup.
3
60 min
Add whole carrots, parsnip, celeriac and an onion, and simmer gently for about an hour.
4
15 min
Make a simple noodle dough from egg and flour, then roll thin and cut into fine strips.
5
5 min
Lift out the chicken and vegetables, then strain the broth.
6
8 min
Bring the strained broth back to a boil and cook the noodles in it until just tender.
Watch out
Cook the noodles right in the strained broth — they thicken it slightly and soak up the chicken flavour, but pull them just tender or they bloat.
7
5 min
Shred some chicken meat and dice the carrot back into the soup.
8
3 min
Season with salt and pepper and finish with chopped lovage or parsley.