Cheese soup with millet and chicken
8 servings
60 minutes
Cheese soup with millet and chicken is a cozy and warming dish of Russian cuisine, filled with rich flavor and tender texture. This recipe recalls old village soups where every housewife cooked hearty soups based on millet and available ingredients. Tender chicken, aromatic vegetables, and melted cheese create an incredibly soft and creamy taste that envelops and provides comfort. Millet adds a light texture and richness to the dish, while spices and herbs give it a rich aroma. Perfect for cold days when you crave warmth and coziness. Served fresh with a slice of rye bread, it becomes even tastier the next day as all the flavors meld together. This soup is not just food but a true embodiment of home comfort and the traditions of Russian cuisine.
1
Place a thick-bottomed pot on medium heat and add a spoonful of oil. Cut the chicken into portions (I used chicken thighs directly, no cutting needed), and fry in the pot until golden brown.
- Vegetable oil: 1 tablespoon
- Chicken: 0.5 kg
2
Dice the onion into 0.5-1.0 cm cubes, do the same with the carrot, and add the vegetables to the chicken.
- Onion: 1 piece
- Carrot: 1 piece
3
When the onion becomes transparent, pour half a ladle of broth into the pot. Separate the parsley stems, trim off the dried tips, discard the tips, and finely chop the stems before adding them to stew. Stew everything under a lid for about 5-7 minutes.
- Chicken broth: 2 l
- Parsley: 1 bunch
4
While the extinguishing process is ongoing, we deal with the groats and potatoes. It's better to choose potatoes that cook well. We peel it and cut it into cubes of about 1.5 cm. Don't try too hard, it's a stew, it should be a bit messy. We rinse the groats.
- Potato: 2 pieces
- Millet: 0.3 glass
5
We set aside a couple of cups from the broth and pour the rest into a common pot. When the mixture boils, we add the pearl barley and potatoes; we can forget about them for now as they need to cook well (the grains will lose their shape and become soft, easily mashing between fingers, while the potato cubes will lose their sharp corners).
- Chicken broth: 2 l
- Potato: 2 pieces
- Millet: 0.3 glass
6
We heat the separated broth over medium heat, grate the cheese (I have cheddar) and add it to the broth, stirring until fully dissolved. There's a lazy way: cut the cheese into pieces, put it in a blender, pour in warm broth, and blend thoroughly. If you forgot to separate the broth - no worries, you can take it directly from the pot or replace it with water.
- Chicken broth: 2 l
- Processed cheese: 2 pieces
7
When the groats and potatoes are boiled down - we pour the cheese mass into the pot. At this stage, we add salt, pepper, spices and seasonings, and crumble parsley leaves into our soup. I used: bay leaf, black ground pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, coriander. Mix thoroughly, turn off the stove and leave the soup on it to 'rest'. Let it steep for at least half an hour.
- Parsley: 1 bunch
- Chicken broth: 2 l
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 piece
8
Enjoy your meal!