Pickle soup with chicken and turnips
6 servings
150 minutes
Rassolnik with chicken and turnip is a traditional Russian dish with a history that goes back centuries. Its characteristic sour-salty taste is achieved through pickles and brine, creating harmony with tender chicken meat and sweet turnip. Barley gives the soup density and richness, making it an ideal choice for a hearty lunch. This dish is valued for its ability to warm in cold weather and fill the home with coziness. Popular in both rural and urban kitchens, rassolnik is served with a spoonful of sour cream and fresh herbs, adding softness and aroma. It pairs perfectly with rye bread and strong tea, making the meal truly homely and warming.
1
Soak pearl barley for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
- Pearl barley: 200 g
2
Wash the chicken thighs, place them in a pot along with one whole peeled carrot, one onion, and 3 cloves of garlic, and add water. Boil while skimming off the foam for about an hour. Do not salt the broth.
- Chicken thighs: 3 pieces
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Onion: 3 pieces
- Garlic: 3 cloves
3
Cut the pickles into cubes, add water, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and blanch on low heat for about an hour.
- Pickled cucumbers: 4 pieces
4
Remove the chicken thighs from the broth and let them cool. Strain the broth. The vegetables that were cooked in it will not be needed.
5
Drain the water from the pearl barley, rinse under cold water. Add the barley to the broth and set on medium heat. Make sure it doesn't boil too hard and overflow.
- Pearl barley: 200 g
6
Peel the carrot and onion, grate the carrot, and finely chop the onion. Sauté the onion and carrot over low heat.
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Onion: 3 pieces
7
Peel and dice the turnip, add it to the pot with the pearl barley.
- Turnip: 2 pieces
8
To dissect the chicken.
- Chicken thighs: 3 pieces
9
If the pearl barley is softening, add pickles with the liquid they were blanched in, sautéed onions and carrots, chicken meat, and mix well. Add bay leaf and allspice. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Pickled cucumbers: 4 pieces
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Onion: 3 pieces
- Chicken thighs: 3 pieces
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
10
Try the salt; if it's not enough, add some. If there's leftover brine from cucumbers, it's better to pour that in.
11
Remove the pot from the heat and let the rassolnik steep for 10 minutes. Then it's a matter of taste: serve the rassolnik with or without sour cream, with or without your favorite herbs.
- Sour cream 15%: 6 tablespoons
- Fresh herbs: to taste
