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Georgian Chicken Soup (Chikhirtma)
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We wanted a chicken soup that tastes fresh and light, yet also robust and satisfying. We found our answer in chikhirtma, a traditional soup from Georgia, the Eurasian country that bridges Turkey and Russia. Georgian cuisine often marries Western techniques with Eastern flavors. We used a recipe from Darra Goldstein, author of “The Georgian Feast,” as our starting point. Her chikhirtma calls for a whole chicken, but that much meat made the soup feel heavy, so we used just chicken legs. We built flavor with bunches of dill and cilantro stems and a head of garlic, as well as coriander, cinnamon and bay leaves.
6
Servings
Tip
Don’t substitute white meat. Bone-in dark meat is better suited to this recipe. The bones and collagen add flavor and body to the broth, and the dark meat is less apt to dry out.
1 hr 45 min
45 min active
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh dill
1 garlic head, halved crosswise
2½-3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken legs
10 cups water
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots (about 5 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups)
3 tablespoons salted butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup dry vermouth
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
Ground black pepper
For the broth and chicken
-
1
bunch fresh cilantro
-
1
bunch fresh dill
-
1
garlic head, halved crosswise
-
2½-3
pounds bone-in skin-on chicken legs
-
10
cups water
-
1
large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
-
1
teaspoon kosher salt
-
1
teaspoon black peppercorns
-
½
teaspoon coriander seeds
-
½
teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
-
1
3-inch cinnamon stick
-
2
bay leaves
For the soup
-
1
pound carrots (about 5 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch pieces
-
1
large yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups)
-
3
tablespoons salted butter
-
¼
teaspoon kosher salt
-
½
cup dry vermouth
-
1
tablespoon all-purpose flour
-
6
large egg yolks
-
¼
cup lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
-
Ground black pepper
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Directions
-
01Tie the stems of the cilantro and dill into bundles, then trim off the leaves, reserving ¼ cup of each for garnish. In a large pot, combine both sets of stems, the chicken and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the garlic head and transfer the chicken to a plate and cool until easily handled. Once cool, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin, bones and cartilage. Set aside.
-
02To make the soup, strain the broth into another pot or bowl, discarding the solids. Wipe out the empty pot, then add the carrots, onion, butter and salt. Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the vermouth, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the broth and stir until smooth, then add the remaining broth and bring to a simmer.
-
03In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks. Continue whisking while slowly adding 1 cup of hot broth from the pot. Whisk in the lemon juice, then return the mixture to the pot and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices and cook until just heated through (do not simmer). Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped cilantro and dill leaves.
Reviews
December 10, 2022
Beautiful and delicious
Loved this soup for front easy to make and flavor. I’m going to try my next bowl with rice or orzo and I always add lots of lemon. Definitely adding to my chicken soup rotation 😊
December 6, 2022
Great flavors!
This soup turned out wonderful! I love the creaminess that the egg yolks bring, and the tanginess from the lemon juice. Great flavors! Perfect for a cold evening, and not hard to make. Enjoy!
November 26, 2022
Yummy soup
So flavorful!! Use all the spices in the recipe just as written. If you are going to cheat, don't cheat on those, the flavor they produce together is really unique and lovely.
June 23, 2022
Absolutely Wonderful
I was afraid it was doing to be heavy, but after watching the video and trusting the process I was rewarded with a delightfully light, bright, but hearty chicken soup that is perfect for this early Summer evening. Saved a couple of the poached garlic cloves to spread on some small toasted french bread to eat with the soup.
March 1, 2023
Delicate flavor but yummy
Make sure to just simmer the broth - the chicken turns out super tender. Suggestions - use the boiled garlic and saute with the onions. Add the carrots a little after the onions to prevent them from getting mushy. I needed to add more lemon juice to bring out the flavors. Thinking about adding a little more flour to thicken it a bit more..
Hi Anne -
The soup should be OK as leftovers. The egg mixture won't separate as it cools but it *is* heat-sensitive so make sure to reheat it very gently over low heat on the stovetop rather than in a microwave.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I loved the flavors of this despite the chicken tasting a little overcooked. I cooked for 45 minutes in the first step as instructed. Did I maybe have the heat too high? Would love your feedback. I've been cooking more meat since discovering Milk Street so still getting the hang of it. Thank you!
Super good and definitely making again! The egg yolks make it surprisingly creamy which is amazing for my dairy-free husband and it was easy to make it gluten-free for me (celiac).
I used bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs instead of legs (because it was what I had on hand) and it worked perfectly. I also substituted a King Arthur gluten free all-purpose flour (to make it gluten free due to celiac) and I think that worked well too.
I added raw chopped asparagus (about 1-inch spears) at the same time as the carrots and that is a pretty good time to add those in as well. I may drop the carrots and asparagus in a bit later the next time I make this, maybe 5 minutes into cooking the onions, just because I personally like them a bit more crunchy. I think next time I make this, I'll add in a gluten free pasta as well! (I love the suggestion for egg noodles but alas, I am allergic to those.)
So rich and creamy yet simultaneously light. Having added egg noodles thanks to other commenters’ suggestions, this may be my go-to chicken noodle soup from now on. The broth is incredible.
Leftovers reheated well in the microwave with no effect on texture, but it was much less flavorful the second day. Maybe the noodles soaked it all up?
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Your First Issue
Fabulous recipe! I've already shared the recipe with several of my colleagues. One important omission comparing the printed recipe to the video... In the recipe, you instruct us to remove the head of garlic and set aside. In the video, you demonstrate squeezing the softened garlic back into the soup -- which is a great addition! If I hadn't watched the video first, I would have know to do that. I added some fine egg noodles to the finished soup, which absorb that delicious broth and fill out the dish a bit.