SHORBET DJEJ (Lebanese Chicken soup)

Chicken soup is a great old home remedy. Like my mother and my grandmother and many others before them, I strongly believe that chicken soup can help ease cold and flu symptoms. Besides its “healing” anti-inflammatory properties (it can clear nasal congestion and ease sore throat), it is really delicious. I don’t only cook it when someone is sick in my family; I make it very often on cold autumn and winter days. I like to prepare the soup with a whole free-range chicken, but you can also use chicken pieces instead.

Cleaning chicken and working with poultry

The best way to clean the chicken is by removing excess skin and fat around the neck and tail, then wash it inside out with cold water in a colander. Keeping it in the colander you generously rub it with salt and half a lemon and wash it again. We learn this ritual of cleaning chicken from our mothers. Like every Lebanese and most probably every Arab we dread rank odour, which we unanimously call “zankha”. My students, especially newcomers to the course, wonder what this rank odour smells like. I grin and say just follow my instructions. Then depending on the recipe, you rub the chicken with salt and other spices.

For this soup and other chicken recipes requiring broth I use aromatics mainly to add depth and flavour. My aromatics include one onion, two bay leaves, one cinnamon stick and four cardamom pods. When the meat is done and tender, I disregard them and keep the broth for later user; as always depending on the recipe.

Last tip for a safe kitchen environment

In my cooking courses I always make sure to remind participants about the hygiene when preparing raw chicken: Hands, all kitchen utensils and surfaces need to be thoroughly washed with hot water and soap before using or touching any other utensils or ingredients.

Steps in pictures

Dina Kohl

Shorbet Djej (Lebanese Chicken Soup)

Healthy Lebanese Chicken soup

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: main dish

Cuisine: Lebanese

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1200-1400 g free-range chicken
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Half of a lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 litres cold water
• 1 medium onion peeled
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 200 g long grain rice rinsed and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
• 100 g carrot peeled, rinsed and finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to season or one stick cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
• Lemon juice to serve

Method

 

1. Remove excess skin and fat from the chicken (around the neck and tail). Wash the chicken inside and out with cold water over a colander. Sprinkle the chicken with the 2 teaspoons salt and rub inside and out with the half lemon. Then wash it again with cold water. Finally rub the chicken with the teaspoon salt.
2. Add the chicken and the water to the pot, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim the foam from the surface with a slotted spoon. Add the onion, the cinnamon stick, the cardamom pods and the bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 50 minutes, or until done and tender
3. Discard the onion, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and bay leaves. Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Skin chicken, debone and cut or tear the meat into bite-sized pieces. Pour the chicken stock into a clean big pot and keep warm.
4. Add chicken pieces to the stock in the clean pot, add the drained rice and the carrots, season with the salt and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes until the rice is done.
5. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon.

Notes

All images and text © Dina Bayoud Kohl