Jewish · Authentic-ish Jewish
Chicken Soup
339 kcal a serving, against 412 for the traditional version. That is 73 kcal off, or 18%, with 32.6g of protein. Serves 6. 4 hours, plus overnight chilling.
What the traditional version is
Boil a whole boiling fowl or large chicken in a big pot with plenty of water, onions, carrots, celery, a couple of parsnips if no one's watching, and a generous sprinkle of salt. Simmer for hours, skimming off scum but never the fat. The vegetables stay in, the chicken comes out when it falls apart, and the broth is served with everything floating in a golden lake of rendered schmaltz. Optional: throw in a few dill stalks near the end for scent.
What changed, and what each change costs
Keep the skin on while simmering, but chill the strained soup and remove all visible fat before serving
The fat is where the calories huddle together. If you let the soup cool overnight, the fat rises and sets in a sheet that you can lift off like a bad toupee. You keep the flavour that steeped into the broth, but most of the fat won't end up in anyone's arteries.
What it costs you. The soup loses its signature gloss and mouthfeel. Nothing clings to your lips and the top isn't golden. No one pretends it's the same; it's just clearer and cleaner.
Add extra chicken breast (skinless) to the pot
Breast meat isn't traditional in soup, but it brings more lean protein to each bowl. After simmering, shred it and drop it back in. The original is all about soft dark meat and fat, but if you're after more muscle on your soup, it's the only way.
What it costs you. You end up with a lot more chicken floating about, but it's less rich and a touch drier than the old-school leg meat. This is protein soup, not a fat bomb.
Throw out the parsnip and use more carrots
Parsnip adds sweetness but not much else except extra carbs. With more carrots, you get better colour and a fresher taste, and you don't need the extra sugar.
What it costs you. Anyone's bubbe who spots this will complain about the missing parsnip and claim you ruined Friday night. I've yet to see a doctor care.
Use less salt
With less fat to carry salt, you don't need as much. Too much salt in a leaner broth just shouts at you.
What it costs you. You might have to adjust at the table, depending who's eating. Start low.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 412 | 339 |
| Protein | 28.6g | 32.6g |
| Fat | 27.9g | 18.6g |
| Saturated fat | 7.6g | 4.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.6g | 9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7g | 9.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Jewish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery.
The method is in the book
This is still chicken soup, just not the kind that'll fix a hangover with one ladle. The fat cap is what makes the old version feel like medicine for the soul. You lose that, but you don't lose the point. It's warm, savoury and full of actual chicken. Don't serve it to anyone who judges a soup by its reflective surface. Serve it to people who want to eat more chicken and less regret.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Jewish, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.