Lancaster County Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes

LANCASTER CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken in soup pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and when it subsides, add onion through saffron. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 1-1/2 hours.
• Remove chicken and let soup cool, then skim any fat that appears from the surface. Meanwhile, tear the chicken into bite-size pieces.
• Puree 2 cups of the corn with 1/4 cup of the soup in a food processor or blender; add to the soup along with the chicken, 2 cups whole corn kernels and noodles. (If freezing, do so at this point but without the noodles. When ready to complete, thaw the soup, add the noodles and continue on from here).
• Simmer gently until noodles are cooked; season with white pepper to taste and stir in the parsley. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle chopped eggs over top and serve.

CHICKEN CORN SOUP WITH RIVELS

Steps:

• Combine chicken, corn, broth, water, and seasonings in a stock pot or dutch oven.
• Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cook three to four minutes until corn is tender.
• Meanwhile, combine flour and raw egg to make rivels. Mix by hand until consistency of pie dough crumbs. Add extra flour if dough is too sticky.
• Slowly add rivels to boiling soup by crumbling into soup with hands while stirring constantly.
• Cook about five minutes and then stir in hard-boiled eggs.

BEST PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH CHICKEN CORN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, combine chicken, water, onions, celery, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours, adding water as needed, until chicken is very tender. Remove the chicken from the soup. Refrigerate chicken and soup.
• When fat solidifies on surface of soup, remove from refrigerator and remove fat. Remaining soup should equal about 2 1/2 quarts.
• Remove corn from cobs by splitting kernels lengthwise with a sharp knife and scraping corn from cob. Combine soup and corn in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until corn is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place two of the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. Set aside.
• Chop cooled chicken meat and add to soup.
• In a medium bowl, beat remaining egg until light in color. Beat in flour and milk until smooth. Drop batter by partial spoonfuls into hot broth to make small (1/4 -1/2 inch round) dumplings. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 5 minutes, until dumplings hold their shape and float to the surface. Stir in reserved cooked egg.