Serbian Chicken Čorba (Pileća Čorba)

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs or 2 legs, on the bone
• 8 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 parsley root or small parsnip, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 3 tbsp short-grain rice
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• Chopped parsley and dill, to serve

Method

1. Put the chicken in a pot with the water and salt. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer for 40 minutes.
2. Lift out the chicken, pull the meat from the bones and shred it. Keep the cooking liquid.
3. In another pan soften the onion, carrots, parsley root and celery in the oil for 10 minutes. Stir in the paprika.
4. Add the vegetables and the rice to the cooking liquid and simmer for 15 minutes. Put the chicken back in.
5. Off the heat, beat the egg yolk with the sour cream, whisk in a ladle of hot soup, then stir it back into the pot.
6. Serve with parsley and dill.

Gluten-free check: We make the soup with water and let the meat and vegetables flavour it. Many cooks add a stock cube or stock powder; if you do, use one that is certified gluten-free – most standard cubes contain wheat.