This Polish-style Chicken Cabbage Soup contains potatoes and is made using a handful of simple herbs. It’s easy to make, satisfying, healthy and delicious. Ready in just over 50 minutes!
Check out also red cabbage soup!
This Chicken Cabbage Soup contains all the flavours of traditional Polish chicken soup but it is a more complex dish thanks to the abundance of vegetables in it. The cabbage adds flavour and texture, the potatoes substance and the tomato a subtle tang.
Another dish containing chicken and cabbage you might like is chicken sauerkraut casserole.
Chicken cabbage soup ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken: I used chicken thighs but you can use 2 chicken legs instead. I do not recommend using chicken breast instead (it would become very dry after 40 minutes of cooking). You might also like chicken potato soup!
- Cabbage: Savoy cabbage cooks quickly and works well in this recipe, but you can use another type of cabbage (such as pointed, green or white cabbage varieties). If using white cabbage I recommend adding a little less and chopping it more finely.
- Other vegetables: these add substance and flavour.
- Herbs: These include caraway seeds, which are very common in Polish cooking (see for example my root vegetable stew). They pair especially well with cabbage (even in salads, such as sauerkraut).
Cooking times
I recommend cooking this soup for about 45-50 minutes. This is optimal time for the chicken to become tender and to allow all the flavours to fully develop. Simmering the soup too long will simply result in overcooking it and the cabbage might actually end up with less flavour.
Nutrition
This cabbage chicken soup is low in fat and nutritious. Cabbage, nutrient-dense and naturally low in carbs, makes the bulk of the soup. I used skinless chicken and only a small amount of oil for sauteeing the vegetables. There is no flour, butter or cream so this soup is quite light (though still filling thanks to all the vegetables it contains). One standard serving contains approximately 110 calories.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Heat oil: In a large pot heat the oil, add the bay leaf, allspice berries and caraway seeds and cook over a medium heat for a minute.
2. Make soup base: Add the onion, grated carrot and celeriac, stir and cook for 4 minutes stirring often.
3. Add chicken: Add the chicken, half the stock, cover and bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add cabbage: Add the cabbage, potatoes, tomato, the rest of the stock and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to the boil again then simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
5. Chop chicken: Transfer the chicken to a large plate/cutting board and separate the meat from the bone (if present). Discard the bone, chop the meat roughly then return to the pot.
6. Add fresh herbs: Add the fresh herbs, top up with more stock if required and adjust the seasoning. Cook for another minute or so, remove from the heat and serve.
Serving suggestions
This chicken and cabbage soup makes a delicious, satisfying meal especially if you serve it with hearty bread, such as rye or pumpernickel. Enjoy it Polish-style with a dollop of sour cream (not necessary but very delicious!).
Optional ingredients
- Leftover chicken: you can add some leftover chicken to the soup towards the end of cooking though I do not recommend using this instead of the raw chicken.
- Leek: you can add a bit of finely chopped leek to the pot for more sweetness.
- Tomato puree: add 1-2 tablespoons for a stronger tomato flavour.
- Hot paprika: or chili powder to taste.
Top tips
- Chicken: Use chicken thighs or legs/quarters (not chicken breast).
- Cabbage: savoy, green, white and pointed cabbage varieties are all suitable to use in this recipe.
- Top up with more stock, if required, toward the end of cooking.
- Refrigerate leftover cabbage and chicken soup, once completely cooled, for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
More hearty soups to try
Check out also these other easy, delicious soup recipes!
Keep in touch!
If you make this chicken cabbage soup recipe I’d love to know what you thought. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!
Chicken and Cabbage Soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Grater
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken thighs skinless, with or without bone
- 13.05 ounces (370 g) savoy cabbage approx. ½ med. cabbage
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled, coarsely grated
- 4-5 tablespoons celery root/celeriac peeled, coarsely grated
- 3 medium potatoes peeled, diced
- 1 large ripe tomato finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 allspice berries
- 6½ cups (1560 ml) chicken stock hot
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 1½ tablespoons dill finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil: In a large pot heat the oil, add the bay leaf, allspice berries and caraway seeds and cook over a medium heat for a minute.
- Make soup base: Add the onion, grated carrot and celeriac, stir and cook for 4 minutes stirring often.
- Add chicken: Add the chicken, half the stock, cover and bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add cabbage: Add the cabbage, potatoes, tomato, the rest of the stock and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to the boil again then simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Chop chicken: Transfer the chicken to a large plate/cutting board and separate the meat from the bone (if present). Discard the bone, chop the meat roughly then return to the pot.
- Add fresh herbs: Add the fresh herbs, top up with more stock if required and adjust the seasoning. Cook for another minute or so, remove from the heat and serve.
Notes
- Chicken: Use chicken thighs or legs/quarters (not chicken breast).
- Cabbage: savoy, green, white and pointed cabbage varieties are all suitable to use in this recipe.
- Top up with more stock, if required, toward the end of cooking.
- Refrigerate leftover cabbage and chicken soup, once completely cooled, for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Leave a Reply