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Borscht with chicken, beetroot and tomato paste

Chicken Borscht with Beets and Tomato Paste

A classic beet-and-cabbage soup! Borscht is a rich, thick soup built on a meaty broth (with or without the meat), its vegetable base made from beets, carrots, and green cabbage. There are countless versions of borscht — every cook has her own signature recipe.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Borscht with chicken, beetroot and tomato paste

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beet

Chicken

300

Potatoes

Green cabbage

200

Carrot

Onion

Tomato paste

Vegetable oil

Sugar

Salt

Ground black pepper

Bay leaf

Peppercorns

Water

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 21 % 3 g

Fats 21 % 3 g

Carbohydrates 57 % 8 g

68 kcal

GI: 86 / 0 / 14

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather the ingredients for the borscht. If you're making it on a meat broth, start with the meat. Beef gives a richer, fuller-flavored borscht; chicken makes a lighter, lower-calorie version. Rinse the meat, put it in a pot, and cover with water. Set it over the heat, then add a pinch of salt, a few peppercorns, and a bay leaf.
Step 2:

Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into cubes or strips.
Step 3:

Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and shred it into thin strips.
Step 4:

Wash, peel, and grate the carrot on the medium side of the grater.
Step 5:

Peel and grate the beet on the medium side of the grater.
Step 6:

Peel and finely chop the onion.
Step 7:

When the broth comes to a boil, skim off the foam and remove the bay leaf. Cook the meat about 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook together about 15 minutes, then add the cabbage and cook 5–7 minutes more.
Step 8:

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and carrot and sauté over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and the beet. Stir, cover, and simmer another 10 minutes.
Step 9:

Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. A pinch of sugar will give it a touch of sweetness, though the carrot and tomato paste already make the borscht taste a bit sweet. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, about 20 minutes.
Step 10:

Take out the meat, cut it into serving pieces, and divide it among the bowls. Ladle in the borscht. Serve with sour cream, bread, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

A note on the water: whether or not the recipe gives an exact amount, go by your own taste (thick or brothy?), the size of your pot, and the ingredients you're using. The first time you make a soup, don't commit to a whole pot — make a small tasting batch for one or two people. Scale all the ingredients down to 1–2 servings and figure the water at roughly one cup per serving for a thick soup, up to 1.5–2 cups for a brothier one, keeping in mind that some will boil off. Taste and adjust the liquid and proportions to suit you. Before long you'll be eyeballing it like a pro.
Since everyone's tolerance for salt, sweet, bitter, sharp, sour, and heat is different, always add seasonings to your own taste. If you're using a spice for the first time, keep in mind that some are especially easy to overdo (chili pepper, for one).
You can use tomatoes in their own juice, fresh tomatoes, or ketchup in place of the tomato paste.