Peasant Soup with Oats

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make peasant soup with oats? Gather your ingredients. Any chicken pieces will work — I'm using drumsticks and thighs. It's important that the meat is fresh so the broth stays light and clear. You can use either fresh cabbage or sauerkraut. I took a small onion for the broth and a medium one for sautéing. Use a neutral, odorless vegetable oil.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the chicken and put it in a pot of suitable size. Cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam with a spoon. Lower the heat and drop in a whole peeled small onion. Simmer the broth over moderate heat for 20 minutes.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rinse the sauerkraut with cold water if needed and add it to the pot. (If you're using fresh cabbage, add it after the broth is done.) Keep cooking over moderate heat until the cabbage is half-tender.

4. Step 4:

   

   Scrub the carrot clean under running water with a brush and peel it. Cut it into matchsticks.

5. Step 5:

   

   Dice the peeled large onion finely.

6. Step 6:

   

   Pour vegetable oil into a skillet and sauté the vegetables over medium heat until soft, stirring so they cook evenly and don't burn.

7. Step 7:

   

   Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into medium cubes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Check the chicken for doneness. Once it's tender and pulls easily off the bone, remove it from the broth along with the onion. You won't need the onion anymore. Let the chicken cool a little.

9. Step 9:

   

   Add the prepared potatoes to the soup, bring it to a boil over higher heat, then cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Stir in the oats and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Use old-fashioned rolled oats rather than instant — they make the soup tastier and give it the right consistency. Watch the heat while it cooks, keeping it at a gentle, moderate simmer rather than a hard boil.

11. Step 11:

    

    Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot and stir. Season with salt. Always salt soup near the end of cooking, once the main ingredients are just done and can absorb the salt evenly. Salting too early, while the vegetables are still firm, makes the soup take longer to cook and risks over-salting, since the salt stays in the liquid.

12. Step 12:

    

    Pull the chicken off the bones and shred it by hand or chop it with a knife. Add the chicken pieces to the soup and stir. Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes. Stir the soup from time to time as it cooks, checking the components for doneness and tasting as you go.

13. Step 13:

    

    Rinse the bay leaf, add it to the soup, and stir. Add any other spices and seasonings to taste. Simmer the soup gently for 7-9 minutes.

14. Step 14:

    

    Take the pot off the heat and let the soup rest, covered, for 10-15 minutes. It will take on a pleasant, thicker consistency and become more fragrant.

15. Step 15:

    

    Serve the peasant soup with sour cream. Enjoy!