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Rosol – Polish Chicken Soup (Authentic Recipe)

September 18, 2023 by Edyta 30 Comments

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Edyta
Author at Eating European
Recipe developer, photographer and the writer behind the Eating European food blog of European and Mediterranean healthy and delicious recipes
Edyta
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Latest posts by Edyta (see all)
  • Rosol – Polish Chicken Soup (Authentic Recipe) - September 18, 2023
  • Grilled Chicken Shawarma (Easy Middle Eastern Dish) - September 14, 2023
  • Pan Fried Haddock Mediterranean Style - September 8, 2023

Rosol is a traditional Polish Chicken Soup. It’s usually served on Sundays and for special occasions (like weddings, christenings, etc). It’s also a traditional remedy for anyone who feels under the weather, as it’s believed to have ‘healing power.’ The chicken broth is super clear and it’s poured over the noodles with some chopped carrots, parsley, and pieces of chicken sprinkled in. Read more to learn how to achieve the superior taste and clarity of Polish Chicken Soup. 

Rosol Polish Chicken Soup in a pretty bowl with a spoon

Rosol (Polish Chicken Soup) Served to Celebrate or Heal

I’m not quite sure where this tradition of serving Rosol on Sundays and for fancy gatherings, like weddings, came from. Maybe because it looks fancy, with its super clear broth, or maybe because it needed to cook for a significant period of time, so it couldn’t be a quick weeknight meal. Whatever the case, it is unequivocally delicious.

Admittedly though, when I was growing up I wasn’t a big fan of chicken soup. I was a very picky eater and I could have gone without the food for significant periods of time. Look at me now! Who would have thought it? Had anyone in my family been told back then that I’d one day be a ‘foodie,’ they’d surely have laughed out loud.

But when I grew up, I developed a huge appreciation for Rosol. I couldn’t imagine a Sunday without it. And now, whenever anyone shows signs of a cold in my house, I’m immediately running to the store to buy all the ingredients to make Rosol. It’s believed to have a healing power (especially when the soup is made with bones) and personally, I don’t think it’s just an old wive’s tale. I always feel better right away after one hot bowl of this amazing Polish Chicken Soup.

Polish Chicken Soup with noodles in fancy bowls with spoon

What Makes Rosol a Unique Chicken Soup

You would think that chicken soup is chicken soup, so what’s so unique about Rosol? Well, there are a few important things to remember when making Rosol:

  • You have to use chicken on the bone (it can be a carcass, whole legs, thighs, drumstick, or breast; the important part is that it’s on the bone);
  • You have to add a small amount of beef or veal bone (for extra flavor), but you can’t add pork bone, otherwise, your broth won’t be clear;
  • You should use a tablespoon of vinegar (apple cider or otherwise) to extract more of the healing power from the bones;
  • You don’t chop your vegetables. Rather, they’re peeled and cooked whole, or just cut in half;
  • You cook it for an extended period of time (about 2 hours) without boiling (it needs to simmer!);
  • You need to skim whatever fat accumulates on the top a few times during the cooking process;
  • You don’t add any starch to the soup (like pasta or rice). Rather, you boil the noodles separately and then run the cold water over them, to remove starch, and add to serving bowls;
  • When the soup is done, you’ll remove some of the carrots and chicken pieces, chop them up and add them to your serving bowls;
  • You’ll pour the broth over your noodles with chicken and carrots, through a meshed strainer, to ensure your broth is super clear. Then serve it with freshly chopped parsley. See a few easy steps in the next paragraph….

Close up photo of Polish Chicken Soup Rosol

How to Make Rosol

Making Rosol is very easy. You do most of your work at the beginning, and then during the cooking process, you just need to watch so it doesn’t boil and skim what’s accumulated on a surface a few times. But let’s start from the beginning.

Prepare your ingredients for Rosol. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Chicken pieces on the bone (I used 5 chicken drumsticks)
  • 1 small piece of beef bone
  • 4 -5 Carrots
  • 1 -2 Parsnips
  • Celery root
  • Leek
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 1/4 of Cabbage head (either savoy or green)
  • Parsley
  • 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 5 Allspice
  • 2-3 Bay leaves
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Optional: chicken broth cubes, “Magi” (popular in Europe and South America) or “Vegeta” type of seasoning (Vegeta is very popular in Europe and I see it in stores in the US now too). But again all of these are optional to enhance the flavor but are not required. Salt and pepper should be sufficient.

Steps to Make Rosol:

Step 1: Gather all your vegetables. Peel carrots, parsnip, and celery. Clean and trim your leek and wash your parsley. Heat up a skillet and add unpeeled onions in to get some burn marks. The yellow onion skins help with the nice color for the broth. If you get some burn marks it even intensifies the color.

Step 2: Place chicken pieces, beef bone, allspice, and bay leaves into a large pot.

Step 3: Add vegetables and fill the pot with water.

Step 4: Set it on medium to low heat. Do not boil it! Let it simmer for two hours. A few times during the cooking, skim off anything that accumulates on the surface.

Step 5: Boil the noodles separately, according to instructions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water to remove starch. Add noodles to a bowl. Remove a carrot and piece of chicken from the broth, cut it up, and add it to your bowl. Ladle the broth into your bowl; first letting it pass through with a meshed strainer. Add chopped parsley and serve.

Gather and peel your veggies
Add chicken, beef, bay leaves and allspice to the pot

 

Add veggies to the pot
Add water and start simmering

 

Horizontal photo of a Polish Chicken Soup in a bowl with spoon

Other Famous European Soups To Try

  • Polish Dill Pickle Soup (Zupa Ogorkowa)
  • Polish Borscht (Barszcz Czerwony)
  • Hungarian Mushroom Soup
  • Instant Pot Bean Soup with Spinach and Pesto
  • Greek Lentils Soup (Fakes)
  • Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithosuoupa)
  • Chunky Potato Leek Soup

Hands holding a bowl of Rosol Polish Chicken Soup

Horizontal photo of a Polish Chicken Soup in a bowl with spoon

Rosol (Polish Chicken Soup)

Rosol is a traditional Polish Chicken Soup. It's usually served on Sundays and for special occasions (like weddings, christenings, etc). It's also a traditional remedy for anyone who feels under the weather, as it's believed to have 'healing power.' The chicken broth is super clear and it's poured over the noodles with some chopped carrots, parsley, and pieces of chicken sprinkled in. Read more to learn how to achieve the superior taste and clarity of Polish Chicken Soup. 
4.84 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: European, Polish
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Edyta

Ingredients

  • 5 Chicken drumsticks or other chicken parts on the bone
  • 1 Small piece of beef bone
  • 4 Carrots large or 5 small
  • 1 Parsnip large or 2 small
  • Celery root
  • Leek
  • 2 Yellow onions
  • 1/4 head Cabbage either savoy or green
  • 6 springs Parsley plus more for serving
  • 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 5 Allspice
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 8 cups Water
  • 1/2 lbs Thin noodles cooked according to instructions

Instructions

  • Gather all your vegetables. Peel carrots, parsnip, and celery. Clean and trim your leek and wash your parsley. Heat up a skillet and add unpeeled onions in to get some burn marks. 
  • Place chicken pieces, beef bone, allspice, and bay leaves into a large pot.
  • Add vegetables and fill the pot with water. Add vinegar and about 1-2 tablespoons of salt (you will finish seasoning once the broth is cooked)
  • Set it on medium to low heat. Do not boil it! Let it simmer for two hours. A few times during the cooking, skim off anything that accumulates on the surface.
  • Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper to your liking or chicken cubes, magi or Vegeta (see recipe notes).
  • Boil the noodles separately, according to instructions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water to remove starch. Add noodles to a bowl. 
  • Remove a carrot and piece of chicken from the broth, cut it up and add it to your bowl. Ladle the broth into your bowl; first letting it pass through a meshed strainer. Add chopped parsley and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

This is optional for seasoning: chicken broth cubes, "Magi" (popular in Europe and South America) or "Vegeta" type of seasoning (Vegeta is very popular in Europe and I see it in stores in the US now too). But again all of these are optional to enhance the flavor but are not required. 
*See our Nutritional Disclaimer here.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5225IU | Vitamin C: 18.5mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1.3mg
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Related posts:

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Braised chicken with carrots and leeks
Cream of Mushroom Soup Polish style (aka Zupa Krem z Pieczarek)
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Filed Under: Ethnic Recipes, European Recipes, Lunch, Polish recipes, Soup

Previous Post: « Grilled Chicken Shawarma (Easy Middle Eastern Dish)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Luci's Morsels

    May 10, 2019 at 3:56 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so incredibly comforting. That’s so interesting that all the veggies are cooked whole before being cut up. And that you don’t boil it. I might try this with some of the other soups I like to make at home too!

    Reply
    • Edyta

      May 11, 2019 at 10:44 am

      Try it and let me know how it came out 🙂

      Reply
      • Nancy Welchner Breedlove

        April 29, 2021 at 5:32 pm

        5 stars
        I made this today, and it’s the best chicken noodle soup I ever made. Thank you for the recipe!

        Reply
    • Marta Berger

      September 19, 2019 at 5:42 pm

      5 stars
      At last – a rosół recipe (almost) the way my Mamuśia made it! She used thyme in hers, whole peppercorns instead of allspice, and sometimes left out the beef/veal bones – but she always, always charred the onions’ skins: it really does add a slight golden tint to the broth (we also used onion skins to dye eggs at Eastertime), as well as a subtle savory flavor. But instead of charring the whole onions in a pan, she would simply place them directly on the stove’s burners – works with both gas or electric stoves; the only thing you needed to be careful of was that sometimes a burning bit of skin might detach from the onion and gaily float up towards the ceiling – kind of like the way after-dinner Amaretti cookie wrappers do when you roll them into a cylinder and light them. She’s gone now, but happily she taught her recipes, standards and methods to her three daughters; I’m so happy to see that you are sharing ‘real’, traditional prewar dishes and techniques with a modern audience. Smacznego!

      Reply
      • Edyta

        September 19, 2019 at 7:35 pm

        Thank you so much Marta! I really appreciate your nice comment 🙂

        Reply
  2. Neha

    May 10, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    5 stars
    Never heard of this recipe before but I must admit it looks so good. And sunday isn’t far, a fair excuse to try it out! 😉

    Reply
    • Edyta

      May 11, 2019 at 10:43 am

      Try it and let me know how you liked it.

      Reply
  3. Adrianne

    May 10, 2019 at 4:13 pm

    5 stars
    I love soup in cooler weather and it is just starting winter in Australia so I can’t wait to try this out. The step with photos look great, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Edyta

      May 11, 2019 at 10:43 am

      I hope you will like it.

      Reply
  4. Pam Greer

    May 10, 2019 at 4:15 pm

    5 stars
    My polish grandmother would make this soup for me when I was little. I don’t have her recipe, so I can’t wait to try yours!

    Reply
    • Edyta

      May 11, 2019 at 10:43 am

      I’m happy I could help 🙂

      Reply
  5. Suzy

    May 10, 2019 at 9:03 pm

    5 stars
    Such a comforting meal!

    Reply
    • Edyta

      May 11, 2019 at 10:42 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
  6. sheenam | thetwincookingproject

    May 11, 2019 at 6:02 am

    Looks so hearty and delicious!!! YUM

    Reply
    • Edyta

      May 11, 2019 at 10:42 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Monika

    September 8, 2019 at 2:15 am

    4 stars
    I’m very surprised to read of rosol being eaten only on Sundays and special occasions… growing up we ate rosol EVERYDAY. My mom would cook a big pot, using a whole chicken, every two to three days.
    We’d get home from school and get served a bowl the moment we came in the door, and it was served as a starter/soup course before every evening meal. Her recipe is a little different, celery instead of celery root, she always burnt the onion and I never saw her use cabbage, but the result was the same… the warm golden taste of home.

    Reply
  8. Susan

    November 6, 2019 at 10:59 pm

    Rosol was for Sundays and special occasions because, in the not very distant past, the daily diet of Polish peasants consisted almost entirely of potatoes and cabbage. A whole chicken was a special treat and so the soup became associated as a special treat!

    Reply
  9. Catherine

    August 27, 2020 at 11:41 pm

    5 stars
    Just came across this site.
    Found this recipe and am crying a bit now.
    Reminds me of being a small child in my Busia’s kitchen in the 1960s in Chicago, Il.
    I’m half Polish, and a child of my parents old age….
    I didn’t learn the recipes in time,so I’ve only been able to approximate and try those from various cookbooks.
    But looking at this, My memories are triggered. Finally!
    Maybe now I will be able to make what I consider to be a decent bowl of Chicken Soup.

    Reply
  10. Daniel

    December 29, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    Rosół wyszedł bardzo dobrze. Dziękuje bardzo!

    Reply
    • Edyta

      January 5, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      Super! Bardzo sie ciesze!

      Reply
  11. Wayne Ignatowski

    February 11, 2021 at 12:15 am

    I did not know that the chicken soup was called Rosol. My father and mother always used a stewing hen (never a regular chicken) when making the soup. Also, we always had kluski noodles. The best chicken soup I have ever eaten. I highly recommend your recipe.

    Reply
  12. Phillip Bobrowski

    May 9, 2021 at 5:55 pm

    4 stars
    With a few exceptions, this is my mom’s recipe too.
    One thing I’ve come to do is, while using whole legs or just the thighs, I either roast them or brown them a little to get a different, deeper flavor to the skins. Then, I toss them into the rest of the soup mixture. It helps get rid of some of the fat, but changes the flavor oh so slightly.
    When I’ve had the time, I’ll make some Kluski to go with it. If I make a large batch, I’ll freeze it to keep on hand for the the pot of soup.

    Reply
  13. Carmen Terranova

    June 5, 2021 at 1:10 pm

    Was wondering a couple of things can you do this in a slow cooker and also can you freeze or can this Thank yo

    Reply
    • Edyta

      August 5, 2021 at 4:28 pm

      Yes to both questions. I freeze my broth all the time.

      Reply
  14. Jakub Dutkiewicz

    August 21, 2021 at 8:11 pm

    Change parsnip to parsley root (hence the parsley spring garment, duh). I wouldn’t include onions in the classic recepie. Cabbage definitely is not in the classic version. Peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary are interchangeable, everyone has his own mix of spices. If you want your rosół to be more sweet, add more carrots, if you’re going for the specific rosół aroma, pick larger celery root. Less veggies and water (or more bones/meat) will make the rosół more tasty and fat. Bones/meat ratio controls the density of rosół. There’s a lot about knowing the ingridients if you want your rosół to be what you imagined.

    Reply
  15. Christine

    August 31, 2021 at 10:30 am

    5 stars
    So excited! I’m making this today for my family since we’re all sick! I didn’t have allspice berries, but used 2 teaspoons of the powder instead; hope it still comes out good! Thank you for this recipe, my mother always made this!

    Reply
  16. Wendy

    October 6, 2021 at 10:27 pm

    Can you make it in a crockpot? and can you make a vegetarian version?

    Reply
  17. Charlene Jurkiewicz

    November 22, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    Tried this recipe tonight and honestly,it was so delicious! Tasted just as good as my Polish mother-in-law’s soup!
    I couldn’t find celery root so I used the bottom of a celery bunch and alao couldn’t find 5 all spice but i added whole black peppercorns. It worked a charm!

    Reply
  18. Pam

    May 13, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    Can I add a beef marrow bone to this? Would the marrow incorporate into the soup?

    Reply
    • Edyta

      July 6, 2023 at 10:50 am

      I never tried with the marrow, but yes to the beef bones

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Edyta. I’m a recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind the Eating European food blog of European and Mediterranean healthy and delicious recipes. I consider myself a home chef with a cultivated passion for amazing food.
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