Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Soups Light Meals
•
Diet: Gluten-Free, Comfort Food

Zupa Szczawiowa (Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup)

A vibrant, tart, and comforting spring soup built on a rich meat broth, finished with heavy cream and hard-boiled eggs.
Prep time 20m
Cook time 1h 15m
Rest time 5m
Total 1h 40m
Yield 4
Per serving:
531 kcal
18g Carbs
22g Protein
40g Fat
By Adam Dworak

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Ingredients

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Kitchen Kit

  • Large Stock Pot
  • Frying Pan
  • Small saucepan
  • Whisk
Spoon pouring soup into a bowl on a wooden table with a pot of soup in the background. | Cook & Keeper - Zupa Szczawiowa - Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup

Method

  1. Chuck the bone-in chicken thighs, peeled carrots, parsley root, and onions into a large stockpot. Pour over the cold water and add 15g of the salt. Set over a high heat. It will take about 15 minutes to come to a rolling boil. Skim off any grey scum that rises to the surface.
  2. Drop the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently for 40 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and the broth is golden.
  3. While the broth ticks away, peel and dice the waxy potatoes into bite-sized chunks so they are ready to go. Place the eggs in a small saucepan of cold water. Bring to a boil, then cook for exactly 9 minutes. Plunge them straight into ice water to stop the cooking, then peel and halve them. Set aside.
  4. Fish the chicken and whole vegetables out of the broth. Discard the onion and bones. Shred the chicken meat and slice the carrots and parsley root, then reserve them.
  5. Tip the diced waxy potatoes directly into the simmering broth. Cook for 15 minutes until they yield easily to the tip of a knife.
  6. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Roughly chop the fresh sorrel and toss it into the butter. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes—it will quickly collapse and turn a sludgy, dark green.
  7. Scrape the wilted sorrel, the shredded chicken, and the sliced root vegetables back into the main soup pot. Let it simmer together for 2 minutes. Remove the pot entirely from the heat.
  8. Tip the double cream into a small bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in a spoonful of the hot soup to temper the cream. Pour this warmed cream mixture back into the main pot, stirring continuously until smooth and velvety.
  9. Taste the soup and stir in the remaining 5g of salt and the black pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and drop two egg halves into each serving.
Chef's Note & Storage
Fridge 3 days. Reheat gently; do not boil rapidly or the cream and acidic sorrel will split.
00:00
Hearty soup with eggs, potatoes, and greens in a rustic bowl on a wooden table. | Cook & Keeper - Zupa Szczawiowa - Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup

The Taste of Spring

Zupa Szczawiowa is the undisputed herald of spring in the Polish culinary calendar. It’s a brilliant, unapologetic clash of rich meat broth and the sharp, bright acidity of fresh sorrel leaves. Traditionally born from the necessity of foraging the first green shoots after a long winter, this soup balances its tart, lemony bite with the soothing comfort of heavy cream and earthy root vegetables. It is rustic, nourishing, and deeply rooted in the Polish soul.

CHEF'S SECRET: Sorrel is highly acidic. If you chuck cold cream straight into the hot, acidic broth, it will immediately split into an unappetising, grainy mess. You must temper the cream by whisking a ladle of the hot broth into it first, bringing its temperature up gently before returning the whole lot to the pot.

❖

Foraging and Flavour

The magic of this dish lies in the oxalic acid present in the sorrel leaves. While it looks like a delicate salad green, hitting the heat transforms it instantly into a deep, olive-green paste that packs a citrusy wallop. Building a solid, slow-simmered chicken and root vegetable base is essential here; it provides the robust, fatty foundation needed to carry the sharp herbaceous notes without letting them overwhelm the palate. The waxy potatoes offer bite, and the hard-boiled egg is the classic, non-negotiable finish.

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Zupa Szczawiowa (Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup) - Cook & Keeper
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Soups, Light Meals
Diet:Gluten-Free, Comfort Food

Zupa Szczawiowa (Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup)

By Adam Dworak

A vibrant, tart, and comforting spring soup built on a rich meat broth, finished with heavy cream and hard-boiled eggs.

Prep 20m
Cook 1h 15m
Rest 5m
Total 1h 40m
Yield 4
Spoon pouring soup into a bowl on a wooden table with a pot of soup in the background. | Cook & Keeper - Zupa Szczawiowa - Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup

Kitchen Kit

  • •Large Stock Pot
  • •Frying Pan
  • •Small saucepan
  • •Whisk
Per serving:
531 kcal
18g Carbs
22g Protein
40g Fat

Ingredients

  • 1500 ml Water
  • 500 g Chicken Thighs
  • 300 g Waxy Potatoes
  • 200 g Fresh Sorrel
  • 100 g Carrots
  • 100 g Parsley Root
  • 100 g Brown Onion
  • 150 ml Double Cream
  • 30 g Unsalted Butter
  • 4 pcs Eggs
  • 20 g Salt
  • 3 g Black Pepper

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Fridge 3 days. Reheat gently; do not boil rapidly or the cream and acidic sorrel will split.
Hearty soup with eggs, potatoes, and greens in a rustic bowl on a wooden table. | Cook & Keeper - Zupa Szczawiowa - Traditional Polish Sorrel Soup
  1. Chuck the bone-in chicken thighs, peeled carrots, parsley root, and onions into a large stockpot. Pour over the cold water and add 15g of the salt. Set over a high heat. It will take about 15 minutes to come to a rolling boil. Skim off any grey scum that rises to the surface.
  2. Drop the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently for 40 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and the broth is golden.
  3. While the broth ticks away, peel and dice the waxy potatoes into bite-sized chunks so they are ready to go. Place the eggs in a small saucepan of cold water. Bring to a boil, then cook for exactly 9 minutes. Plunge them straight into ice water to stop the cooking, then peel and halve them. Set aside.
  4. Fish the chicken and whole vegetables out of the broth. Discard the onion and bones. Shred the chicken meat and slice the carrots and parsley root, then reserve them.
  5. Tip the diced waxy potatoes directly into the simmering broth. Cook for 15 minutes until they yield easily to the tip of a knife.
  6. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Roughly chop the fresh sorrel and toss it into the butter. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes—it will quickly collapse and turn a sludgy, dark green.
  7. Scrape the wilted sorrel, the shredded chicken, and the sliced root vegetables back into the main soup pot. Let it simmer together for 2 minutes. Remove the pot entirely from the heat.
  8. Tip the double cream into a small bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in a spoonful of the hot soup to temper the cream. Pour this warmed cream mixture back into the main pot, stirring continuously until smooth and velvety.
  9. Taste the soup and stir in the remaining 5g of salt and the black pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and drop two egg halves into each serving.

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History

The Taste of Spring

Zupa Szczawiowa is the undisputed herald of spring in the Polish culinary calendar. It’s a brilliant, unapologetic clash of rich meat broth and the sharp, bright acidity of fresh sorrel leaves. Traditionally born from the necessity of foraging the first green shoots after a long winter, this soup balances its tart, lemony bite with the soothing comfort of heavy cream and earthy root vegetables. It is rustic, nourishing, and deeply rooted in the Polish soul.

CHEF'S SECRET: Sorrel is highly acidic. If you chuck cold cream straight into the hot, acidic broth, it will immediately split into an unappetising, grainy mess. You must temper the cream by whisking a ladle of the hot broth into it first, bringing its temperature up gently before returning the whole lot to the pot.

❖

Foraging and Flavour

The magic of this dish lies in the oxalic acid present in the sorrel leaves. While it looks like a delicate salad green, hitting the heat transforms it instantly into a deep, olive-green paste that packs a citrusy wallop. Building a solid, slow-simmered chicken and root vegetable base is essential here; it provides the robust, fatty foundation needed to carry the sharp herbaceous notes without letting them overwhelm the palate. The waxy potatoes offer bite, and the hard-boiled egg is the classic, non-negotiable finish.