Chicken Soup with Poached Egg

Ingredients

• 1 chicken for soup (ready to cook, about 1.2 kg)
• 2 carrots
• 200 g celery root
• 0.5 stalk leek
• Salt
• 0.5 peppercorns
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 4 eggs
• 50 ml vinegar
• Salt
• pepper (ground)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the chicken inside and out and place it in a large pot. Wash, trim, and roughly chop the soup vegetables; add them to the pot with enough cold water to cover everything, season with 1 tsp salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves, then bring to a boil.

2. 2.

   Simmer gently over medium heat for about 1½ hours, skimming off any foam that forms.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, wash, trim, cut the fennel into thin rings or shavings, rinse rosemary, shake dry, and pluck the needles.

4. 4.

   Remove the chicken from the broth, set aside, and strain the broth through a muslin-lined sieve into a new pot; measure about 800 ml.

5. 5.

   Peel the skin off the chicken, separate the meat from the bones, and shred it into strips.

6. 6.

   Reheat the broth, add fennel, rosemary, and shredded chicken, and let it steep for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

7. 7.

   For the poached eggs, crack each egg into a small bowl or cup.

8. 8.

   Pour vinegar into nearly boiling water in a 1‑liter pot. Carefully slide each egg into the water. Use a spoon to shape them into round forms; ideally the yolk should be fully surrounded by white.

9. 9.

   After about 4 minutes, the whites will be set while the yolks remain soft. Gently lift the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain.

10. 10.

    Serve the soup in deep bowls, place one poached egg on top of each, and sprinkle with pepper and salt before serving.