Rustic Roasted Chicken Soup

Instructions

Steps show original quantities. Use the adjusted ingredient list for your batch; times stay unchanged.

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C. Pat 800–1000 g chicken legs dry and season with 8 g kosher salt.

2. Heat the 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the 800–1000 g chicken legs skin-side down and sear for 4–5 minutes until browned, then flip.

3. Add around the chicken:

   • about 2 medium quartered onions
   • about 2–3 medium carrots
   • about 4 celery stalks
   • about ½–¾ small celery root
   • about 1 medium parsley root
   • 5 smashed garlic cloves

4. Transfer the skillet to the 230°C oven and roast for 25–30 minutes, stirring the vegetables once during roasting if convenient. Aim for browned edges without burning. For additional color and depth, one onion cut-side may be allowed to become quite dark.

5. Transfer the roasted chicken and vegetables to the pressure cooker.

6. Place the skillet over medium heat, add 100 ml dry white wine, and scrape up the browned fond. Pour the wine and fond into the pressure cooker.

7. Add:

   • about 2 medium potatoes
   • 2 bay leaves
   • 6–8 sprigs fresh thyme
   • 7 g kosher salt
   • 1.7–1.8 L hot water

   Do not add loose whole peppercorns.

8. Seal the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 25 minutes.

9. Allow a 15-minute natural pressure release, then manually vent any remaining pressure.

10. Remove the chicken from the soup. Remove and discard the bones, then return the chicken meat to the pot.

11. Add about 1 medium zucchini and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes, until tender.

12. If desired or needed for the final volume, top the finished soup up with additional water. After adding water, return the soup to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes so the added water is fully heated and incorporated.

13. Finely chop about ¾–1 bunch fresh parsley and about ½–¾ bunch fresh dill. Turn off the heat and stir most of the herbs into the soup.

14. Cover and rest for 5–10 minutes so the residual heat infuses the parsley and dill without prolonged cooking.

15. Taste carefully for salt, especially if the soup was topped up with water, and adjust with additional kosher salt as needed. Finish with freshly ground black pepper.

16. Reserve some chopped parsley and dill, if desired, for sprinkling over individual bowls.

Success cues

• Chicken is very tender after pressure cooking and separates easily from the bones.
• Roasted vegetables have browned edges but no burnt flavors.
• Broth has substantial chicken and roasted-vegetable flavor despite using water rather than prepared stock.
• Zucchini is tender but remains intact.
• Parsley and dill retain a fresh aromatic character rather than tasting heavily cooked.
• Final broth tastes properly seasoned after any additional water is added.

Scaling notes

Produce counts marked “about” are approximate; adjust for size.

Scale linear ingredient quantities and both ends of their ranges together. The 4–6 serving yield is approximate; choose an original serving count before scaling. Adjust the 2 bay leaves, 6–8 thyme sprigs, about ¾–1 bunch parsley, and about ½–¾ bunch dill with judgment. Additional water, final salt, and black pepper remain cook-adjusted rather than automatically multiplied. Recheck seasoning after any dilution. Pressure-cooker capacity is unspecified, so verify capacity before increasing the batch; do not multiply cooking times by the yield factor.