Algerian White Chicken Soup (Chorba Bayda)
Chorba bayda translates as white soup. It is traditionally from Algeria, but is also popular in some areas of Morocco. This soup is rich as it is thickened with egg, giving it its namesake white color. It is comforting and nourishing, thanks to ingredients such as chicken, rice and chickpeas. Enhanced with rich butter and aromatic cinnamon, it stands out from others.
Ingredients 18
2 egg yolk, from large eggs
60 ml lemon juice
2 tbsp chicken fat, rendered
vegetable oil
15 g butter
1 onion, cut into 5 mm (¼ in) cubes
1 carrot, large, cut into 5 mm (¼ in) cubes
1 stalk celery, cut into 5 mm (1/4 in) cubes
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1.35 kg chicken, quartered
1450 ml water
1 tbsp salt
40 g basmati rice
450 g chickpeas, cooked, drained
1 bunch cilantro, small, roughly chopped, to garnish
parsley, fresh, roughly chopped, to garnish, optional
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Method 7
Combine the and in a small bowl. Using a whisk, beat until well blended. Alternatively, use a blender until thoroughly combined, then set aside.
Melt the or oil and in a large pot over a medium–high heat. Add the , , and and cook slowly, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, but not browned, and the onions are translucent. Stir in the and .
Add the pieces, or stock and the . Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Remove the breasts when cooked through, about 7–10 minutes, and the leg/thigh pieces when the meat separates from the bone around the end of the leg, about 15 minutes. (When the chicken is cooked, a thermometer will read 74°C (165°F) when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh or breast and the juices will run clear.)
Add the to the soup when the breasts are removed and stir to combine.
When the is cooked, remove from the pot and leave until cool enough to handle, then remove the chicken skin and discard. Using your hands, shred all the meat and discard the bones. Add the meat back to the soup with the .
Ladle a few spoonfuls of the hot into the yolk mixture, then add more broth, a spoonful at a time, until the egg mixture is warm. Adding too much hot liquid to the eggs will curdle the eggs, so do this step slowly.
When the egg mixture is warm, turn off the heat and drizzle the egg mixture into the hot broth, stirring constantly with a spoon. The soup will thicken, become silky, and the broth should turn from brown to white. Season with and , garnish with and/or parsley, and serve.
Jenn Louis' tips
Broken vermicelli can be used instead of rice. If omitting rice, cook as directed adding the vermicelli during the last 2–3 minutes of cooking.
