This Polish Sauerkraut Soup aka Kapusniak, is one of the heartiest soups you can make. It is sharp, smokey, comforting and budget-friendly. Undoubtedly one of the classics among Polish soups.

I grew up eating this soup at least twice a month. It was one of my father’s favourite. He used to make it with sauerkraut stored in barrels and whatever meat he could buy.

There are a few versions of Kapusniak. Sauerkraut soup is usually cooked with pork and/or polish kielbasa (Polska kielbasa). My wife doesn’t like pork so I modified my Dad’s traditional recipe and use chicken instead.

Here is my version of Polish Sauerkraut Soup and I hope you like it:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs chicken (you can also use pork ribs or 1 pound of Polish sausage, sliced into rounds)
• 1 container chicken or vegetable stock (1 liter or 4 cups)
• 10 cups water or 2.5 liters of cold water
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 medium parsnip root
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 leek
• 4 cups sauerkraut (or one 28oz. jar)
• 1/2 cup of liquid squeezed from sauerkraut
• 5-6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 bay leaves 
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Make sure to buy regular sauerkraut. Ingredients should be “white cabbage and salt”. Do not buy sauerkraut in white wine.

INSTRUCTIONS 

Wash and peel all vegetables and rinse the chicken under cold water.

In a large size pot pour in chicken or vegetable broth and 10 cups of cold water. Add the chicken breasts, peeled carrot, peeled parsnip root, celery and a leek.

Put the pot on the burner and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Use the spoon to remove the scum (white foam) from the top of the broth (if you don’t do it, the soup may turn bitter or sour).

After removing the scum, add spices: pinch of salt, a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, half a teaspoon of cumin, 3 bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoons of dried marjoram.

Let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender.

When the chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender, remove them from the pot and let it cool. Leave only the broth in the pot. Personally, I don’t like leek and parsley root, so I discard them.

In the meantime:

• peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes
• drain the sauerkraut from its juices (keep the juices!) and chop it roughly

Add potatoes first and sauerkraut to the broth and let the soup simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the sauerkraut is soft and the potatoes are fork-tender.

I never rinse the sauerkraut before adding it to the soup, but if your sauerkraut is very sour and salty and you don’t like strong soups, you can rinse it slightly.

In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent. Transfer to the soup.

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Grate the carrots and celery on a grater with large holes for vegetables and put it back into the soup. My Dad would just chop them into smaller pieces.

Chopped the cooled chicken into small pieces and toss in the soup.

Add water squeezed out of the sauerkraut, stir and cook for about 5 more minutes.

I like to thicken the soup with a roux. To do this, brown 1 tablespoon of of all-purpose flour in a dry frying pan, then add 1 tablespoon of butter and mix with a wooden spoon until uniform. Then slowly add 1 cup of soup to the pan, mix again and pour the contents of the pan into soup and mix well. Cook for 10 minutes.

Taste the soup and, if necessary, season it with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Keep in mind that the soup is salty already thanks to the sauerkraut, but if it isn’t salty enough for you, season it a bit more.

Once the soup is done, remove the bay leaves and discard them.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with some chopped parsley (purely optional). My Mom thinks you don’t need it but I like little greens in my soup.

Serve with rye bread.

Enjoy your delicious and hearty Polish Sauerkraut Soup!

SMACZNEGO!