Nettle Shchi with chicken is an incredible, comforting hot soup best prepared between May and September, when nature generously offers its first vitamin-rich greens. Using young stinging nettles instead of traditional cabbage turns this dish into a true gastronomic symbol of spring, filling it with exceptional tenderness and freshness. Often, these delicious surprises grow right in your backyard like weeds—which is fantastic: just put on some gloves, pick a bunch of tops, and you're ready to cook. Canned crushed tomatoes in their own juice add a beautiful depth of flavor here, providing a pleasant acidity that perfectly contrasts with the tender chicken and rich broth.
Classic spring shchi made with young nettles, chicken, vegetables, and herbs—a bowl full of vitamins.
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.5 oz) chicken
- 150 g (5.3 oz) young stinging nettles
- 200 g (7 oz) potatoes
- 200 g (7 oz) carrots
- 120 g (4.2 oz) onion
- 100 g (3.5 oz) red bell pepper
- 150 g (5.3 oz) canned chopped tomatoes
- 35 g (1.2 oz) fresh parsley and celery leaves
- Garlic, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper
Instructions
Sear the chicken in a heavy-bottomed pot without any added oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides, letting the skin render some of its fat.
Start by searing the chicken until golden brown to seal in the juices and build a flavorful base for the broth.
Finely chop a large onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Add them to the browned chicken, reducing the heat so the vegetables soften without burning.
Add finely chopped onion and garlic. Saute them slowly with the chicken until softened.
Finely chop a bunch of fresh parsley and celery leaves, add them to the pot, and sauté for 2-3 minutes alongside the chicken, onion, and garlic.
Fresh parsley and celery leaves give the soup a unique aroma and make the broth much richer.
Toss in 2-3 bay leaves, pour in 1 liter (about 4 cups) of hot water, and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
Pour in hot water and simmer for about an hour so the meat becomes tender and easily falls off the bone.
Peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large chunks and slice the carrots into thick rounds. Add the prepped vegetables to the boiling soup and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Add potatoes and carrots. Cutting the vegetables into large chunks helps them retain their flavor in rich soups.
Seed and finely dice the red bell pepper. Once the potatoes are ready, stir in the canned peeled, chopped tomatoes and the diced bell pepper. Simmer everything together for another 10 minutes. If you enjoy a bit of heat, feel free to add some chopped chili pepper.
Canned tomatoes and bell peppers add a slight acidity and a beautiful, vibrant hue to the soup.
Pick the nettle leaves from the stems and rinse them thoroughly under cold water. Use only the young top leaves—the lower ones and the stems are tough and fibrous (they literally make rope out of them!). Choose your greens wisely so you don’t ruin the soup.
Choose only the very tops of young nettles for the soup—they are the most tender and have no tough fibers.
Squeeze excess water from the nettles and chop them finely. (I highly recommend wearing rubber gloves to avoid stinging your hands.) Remove the chicken from the pot, discard the skin, and pull the meat off the bone. Shred the meat using two forks—it will be so tender it practically falls apart.
Shred the cooked chicken meat into fibers and finely chop the nettles. They are now ready to go back into the pot.
Return the shredded chicken and chopped nettles to the pot. Bring back to a gentle boil, simmer for exactly 7 minutes, and immediately remove from the heat. Don’t overcook it; delicate spring greens need only minutes to wilt and tenderize.
After adding the nettles, simmer the soup for just a few minutes to preserve the bright green color and nutrients.
Serve this spring nettle and chicken soup hot, topped with freshly ground black pepper and a generous dollop of smetana (sour cream) if desired.
Serve the soup hot. Freshly ground pepper and a spoonful of thick sour cream perfectly complement this spring dish.
For the best experience, serve your chicken nettle soup in deep ceramic bowls, generously garnishing each portion with thick, cold smetana (sour cream). It mellows out the grassy notes of the greens and gives the broth a velvety texture. For a more traditional presentation, drop half a hard-boiled egg into each bowl—it not only looks beautiful but makes the dish more filling, pairing wonderfully with the clear broth and bright bell peppers. If you have leftovers for the next day, don't worry—shchi actually becomes even more flavorful after resting in the fridge. To preserve the vibrant green color of the nettles, avoid over-boiling the soup in the final stage, and reheat it in individual portions rather than boiling the whole pot again. Feel free to experiment with herbs: a few sprigs of fresh dill or a pinch of smoked paprika right at the end can give your nettle soup a completely new and unexpected twist.
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