When I think of religion, I immediately think of holidays and traditions. For me, the most prominent part of the Jewish holidays is the food and the company. One staple on almost every menu is chicken soup.

There are always dishes that can be added like the ever-so-dreaded stuffed cabbage, but chicken soup is eaten at every holiday meal. It’s best served with fluffy matzoh balls, thin egg noodles or challah for dipping. But those are the extras. The most important part of your Bubbe’s chicken soup is the soup itself.

I’ve had my fair share of chicken soup over the years and the best one, by far, is my mom’s. To this day, it is the answer to all of my problems and the cure for the common cold.

But I’ve also had the not-so-good—what my dad refers to as “chicken water”—soups. These are the chicken soups that don’t have that “umph” factor. They are so bland that you are forced to whisper about them to the person next to you, unless they are the one guilty of making the so-called soup.

Last spring, right before Passover, I took it upon myself to make my first chicken soup. I didn’t

have a recipe, just intuition and familiarity backed with a little research. I had to make many decisions: Which herbs do I use? Do I include the garlic? Omit the parsnip? No, never omit the parsnip. Some people insist on throwing a chicken foot into the stockpot, but I draw the line way before that. I didn’t set any particular goals with this chicken soup: completing my own was good enough for me. So three chickens, an abundance of herbs and vegetables, and three hours of skimming later: voila, the soup was ready.

It was also the best chicken soup I have ever eaten. After I received the stamp of approval from my family members, my chicken soup was put on the menu for holidays to come. I am only hoping that it is never considered chicken water.

Serves about eight people, but it all depends on how big your bowls are.

Ingredients:

3 whole chickens, most of skin removed

6 carrots, washed and peeled

2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut in half

4 ribs celery, cut in thirds

4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut in thirds

handful of parsley sprigs, fresh

handful of dill sprigs, fresh

pinch of thyme sprigs, fresh

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon peppercorns

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Directions:

Place the chickens and all prepared vegetables, herbs and seasonings in a 20-quart stock pot. Cover with water, about seven quarts. Over medium-high heat, bring to boil and immediately reduce to simmer. Skim off any scum and oil pockets found.

(I tend to stand over the pot for the entirety of the cooking process and skim non-stop, but skimming every 30 minutes after getting rid of any scum is fine, too.)

After about an hour and a half—or until fully cooked—take out one of the chickens and strip it of all meat to save for serving. Put carcass back in the pot and simmer for an additional one-and-a-half to two hours. Serve and enjoy.

(You can serve the soup with the vegetables that were used to make the soup, or you can discard them and chop up new carrots and parsnips, cook until tender and then serve. Your choice.)

Sophie Rubin can be contacted at [email protected].

Photos by Sophie Rubin.