Rosół — Polish Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 2 lb bone-in Chicken Thighs
• 2 carrots + 2 parsnips or celery stalks
• 1 onion, halved and CHARRED cut-side down
• 1 leek
• 4 allspice berries + 2 bay leaves + 6 peppercorns
• 8 cups cold water
• Fine egg noodles, cooked separately
• Fresh dill and parsley

Method

1. Char the onion halves in a dry pan until blackened — the secret to rosół's amber color and gentle smoke.
2. Cover the Chicken Thighs with COLD water, bring to the barest simmer, and skim diligently for the first 15 minutes. Clarity is the Polish grading rubric.
3. Add the vegetables, charred onion, and spices. Simmer at a whisper — never a boil — for 75 minutes. A proper rosół 'smiles': tiny bubbles only.
4. Strain the broth golden and season with salt; slice the carrots back in, shred some chicken in too.
5. Serve over noodles (always cooked separately — cloudy broth is a family scandal) with dill snowfall. Sunday in Poland, in a bowl.