Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Serves 6
- 1 large whole chicken (or 2 large Cornish hens)
- 4 carrots
- 2 small celery stalks
- 2 small potatoes (optional)
- 1 package nikitouche pasta
- a generous pinch of turmeric (for color)
- Salt, pepper
In a large pot or Dutch oven, sear the chicken on all sides. I generally don’t add oil as the chicken will release fat. If you prefer, you can add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Once the chicken is seared, remove it and add the vegetables cut into chunks. Sear the vegetables, then return the chicken and add enough water to fully cover it. Add 1 level tablespoon of coarse salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for about 35 minutes (if you’ve chosen a stewing hen, the cooking time will be longer).
When the broth is ready, remove the chicken and place it on a platter to cut into pieces.
Half an hour before serving, bring the broth to a boil, cook the nikitouches for about 20 minutes, and add the pinch of turmeric.
Nikitouche is traditionally served with Minina (Tunisian egg and chicken cake) cut into slices and can be served with couscous on the side if desired.
Tips
To get a flavorful chicken broth without using bouillon powder, it’s important not to skip the step of browning the chicken and then the vegetables, and to scrape up all the browned bits before adding the water. Our grandmothers didn’t have bouillon powder and their broth was delicious. I tend to stay purist (that’s just me) because I find that powders are very salty and mask the “real” taste.
The most flavorful broths are made with stewing hen or Cornish hen (easier to find, and in my opinion the most delicious!). In any case, you need bones as that’s what gives the flavor, so if you don’t have a whole chicken, choose bony parts like wings, thighs, etc.