Chicken Shorba

Each year from monsoon to winters, soups make a feature on my menu at least once a week. They’re cozy, delicious, healthy, and so easy to put together. And this Chicken Shorba (or shurba as it’s also called) is being made pretty frequently along with my other favorites wonton and sweet corn soups!

This chicken shorba recipe is an insanely easy one-pot dish that comes together entirely in the pressure cooker. Don’t let that fool you though, because this murgh ka shorba soup is bursting with flavor! Drink it by spoonful or serve it naan or rice–no matter how you eat it, this chicken soup truly warms you.

Chicken Shorba Ingredients

This chicken shorba recipe calls for simple ingredients and the cooking process is divided into two parts: making the masala paste and cooking the chicken and broth.

• To make the masala, we grind together onion, coriander and mint leaves, ginger, garlic, jeera, and peppercorn to a smooth paste. This forms the base of the soup and delivers a majority of the flavor.
• To make the soup, we start by sautéing chicken pieces in some ghee along whole spices like cinammom, bay leaf clove, and cardamom, all in the pressure cooker.
• We then add the masala we made, chopped onion, turmeric, celery sticks, salt and water, and pressure cook everything. Even though celery is optional, I love adding it for its lovely flavor and texture.
• Finish it off by squeezing some lemon juice and lots of fresh coriander.

Frequently Asked Questions

Richa’s Top Tips

• I recommend using bone-in chicken thigh pieces as they remain tender throughout the cooking process. You can swap with boneless pieces if you prefer, but I would not recommend breast pieces of this recipe.
• You can add veggies like carrots, green, peas potatoes, etc. to make this recipe even more wholesome.

Serving Ideas

• Traditionally, chicken shorba is served with naan, but you can serve it with roti, whole wheat paratha, or lachha paratha too
• You can also serve this with some steamed rice, jeera rice, or veg pilaf
• Add a simple cucumber salad, raita, pickle, and papad to make a complete meal
• Serve it with a crusty bread, boiled eggs, and grilled veggies for a wholesome, healthy meal.

Customisation Ideas

Chicken shorba is super versatile and can be easily customised to suit your preferences, based on what you have available. Here are some examples:

• Add in veggies of your choice like carrots, potatoes, green peas, bell peppers or spinach
• Mix in some red masoor dal to naturally thicken and bulk up the broth
• Stir in some cream, yogurt or coconut milk for a creamy version

Storage Tips

• Fridge – Chicken shorba stays well for up to 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to cool it completely before refrigeration and store in the coldest part of your fridge.
• Freezer – Once the chicken shorba is completely cool, divide it into individual portions and transfer to freezer-friendly bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Leave about an inch of space on the top, as this soup tends to expand in the freezer.
• Reheat (fridge) – Simply reheat refrigerated chicken shorba on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
• Reheat (frozen) – Allow the frozen chicken shorba to thaw out overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave as usual.

This chicken shorba recipe is simple, wholesome, and makes for a really comforting dish on a cold winter day. If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment below and send me photos over on my IG @my_foodstory. I love seeing your recreations!

This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal