Chicken Soup w/ Semolina Dumplings: Supă cu Găluşte
This chicken soup with semolina dumplings is a dish you will regularly find in every Romanian home. It is usually served as a first course and it’s a favorite among kids.
Ingredients · Servings 6
- ½ free-range chicken
- 2 carrots
- 1 parsley root
- 1 celery root
- 1 onion
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 liters water
- 50 g lard ((or 2 tbsp vegetable oil))
- 2 eggs
- 150 g semolina
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method · 1 h
- Place the chicken, whole vegetables, water, and salt in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.
- Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface during cooking using a ladle or skimmer.
- In a bowl, mix the lard, eggs, semolina, and salt with a fork until smooth and lump-free. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a gentle boil.
- Using a wet spoon, form small dumplings from the semolina mixture and drop them into the boiling water.
- Cook the dumplings for about 20 minutes or until they puff up and become tender. For a helpful tip: Once all the dumplings are in the pot, add a glass of cold water to slow the boiling process slightly, ensuring they remain light and fluffy.
- Once the soup is cooked, remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt or a pinch of vegetable seasoning, if desired.
- Slice the cooked carrots and add them back into the soup along with the dumplings.
- Finish with plenty of freshly chopped parsley leaves for garnish.
- Enjoy!
For the chicken stock, you can use a whole chicken or pretty much any part of it, though it always tastes better when using the whole. If you don’t fancy making such a huge quantity of stock, you can cut down on the ingredients listed below and make a smaller batches.
Enjoy this traditional recipe for Supă cu Găluşte.




