Spring borscht is a bright green soup made with herbs, eggs, and sour cream. Use any greens you like: traditional sorrel, the “folk” choice of young nettle, or trendy—and extremely healthy—spinach. Since not everyone can eat tart sorrel, most people use a milder mix of sorrel combined with another green. In green borscht with chicken, you can pair sorrel with nettle or spinach, both of which have a neutral, non-acidic taste. Or skip the sorrel entirely and make green borscht with spinach alone.
Ingredients for Green Borscht with Chicken and Egg
- chicken — 300 g;
- spinach — 300 g;
- parsley or dill — a bunch;
- potatoes — 2 pcs.;
- onion — 1 pc.;
- eggs — 2 pcs.;
- sour cream — 3 tbsp;
- allspice berries — 3–4 pieces;
- bay leaf — 2 pcs.;
- salt — to taste.
How to Make Green Borscht, Step by Step
- Cover the rinsed chicken with 2.5 liters of water and boil until tender, skimming off any foam, seasoning with salt, and adding bay leaves and allspice berries. Shred the cooked chicken and return it to the broth.
- Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes, and add them to the broth.
- Peel and chop the onion, sauté it until golden, and transfer it to the pot.
- Thoroughly wash the spinach, parsley, and any other greens, finely chop them into strips, add them to the pot when the potatoes are cooked, and simmer for no more than 5 minutes.
- Hard-boil the eggs separately, dice them, sprinkle the soup with the eggs when serving, and add the sour cream.
Pro Tips
- If you combine spinach, young nettle, and sorrel, use 100 g of each for this green borscht recipe. If you use just two types of greens, make their total weight 300 g. By the way, another .
- Add grated carrot to the sauté along with the onion if you like.
- Instead of boiling the eggs separately, crack them directly into the pot at the end of cooking and stir so they spread and cook in the hot soup.
- For extra heartiness, add a spoonful of millet or barley groats to the green borscht.
Q&A
What are the benefits of borscht made with spinach, sorrel, and nettle?
Green borscht made with , sorrel, and nettle is easy to digest and supplies the body with iron, fiber, and vitamins A, C, K, and B. Because it contains a lot of leafy greens, the vitamin-rich soup supports the immune system, improves metabolism, and helps maintain heart and digestive health.
How do you cook green borscht with nettle?
Make this spring borscht on a chicken or pork stock base with potatoes, sautéed vegetables, eggs, and greens. To prevent nettle from stinging, blanch the nettle with boiling water before adding it to the soup.
Who should avoid eating sorrel soup?
Green is not recommended for people with kidney stones, gastritis with high acidity, peptic ulcers, gout, or colitis. Because sorrel contains a lot of oxalic acid, the dish can worsen joint conditions and contribute to stone formation.
When should you add sorrel to the borscht?
Add sorrel at the last stage of cooking — 3–5 minutes before the soup is done, after the potatoes are fully cooked. Prolonged boiling turns sorrel gray and destroys vitamins. Bring the green borscht with sorrel to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it steep. After adding the sorrel, let the soup sit for 10–15 minutes with the lid on so the flavors meld.
How can you fix green borscht with sorrel if it turns out too sour?
If the sorrel soup is too sour, add a pinch of sugar to balance the flavor.
Read more about healthy spring eating in our article on a .
