Cold Chicken, Celery & Walnut Soup

This chilled soup has roots in Georgian and Middle Eastern cooking, where pounded walnuts thicken broths into something creamy and substantial without any cream or flour. You simmer chicken legs into a simple stock, soften two whole heads of celery in olive oil, then pound the cooked chicken meat with garlic and walnuts in a mortar before stirring everything together with yogurt.

Building the stock from scratch with a whole onion, carrot, and peppercorns gives you a clean, flavorful base. Strip the chicken from the bones while it’s still warm because it shreds more easily. Keep a spoonful of stock over the meat so it doesn’t dry out while you finish the celery.

The mortar work is where this soup gets its character. Crushing the garlic with salt, then pounding in the walnuts until fine, then working in the chicken creates a thick, textured paste that melts into the liquidized celery soup. The yogurt binds it and adds a cool tang that makes it refreshing when served cold.

Chef Tips

• Remove all skin and fat from the chicken legs before simmering. Any fat left behind will congeal when the soup is chilled and create an unpleasant greasy texture.
• Pound the walnuts thoroughly. Coarsely ground nuts won’t integrate smoothly and will settle to the bottom.
• Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. This soup tastes flat when warm but comes alive when cold.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for blanched almonds for a milder, more delicate flavor.
• Add a squeeze of lemon juice before chilling to brighten the soup.
• Garnish with a drizzle of walnut oil and chopped fresh dill or tarragon.