Chicken Corn Soup with Rivels

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, cut up
• 3 quarts water
• 1 large onion, quartered, plus 1 onion diced
• 3 celery ribs, halved, plus 2 ribs sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt for the rivels
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of saffron or 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, optional

Before you cook

• Cut the chicken into pieces and quarter one onion and halve three celery ribs for the broth.
• Dice the second onion, slice two celery ribs and dice the carrots for the soup.
• Hard-boil two eggs, peel them and chop them.

Steps

1. Put the chicken pieces in a large pot with the water, quartered onion, halved celery, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and skim the foam from the surface.
3. Lower the heat and simmer the chicken for 50 minutes, until the meat pulls from the bone.
4. Lift the chicken out and strain the broth into a clean pot, discarding the spent vegetables.
5. Pull the meat off the bones, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and discard the skin and bones.
6. Return the broth to a simmer and add the diced onion, sliced celery and carrots.
7. Cook the vegetables for 10 minutes, until tender.
8. Add the corn and the saffron if you are using it and simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Put the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and crack the egg into the center.
10. Rub the flour and egg together with your fingertips until the mixture breaks into crumbs from pea-sized down to grains of sand.
11. Bring the soup to a good rolling simmer.
12. Scatter the rivels into the pot a small handful at a time, stirring after each so they do not clump into one mass.
13. Simmer the rivels for 10 minutes, until they are cooked through and the broth has thickened noticeably.
14. Return the chopped chicken to the pot and heat it for 3 minutes.
15. Season with the black pepper and more salt as needed.
16. Ladle into bowls and top with the chopped hard-boiled egg and parsley.