Hearty, delicious and super rich in flavor, this Solyanka Recipe is a meat lover's dream come true. The soup is perfect for colder months or when you just want to have a warm and comforting meal. This Solyanka Soup Recipe has such a memorable taste. It's sour, salty and so so good! Try it for yourself!
Also available German Solyanka and Vegetarian Solyanka. Same incredible flavors with less preparation time.
Solyanka Recipe (Russian Meat Soup)
As many of you know, I was born and raised in Ukraine, a country with rich history and delicious cuisine. Since Ukraine borders with Russia and is a former post-Soviet country, Russian food has become inevitable part of taste preferences of all Ukrainians. We share so many similar recipes and traditions. But at the same time, there are recipes that are unique to Russia.
Hint - I'm going to be talking about Solyanka Soup Recipe. It is incredibly delicious Russian meat soup, that is perfect for colder weather or when you just want to a have a bowl of comfort soup.
Despite that Solyanka originated from Russia, it became a very popular in Ukraine too. I don't recall the time when I first tried it, but one thing I know for sure, it was a love at first bite. Salty and sour, rich in flavor and incredibly delicious.
Some people say Solyanka is a hangover soup. Due to the large amount of pickle juice that goes into the recipe, I can see this being true.
 This Solyanka recipe is a meat lover's dream come true.
Traditionally, the main ingredients for the soup are different types of meat. That's what makes Solyanka soup recipe so hearty, filling and rich in flavor.
I usually like to make my Solyanka with chicken meat, sausage, salami and bacon. Salami and bacon add a little smoky flavor to the soup and chicken and sausage add additional protein. Talk about feeling full longer.
For this Solyanka Soup Recipe, I used to buy German Bratwurst sausages. However, last time I made it, I bought Italian sausages. Both worked worked beautifully in the soup. You can take whichever sausages you like.
You may also have noticed that this Solyanka recipe doesn't have potatoes grains. That's because we add so many different meats, nothing else is necessary. The soup is absolutely self-sufficient.
Traditionally, people used to cook this soup with a beef broth. I, personally, prefer chicken broth. For this recipe, I made my own chicken broth, using 4 chicken drumsticks. But, store-bought broth is fine too.
What makes this Solyanka recipe so great is that it is relatively easy to cook. If you use a store-bought chicken broth, you can assemble Solyanka in under 30 min. And the taste of soup is fantastic.
If you make Solyanka one time, I'm pretty sure you'll be making it again. It is absolutely delicious!
Recipe
Solyanka Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken broth:
- 11 cups water
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1 big onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 carrot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
For Solyanka:
- 8.5 cups chicken stock
- 1 large onion minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce or ketchup
- 4 slices of bacon cut into narrow strips
- 3 ounces salami cut into narrow strips
- 3 cooked chicken sausages cut in half lengthwise and cubed
- 4 cooked chicken drumsticks bones and skin removed, meat shredded
- 2 teaspoons capers rinsed
- 3 pickles chopped
- ¾ cup pickle juice
- 3 tablespoons parsley chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt pepper
- Sour cream olives - optional (for garnish)
Instructions
Prepare chicken broth:
- Bring 11 cups of water to a boil, add chicken drumsticks and other ingredients. Reduce to low-medium heat and cook for 1 hour. Off the heat, transfer drumsticks into a separate bowl for a later use. Discard all vegetables and strain a broth through colander.
Make Solyanka:
- Cook bacon pieces in a medium skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towel.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add minced onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown.
- Place a medium pot with a chicken broth over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken sausage and pickles and cook for 5 minutes. Add salami, bacon, chicken meat, capers, onions, and pickle juice and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and off the heat.
To serve:
- Ladle the soup into a bowl, add a dollop of sour cream, couple of olives and a slice of lemon.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
You might also like these hearty and comforting soups:
If you make this recipe, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.
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BreAnna Teschendorf says
Hi! The recipe doesn't specify if sweet or salty pickles. I live in Germany where it is very difficult to find pickles without sugar... and there's lots of soljanka loving here, so my guess is sweet pickles. But.... if I were an American, never lived in Europe, reading this, I'd grab salty kosher dills without a second thought. So I can't logic my way through this. Sweet or salty? Also... lemon, just for garnish? I've never been served soljanka without lemon, but looking at several recipes, none of them mention lemon. But, it is in the picture. Thanks!
Iryna says
HI BreAnna! I usually use regular salty Dill Pickles. I never actually saw sweet pickles being sold. Maybe I never noticed it. Dill pickles usually have some sugar content in them but it's definitely not overpowering. I think sweet pickles you're referring to are not sweet at all, sugar is just added as part of the pickling process.
Yes, lemon is for garnish. That's how Solyanka is usually served in Russia/Ukraine. But it's an optional ingredient. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions.
yuana says
From having both dill and sweet pickles all my life I'd venture a guess that more than any other difference is the absence of dill. Many other variables in both, but No dill in sweet!
LOL Hope this helps.
Jan Fitzgerald says
Yum! Happy Easter to you and yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan
Lynnwood, Wash
Iryna says
Thank you so much Jan! I wish you and your family a Happy Easter too!!!
Foodvagabonds says
Dear Iryna,
I have just discovered your Blog while writing a post for my own little Foodblog.
Love your Recipes and the simplicity of the design. Have saved you to my bookmarks and will definitely follow you! 🙂
Oh and i have shared your Solyanka Recipe within my blogpost. Sending you my best wishes
Michael
Jim Bobob says
This reads "1/1 cup pickle juice". So does that mean, say 1/2 or 1/4, or is that just a mathematical way of saying a full cup?
Iryna says
Oh, that's a typo. Thanks for letting me know.
The recipe calls for 1 cup of pickle juice.