Yemenite chicken soup

Name: Yemenite chicken soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Yemenite
Ingredients: 8 pcs Whole chicken cut into 8 pieces, most of the skin removed; 3,000 ml Cold water; 2 pcs Onions, peeled and halved; 2 pcs Whole tomatoes; 6 pcs Garlic cloves, peeled; 5 pcs Potatoes, peeled and halved; 14 g Hawaij for soup; 50 g Fresh coriander, one bunch with stems; 18 g Salt

Yemenite chicken soup is a golden soup of chicken pieces, potatoes, tomato, garlic and coriander, seasoned with hawaij, the Yemenite spice blend for soup. It is ready in under two hours, lighter than the Yemenite beef soup, and right for any winter evening or Friday night.

Pot calculator Order Yemenite chicken soup

Gluten freeDairy freeMeat

Updated 22.10.2026

Time1 h 55 minCook 1 h 40 min

Pot6 bowls2.7 litres

Per bowl523 kcal37.5 g protein · a 450 ml bowl

Cost of the pot₪50for the pot, about ₪8.4 a bowl

The story of Yemenite chicken soup

In Yemenite Jewish homes a hawaij chicken soup sits on the table next to the beef soup or instead of it, mostly on Friday night and holidays. The chicken cooks in large pieces on the bone, and the broth takes body, a little fat and depth from them.

In Israel it became the chicken soup of many families who are not Yemenite at all: the familiar chicken soup, only with cumin, turmeric and coriander instead of dill and parsley root. With schug, hilbeh and soft bread it is a full meal.

What makes Yemenite chicken soup itself

What separates it from an ordinary chicken soup is the seasoning and the build. There are no carrots, celery or sweet roots, only tomato, garlic, plenty of coriander and hawaij, which turns the broth gold. The potatoes cook in the soup and soak up its flavour, and the chicken is served in large pieces on the bone, so one bowl is both soup and main course.

Yemenite chicken soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

People

Bowl size

Units

2.7litres in the pot

4Pot to use, litres

₪50Cost of the pot

₪8.4per bowl

523kcal per bowl

37.5g protein per bowl

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
The chicken
Whole chicken cut into 8 pieces, most of the skin removed	1.6 kg · 8 pcs	₪37
Cold water	3 l
The pot
Onions, peeled and halved	300 g · 2 pcs	₪1.8
Whole tomatoes	300 g · 2 pcs	₪2.4
Garlic cloves, peeled	25 g · 6 pcs	₪0.9
Potatoes, peeled and halved	750 g · 5 pcs	₪4.4
Seasoning
Hawaij for soup	14 g	₪1.8
Fresh coriander, one bunch with stems	50 g	₪2.5
Salt	18 g	₪0.0

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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Yemenite chicken soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Yemenite chicken soup has 116 calories per 100 ml. A 450 ml bowl made with our recipe has 523 calories: 37.5 g protein, 27.5 g fat and 28.4 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 290 calories.

Servings

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

Whole chicken cut into 8 pieces, most of the skin removed8 pcs389 kcal per serving
Onions, peeled and halved2 pcs20 kcal per serving
Whole tomatoes2 pcs9 kcal per serving
Garlic cloves, peeled6 pcs6 kcal per serving
Potatoes, peeled and halved5 pcs96 kcal per serving
Hawaij for soup14 g0 kcal per serving
Fresh coriander, one bunch with stems50 g2 kcal per serving
Salt18 g0 kcal per serving

Nutrition facts

Serving450 ml

Energy523kcal

Protein 29%
Fat 48%
Carbs 22%

	Serving	Per 100 ml	% Daily Value
Fat	27.5 g	6.1	35%
Saturated fat	7.9 g	1.8	39%
Cholesterol	136 mg	30	45%
Sodium	2,113 mg	469	92%
Carbohydrates	28.4 g	6.3	10%
Dietary fibre	4.5 g	1	16%
Protein	37.5 g	8.3	75%
Calcium	65 mg	15	5%
Iron	3.1 mg	0.7	17%
Potassium	1,121 mg	249	24%

Daily values are based on a 2,000 kcal diet.

What each add-on adds to Yemenite chicken soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-on	Calories	Protein, g	Fat, g
A tablespoon of oil	122	0	13.8
A slice of white bread	79	2.5	0.5
A slice of challah	126	4	1.1
A side cup of cooked rice, about	182	3.5	0.3

How to make Yemenite chicken soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.

15 minPrep1 h 40 minCook

Trim excess fat and most of the skin from the chicken and rinse in cold water.
Put the pieces in a pot, cover with 3 litres of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Skim the foam for about 10 minutes, until the surface is clean.
Add the onions, whole tomatoes, garlic, coriander stems, salt and two thirds of the hawaij, and lower to a gentle simmer.
Cook for 50 minutes with the lid slightly ajar.
Add the potatoes and cook for 30 to 35 minutes more, until tender.
Remove the coriander stems and tomato skins, add the rest of the hawaij and the chopped coriander leaves, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Taste, adjust the salt and serve a piece of chicken and a potato in each bowl.

The science of Yemenite chicken soup

Kitchen science

Why chicken cooks faster than beef

Chicken has less connective tissue, and its collagen is finer and turns to gelatin sooner. An hour and a half gives a rich broth and meat that leaves the bone, where beef shank needs twice that. Breast meat has little connective tissue and dries out when overcooked, while dark thigh meat stays juicy.

Kitchen science

Fat, turmeric and a golden broth

Curcumin, the pigment in turmeric, barely dissolves in water but dissolves well in fat. The fat from the skin carries it through the broth, so a soup with a little skin turns more golden than a fat-free one with the same amount of hawaij.

Kitchen science

A whole tomato in the broth

Tomato adds gentle acidity and glutamate, an amino acid that deepens savoury flavour. Cooked whole, its flesh does not scatter through the broth and the soup stays clear; at the end you mash it in or lift it out.

Kitchen science

Foam and cloudiness

Soluble chicken proteins set as the water heats and rise as grey foam. Skimming at the first boil, then simmering gently, keeps the broth clear. A hard boil whips the fat into the water and the soup turns cloudy.

Yemenite chicken soup in every kitchen

Whole chicken in pieces

The classic: a whole chicken cut into eight, on the bone with a little skin, for a rich broth.

Thighs and drumsticks

Dark meat that stays moist even after an hour and a half, and a more flavourful broth.

Mature hen

A boiling hen needs at least two and a half hours. The meat is firmer and the broth very deep.

With vegetables

Some homes add courgette, carrot or pumpkin for the last half hour, for a sweeter, softer soup.

Chicken with calf foot or beef

Some families cook a calf foot or a piece of shank in the same pot, for a heavier, stickier broth.

Common Yemenite chicken soup problems and how to fix them

My Yemenite chicken soup is cloudy

The pot boiled hard or the foam was not skimmed. Start in cold water, skim for 10 minutes and keep a small simmer. A cloudy soup can be strained through a thin cloth and keeps its flavour.

The chicken came out dry

Usually it is the breast. Lift it out after 40 minutes, or use only thighs and drumsticks. A rolling boil dries out even dark meat.

The soup is not yellow

Not enough hawaij or not enough fat. Turmeric dissolves in fat, so leave a little skin or add a spoonful of oil, and stir in another teaspoon of hawaij at the end.

The chicken soup is too greasy

Too much skin was left on. Chill the soup and lift off the hardened layer, and next time remove most of the skin before cooking.

The potatoes fell apart

They went in too early or were cut into small cubes. Just halve them and cook for 30 to 35 minutes at the end.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

3 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Reheat over medium heat to a simmer without boiling hard, so the chicken stays moist. Freeze without the potatoes and cook fresh ones when reheating.

Nutrition of Yemenite chicken soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

Serving	kcal	Protein, g	Fat, g	Carbs, g	Fibre, g
Our recipe, a 450 ml bowl	523	37.5	27.5	28.4	4.5
Our recipe, 100 ml	116	8.3	6.1	6.3	1.0
Typical Yemenite chicken soup, 100 g	64	8.1	1.8	3.3	0.6

What the ingredients of Yemenite chicken soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

Ingredient	Price	In this pot	Where to buy
Whole chicken cut into 8 pieces, most of the skin removed	₪23 per kg	₪37	Supermarket
Potatoes, peeled and halved	₪5.9 per kg	₪4.4	Greengrocer
Fresh coriander, one bunch with stems	₪4.9 each	₪2.5	Greengrocer
Whole tomatoes	₪7.9 per kg	₪2.4	Greengrocer
Hawaij for soup	₪129 per kg	₪1.8	Spice shop
Onions, peeled and halved	₪5.9 per kg	₪1.8	Greengrocer
Garlic cloves, peeled	₪34 per kg	₪0.9	Greengrocer
Salt	₪2.1 per kg	₪0	Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

From the pantry: what Yemenite chicken soup needs

Pantry

Hawaij for soup

Price and where to buy

Make Yemenite chicken soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat

Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner

Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Yemenite chicken soup

Serve in a deep bowl with a piece of chicken and a potato, schug and hilbeh on the side and pita or warm lachuch. Some add a spoonful of white rice to the bowl.

The cuisine behind Yemenite chicken soup

Yemenite

Yemenite cuisine

In Yemenite Jewish homes a hawaij chicken soup sits on the table next to the beef soup or instead of it, mostly on Friday night and…

Yemenite cuisine

Yemenite chicken soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 450 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

Guests	Litres	30 l pots	Cost of ingredients
25	11	1	₪210
50	22	1	₪420
100	45	2	₪839
200	90	4	₪1,679
500	225	9	₪4,197

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Yemenite chicken soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.

Ask for a quote for Yemenite chicken soup

Order Yemenite chicken soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.

Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Yemenite chicken soup and ordinary chicken soup?

The seasoning. Yemenite chicken soup has hawaij, coriander, garlic and tomato instead of carrot, celery and dill, and the broth comes out golden and spiced.

How long does Yemenite chicken soup cook?

About an hour and a half from the boil: 50 minutes for the chicken and another half hour with the potatoes. A mature hen needs about two and a half hours.

How much hawaij goes into chicken soup?

About two tablespoons for 3 litres of water, two thirds at the start and the rest at the end. If your hawaij is fresh and strong, start with less.

Which chicken pieces are best?

A whole chicken in pieces, or bone-in thighs and drumsticks. The bones give a rich broth and the dark meat does not dry out.

Can I make it in a pressure cooker?

Yes. 25 minutes at pressure for the chicken, release, add the potatoes and cook for 25 minutes more with the lid off.

Does Yemenite chicken soup have carrots?

Not in the traditional recipe. Carrot sweetens the soup and mutes the hawaij, though some homes add it for colour and sweetness.

How many calories are in Yemenite chicken soup?

A 450 ml bowl of Yemenite chicken soup made with our recipe has about 523 calories and 37.5 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 116 calories.

How much does it cost to make Yemenite chicken soup at home?

A pot of 6 bowls costs about ₪50 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪8.4 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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