Chicken Kreplach
Little soup dumplings called kreplach are served in hot chicken soup for Rosh Hashanah and the meal before the beginning of Yom Kippur. These meat filled noodles date back over a thousand years ago, representing hopes that our fate would be “sealed” in the Book of Life for good health and prosperity in the coming year.
Traditionally kreplach are filled with beef or liver. After making a big pot of chicken soup one year, it dawned on me that a healthier version could be made using some of the delicious chicken cooked in the soup!
1 cooked Chicken wing from chicken soup
1 cooked chicken thigh from chicken soup
1 tablespoon rendered chicken fat (preferably with some gribenes or fried onion from the rendered fat)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
Pinch of kosher salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 pound fresh pasta sheets
- Remove the chicken wing and thigh from the pot of freshly cooked chicken soup. Carefully separate all the meat from the skin and bones and place the meat on a cutting board. Discard the skin and the bones.
- Finely mince the chicken meat and place in a 1 quart bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with your fingers or a fork until thoroughly combined.
- Cut the pasta sheets into 2 ½ inch wide strips and then cut the strips into 2 ½ inch squares
- Place squares of dough in front of you to resemble a diamond shape.
- Fill a small bowl with some water. Dip your finger in the water and then brush two adjacent edges of the dough (the top sides of the point) with your wet finger.
- Place a teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center of the diamond and fold the bottom point of the dough up to meet the top point. You have now created a triangle.
- Using the edges of your pinkies, press down on the dough close to the filling so that the mixture is airtight. Press down on the edges to seal.
- For decoration and to prevent the Kreplach from opening up in the water press the edges of the dough firmly together again with the tines of a fork.
- Cook the Kreplach in boiling salted water for 8-12 minutes or until tender but still a little chewy.
Yield: 2-2 ½ dozen