Chicken Corn Rivel Soup

Chicken Corn Rivel Soup is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch favorite our family has been making for decades. With tender chicken, plenty of corn, and little homemade rivels, it’s a comforting bowl of soup I especially enjoy in the fall and winter.

This recipe makes a generous pot, with room to adjust the amount of corn to your taste. I prefer white whole kernel corn, along with creamed corn for a little extra body.

A Pennsylvania Dutch Family Favorite

Chicken Corn Rivel Soup is one of the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes that has stayed in our family’s cooking over the years. It’s a familiar, filling soup made with simple ingredients and a little time at the stove.

This is a large batch, so I use a 16-quart stockpot. Between the broth, chicken, corn, and rivels, you need plenty of room to stir without spilling over the sides.

Start With the Chicken and Broth

I cook two whole stewing chickens with quartered onions and large pieces of celery until the chicken is tender and comes away from the bones easily.

Once the chicken is cooked, strain the broth, separating out the chicken and vegetables. Let the chicken cool enough to handle, then carefully remove the meat from the bones. Take your time checking for small bones, cartilage, and gristle before cutting or shredding the meat into the size pieces you prefer.

Refrigerate the chicken while you prepare the rest of the soup.

You’ll need approximately six quarts of broth for the soup. Use the strained cooking broth, store-bought chicken broth, or a combination of both. If the cooking broth comes up short, simply add enough store-bought broth to make up the difference.

For a deeper chicken flavor, you can also use chicken bone broth.

Making the Rivels

Rivels are small, rustic pieces of flour-and-egg dough that cook directly in the broth. They give this soup its familiar texture and help thicken it as it cooks.

While the broth heats, combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and work them into the flour with your hands or a wooden spoon.

The goal is a fine, crumbly mixture rather than a smooth dough. Scrape any sticky flour-and-egg mixture from your hands or spoon back into the bowl as you work. Keep mixing until the egg is distributed throughout, with no wet or slippery pockets remaining.

Add the Rivels Slowly

Bring the broth to a rolling boil before adding the rivel mixture. Sprinkle it in a handful at a time while stirring constantly with a long-handled spoon.

Adding it gradually helps the crumbs form small rivels throughout the broth instead of collecting in one large clump. Keep stirring for a few minutes after the last of the mixture goes into the pot.

Then add the whole kernel corn, creamed corn, and cooked chicken. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the rivels are cooked through and the soup has thickened slightly.

Stir frequently, reaching along the bottom of the pot to help prevent sticking or scorching.

Choose the Corn You Enjoy

I like white whole kernel corn in this soup, but use the kind you prefer. My recipe allows for six to eight cans of whole kernel corn and three to four cans of creamed corn, depending on how much corn you want.

Drain only half of the whole kernel corn cans. Add the liquid from the remaining cans along with the corn.

You can also use fresh corn. About six heaping cups of freshly cut corn can replace the canned whole kernel corn.

For a fresh alternative to the canned creamed corn, process about three cups of fresh corn in a small food processor to break down the kernels and release their juices. This won’t be exactly the same as canned creamed corn, but it’s another way to make the soup with fresh corn.

A Chicken Corn Noodle Variation

If you prefer noodles, omit the flour-and-egg rivel mixture and use egg noodles instead. Add the noodles to the boiling broth and cook according to the package directions, allowing enough liquid and room for them to expand.

The finished soup will be thinner than the rivel version. The flour in the rivels contributes to the thicker consistency of Chicken Corn Rivel Soup.

Both versions combine chicken and corn in a comforting bowl, so choose whichever your family enjoys.

Season and Serve the Chicken Corn Rivel Soup

Taste the finished soup before adding more salt and pepper. The amount needed will depend partly on the broth you use, especially if it’s store-bought.

You can season the whole pot or let everyone add a little more to their own bowl.

Serve warm with your favorite crackers alongside. Enjoy them on the side or crumble a few into your bowl—whichever you prefer. It’s a simple way to finish a comforting fall or winter meal.

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Chicken Corn Rivel Soup

A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch soup with tender chicken, plenty of corn, and homemade flour-and-egg rivels. A longtime family favorite for a comforting fall or winter meal.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Pennsylvania Dutch

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Cooking the Chicken

• 2 whole stewing chickens
• 2 yellow or sweet onions peeled and quartered
• 1/2 bunch celery cleaned and cut into large pieces
• Water for cooking the chickens as needed

Rivels

• 3 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Finishing the soup

• 6 quarts chicken broth reserved from cooking the chickens, store-bought, or a combination
• reserved meat from cooked chickens
• 6 15 ounce –8 cans whole kernel corn preferably white, draining only half the cans
• 3 15 ounce –4 cans creamed corn
• Additional salt and black pepper to taste
• Crackers for serving (optional)

Equipment

• 16 quart stock pot with lid
• large strainer/colander
• large heatproof bowl or pot to catch strained broth
• mixing bowl
• measuring cups
• long handles stirring spoon
• cutting board
• knife
• ladle

Method

 

Cooking the Chicken

1. Place the chickens, quartered onions, and celery in a large 16-quart stockpot. Add enough water to cover the chickens, leaving room to prevent overflowing. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender enough to come away from the bones easily.
2. Carefully remove the chickens from the pot. Strain the cooking broth into a large heatproof container, removing the vegetables and any loose bones.
3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones. Check carefully for small bones, cartilage, and gristle. Cut or shred the meat into your preferred size pieces. Refrigerate while preparing the remaining soup.
4. Measure approximately 6 quarts of the strained cooking broth into the stockpot. If needed, add store-bought chicken broth to reach 6 quarts. Alternatively, use 6 quarts of store-bought broth. Cover and heat over medium-high heat to bring to a rolling boil.

Making the Rivels

1. While the broth heats, combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the eggs and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until a fine, crumbly mixture forms. Scrape any mixture sticking to your hands or spoon back into the bowl. Continue mixing until the eggs are evenly incorporated and no wet or slippery egg pockets remain.
3. Gradually sprinkle the rivel mixture into the boiling broth by handfuls, stirring constantly with a long-handled spoon. Continue until all the mixture has been added. Stir for a few more minutes as the small rivels begin to cook.

Finishing the Soup

1. Add the whole kernel corn, including the liquid from half the cans, the creamed corn, and the cooked chicken. Stir well.
2. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Simmer gently until the rivels are cooked through, the chicken is heated through, and the soup has thickened slightly. Stir frequently along the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking or scorching.
3. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired, or let everyone season their own bowl. Serve warm with your favorite crackers.

Notes

Servings: The number of servings will vary greatly depending on your portion size, how much corn you use, and how much meat the chickens yield each time.

Large batch: Use a 16-quart stockpot to allow room for the ingredients and stirring.

Chicken: Carefully check the meat for small bones, cartilage, and gristle before returning it to the soup.

Broth: Use approximately 6 quarts total for the soup. Combine reserved cooking broth with store-bought broth if necessary. Chicken bone broth can also be used for a deeper chicken flavor.

Corn: I prefer white whole kernel corn. Adjust the amount within the listed range to your taste. Drain only half of the whole kernel corn cans, adding the liquid from the remaining cans to the soup.

Fresh corn option: About 6 heaping cups of freshly cut corn can replace the canned whole kernel corn.

Fresh creamed corn alternative: Process approximately 3 cups of fresh corn in a small food processor to break down the kernels and release their juices. Use in place of the canned creamed corn. The texture and finished quantity will differ from the canned version.

Rivels: The flour-and-egg mixture should be finely crumbly before adding it to the broth. Sprinkle it in gradually while stirring constantly to avoid large clumps.

Noodle variation: Omit the rivel ingredients and substitute egg noodles, adjusting the amount to your preference. Cook according to the package directions and add more broth if needed. This version will be thinner because it does not contain the flour from the rivels.

Serving: Serve with your favorite crackers on the side or crumbled into individual bowls.