Creamy Trahana Soup With Chicken Stock

Name: Creamy trahana soup with chicken stock
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3 L of water; ½ tbs salt; 500 g chicken thighs, bone in, see notes; ½ tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp fennel seeds; ¼ tsp peppercorns; 600 g homemade frozen trahana

Package vs homemade trahana

Hands down this creamy trahana soup with chicken tastes amazing and even more so because it is made with homemade trahana. You can find the recipe for that here. The recipe can be adapted using trahana from a package but I promise making your own trahana is very easy. And you truly get to appreciate eating this sour soup even more!

Image of the long flattened trahana logs ready to be frozen

There are a lot of international stores that sell imported trahana from Cyprus and Greece. Each brand however I found varies very much as far as the consistency you get in the end, the texture and the taste.

Making the actual soup is quite easy as long as you get the liquid to solid ratio right! If you are using trahana from a packet they would have a recommended recipe on the package. However I found that what they suggest always ends making a very thick soup. And there is nothing wrong with that really, it is just up to the individual’s preference.

Image of a flatlay including two bowls of the trahana soup, a bowl with the shredded chicken and halloumi pieces

Trahana variations

You will hear and see trahana used in soups more often than anything else. But there are several other types of meals that you can include trahana in like a meat stew or a risotto type dish.

To make the actual soup every family likes to makes their own variations. One way our family likes to eat trahana soup is with tomato pieces cooked in it. More commonly though we eat this creamy trahana soup with chicken stock. As the trahana pieces I use are frozen, the creaminess from the yoghurt is still well maintained. Otherwise, when I do use dry trahana I add a bit of milk as it’s cooking.

Image of a bowl of trahana with the chicken and bread rusks in the background

Herbs and spices used

When my aunty in Cyprus makes fresh trahana pieces she stirs in the mixture a whole bunch of mint tied up and a whole bulb of garlic for the extra flavour. I just tend to add salt because when I make the actual soup I add herbs and spices in the chicken stock.

Accompaniments

To accompany this creamy trahana soup with chicken I have to include two other musts – halloumi pieces and the rusks! The soup just doesn’t feel complete otherwise haha! Same sides are always on the table when I make Avgolemoni (Greek lemon and egg soup) as well.