Eating Amish-Style

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

There are some classic food combinations that just go so well together: peanut butter and jelly; apple pie and ice cream; and chicken and corn. You might ask--chicken and corn? Yes, I have found that chicken and corn make a very nice combination. One of the staple meals that we had almost every week growing up was baked chicken, rice and corn. I still think this is a very satisfactory meal, especially when my digestive system is feeling delicate. But another way to enjoy this great combo is in a soup, namely Amish Chicken and Corn Soup.

This soup frequently made an appearance at our church functions growing up, even though the Methodist church we attended had no affiliation with the Amish. Maybe it was because I grew up in Pennsylvania, not too far from Amish country. Making the twenty or so mile trip from the suburbs of Philadelphia to Lancaster County, home of the Pennsylvania Dutch, is like stepping into another era. What you have seen in various movies (e.g., Witness) and documentaries really exists. Cars are replaced by horse and buggy, electricity is replaced by candlelight and manual labor, and the style of dress seems to have turned back 200 years. Visiting this area gave me the opportunity to try things like shoofly pie and that delicious chicken and corn soup.

The Amish are a religious group committed to plain living, and have similar origins as Mennonites in the Swiss Anabaptist movement begun in 1527. Mennonites differ in that they will use electric power and interact more frequently with the outside world. The Amish began migrating to Pennsylvania at the invitation of William Penn around 1730 and, although mostly of German origin, became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. The Amish still reside in several rural areas of the United States, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. They continue to eschew modern technology such as electricity and refrigeration, and remain separate from the outside world (They refer to non-Amish people as "the English"). Tourists come from all over to see this simpler way of life in action, and to enjoy a day in the countryside.

Amish entrepreneurs have gained visibility in and outside their communities by developing small businesses such as home-style restaurants and artisanal cheesemaking. The Amish commitment to rural living and natural production methods has brought more attention to their products since many consumers have become interested in more humanely and sustainably produced foods, such as “free-range” chickens. Every so often, my mother will make a special trip to the Lancaster area to go to her favorite market, and if passing by the area she also loves to get eggs from a roadside stand that is based on the honor system.

So bring your slow cooking into a simpler era with this homemade chicken and corn soup. Although the Amish would never use an electric crockpot, you can use it to simmer the soup all day. Your home will take on a lovely fragrance and you’ll have a comforting and nourishing meal waiting for you when you return from your own labors!

Serves/Makes: 4

• 4 pounds roaster chicken
• 2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 8 stalks celery, coarsely chopped, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (optional)
• 4 quarts chicken broth or water
• 1 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup uncooked egg noodles