Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan/vessel. Add the sliced onion and fry till it turns translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Now add the chicken pieces and keep frying until they change colour on all sides, for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and continue to stir fry for 2 minutes.
Now add in all the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, turmeric and salt) along with one tablespoon of water and mix well. Add 1-2 spoons of water again until some oil is visible on the surface. Now add 4 cups of water, cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until the chicken has become tender and the water has reduced to about half.
Separate the chicken pieces from the soup with the help of tongs. Strain the broth through a sieve into a container and discard the spices + onions, etc. This clear soup is our Tchat Rass. The chicken can be deboned and shredded and used in this soup recipe as well as in sandwiches, pasta, etc.
Lemon Coriander Chicken Soup
Heat oil in a pot/vessel. Add all the vegetables (onions, beans, carrots, cabbage) and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add in ginger and garlic paste, and fry for another 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Now add the sweet corn and chicken broth (tchat rass), along with salt, pepper and half of the chopped coriander. Mix well, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
At this point add in the corn flour mixed with 2 tbsp of water. This is optional. Read note below.
Turn the heat off. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the remaining coriander. Dish out in bowls, add the shredded chicken on top and serve hot.
Notes
This soup does not have the thick consistency of a traditional soup. However, cornflour can be used to thicken it but the soup loses most of the rich flavours of tchat rass with the addition of cornflour. Basically it is a trade off between consistency and taste. I would recommend choosing taste over consistency and omitting the cornflour.