Description
Making a matzo ball soup recipe from scratch is not as hard as it sounds! Throw everything in a large pot and let it simmer for a couple hours until you have a rich, aromatic broth filled with your favorite veggies, tender, fall-off-the-bone boiled chicken and the fluffiest matzo balls!
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN BROTH:
- Mix of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks and legs – I like to use two of each but this will depend on how big your pot is. For a large pot, you can use a whole chicken.
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
- 1 white or yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
- Water, enough to fill your pot 2/3 of the way full when the chicken and vegetables are in the pot
- 1–2 bunches of fresh dill
- 1/2–1 bunch parsley (use half the amount of parsley as dill)
- 1–2 tbsp salt – start with 1 tbsp and adjust to taste; I usually use 2 tbsp
Note: All the quantities can and should be adjusted depending on the size of your pot. The key to a rich and flavorful broth is your ratio of chicken/vegetables to water. You want the pot to be really full of chicken and vegetables. The pot should look really full of vegetables and chicken, with minimal “space” of water.
FOR THE MATZO BALLS:
- 1 package matzo meal – I used Streit’s
If using Streit’s, you will need:
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil – preferably Canola for the most traditional taste
- 1/4 cup water or seltzer – use seltzer for the fluffiest matzo balls!
Instructions
TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE CHICKEN BROTH:
- Put chicken in your pot and fill 2/3 of the way to the top of the pot with water.
- Bring to a boil and once layer of frothy fat forms, skim the fat into a small bowl until broth is mostly clear again.
- While the stock is coming to a boil, chop up your vegetables.
- After the fat is skimmed from the broth, add all the veggies to the pot (Adjust ratio of water if needed)
- Reduce to a simmer and cover (but leave lid partially open to reduce the broth slightly) for about 2 hours. Occasionally check the soup to make sure it’s not boiling over – you want to maintain a gentle simmer on low heat, if you over-boil the chicken will get too dry.
- After about two hours, taste the broth and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Strain broth back into pot or storage container, thereby separating the chicken and vegetables from the broth.
- Store in separate airtight containers in the fridge or in separate pots warming on the stovetop.
- Serve as you like, with the broth on its own or with the chicken and vegetables.
TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE MATZO BALLS:
- Follow the instructions on the matzo meal package to prepare the matzo balls.
- To serve, add to bowls and cover with homemade chicken broth, chicken and veggies.
Notes
Make sure your pot is really full of chicken and vegetables
Use dark, fatty cuts of chicken such as legs, thighs and drumsticks
Don’t leave out the parsnip! That’s the secret ingredient. You can leave out the turnip but the parsnip is crucial!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Soups
- Method: Homemade