Chicken Matzah Ball Soup

My husband grew up having matzah ball soup at Passover - one of the delights of Jewish cookery.  I was excited to try the soup for the first time, but honestly, was a little disappointed.  The matzah ball (like a dumpling) was heavy, the soup broth was clear and very mild, and there were no visible vegetables or chicken.  "What kind of chicken soup is this?!?",  I cried in my head.  But I soon learned that there are different VARIETIES of chicken matzah ball soup, and yes, some are more like what I had initially envisioned in my head.  I decided to research this very important dish:  I asked my husband's grandmothers to teach me their versions of chicken matzah ball soup.  One grandmother just put a box of matzah ball mix in my hand and said, "See, this is the secret."  The other grandmother said, "Just a little of this and a little of that."  No help.  So I read lots of cookbooks, researched recipes on the internet, and watched matzah ball soup cookery on TV.  I tried my temple's soup at a seder dinner.  I tried the soup at Jerry's Famous Deli during a trip to LA.  I sought chicken matzah ball soup out everywhere I could.  Hmmm.  

So here's my SYNTHESIS of all my matzah ball soup research.  My matzah ball soup is hearty with lots of shredded chicken and vegetables but with a clear, buttery broth.  The matzah balls are light and fluffy. 

Robin's  Chicken Matzah Ball Soup

Broth Ingredients:

1 4 lb. broiler chicken, cleaned

1 Tbs. salt

2 tsp. pepper

2 carrots

1 large yellow onion, skin on, halved

1 head garlic, skin on, halved

the bottom of 1 large bunch of celery stalks

Place the chicken, 2 carrots, halved onion, garlic head, and celery stalks' bottom in a large pot.  Add enough water to just cover.  Add the salt and pepper.  Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the liquid and set aside to cool. 

Pass the liquid through a strainer and discard the vegetables.  You should have a clear broth with flecks of oil on top.  Skim off as much of this oil as you can and save.  Set the clear broth aside.

Soup Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 stalks of celery, finely chopped

shredded chicken

1 box matzah ball mix

1/8 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot on medium heat, add the olive oil, carrots, onion, and celery.  You want the vegetables to sweat but not get any brown color, so it's best to keep the heat medium to medium-low.  Once the onion looks nice and translucent (about 5 minutes), add the chicken broth.  Simmer.  Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the chicken and shred with two forks.  Add the meat to the soup.  Let the soup simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Time to move onto the matzah balls.  Yes, I use the boxed kind.  I still haven't found a good recipe from scratch!  My little trick is to use the saved chicken oil (from making the broth) in place of the vegetable oil that the box calls for.  I also let the mixture firm up in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, instead of 15.  Then, I form the matzah balls, bring the soup up to a boil, add the matzah balls, and quickly reduce to a simmer.  I put a tight-fitting lid on the soup and let the balls cook/steam for 20 minutes.  No peeking!

Right before serving, taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed.  Garnish with finely chopped parsley. 

Comments

[Jana]

Puting it through a sive is how Carry makes it. I just throw the chicken (no skin), carrots, onion and celery into the pot with water and let it cook for hours. You can eat it all and it is delicious.