Chicken & Matzo Ball Soup

Introduction

Today in the magic kitchen we are making chicken soup for matzo ball soup.   

Do you remember the series of chicken soup for the soul books? I read a couple of them; they were sweet and cute little vignettes meant to make you feel like you’d had a bowl of chicken soup. Chicken soup is also known in some circles as Jewish penicillin. Every nice Jewish girl, and even every not-so-nice Jewish girl like me, has a recipe for chicken soup that they most likely got from their mother or grandmother. Like everything else she cooked, If there was a written recipe of my Momster’s soup, I have never seen it. And no matter who handed the recipe down in a family tree, even someone else’s family recipe, chicken soup and its Pesach sister, matzo ball soup is a staple of Jewish soul food. The ingredients marry in a way that makes anyone sick with any malady, from a cold to heartbreak, feel better after the first sip of broth. 

Matzo balls are known to be light and fluffy and tasteless. They are like big dumplings but with matzo; big matzo sponges that absorb the subtle flavors of the broth. I didn’t grow up with matzo balls that were light and fluffy and they were definitely not tasteless, they had a lot of flavor! My Momster proudly called them lead sinkers, because, these heifers were dense! They were peppery and garlicky, and while a far cry from traditional, they were delicious.  I follow the directions on the side of the matzo ball box but I substitute shmaltz (chicken fat) in lieu of oil and a splash of club soda. Just a splash or you’ll have mush. My matzo balls are usually somewhere between traditional and “Momsterized”. They are not dense like her famous lead sinkers but full of flavor with the Twice Stolen Spice™ and fresh dill and parsley. 

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Tools

• Large stock Pot

• Large measuring cup

• Measuring spoons

• Mixing bowls

• Cutting board for vegetables

• Cutting board to shred or dice chicken

• Large knife

• Vegetable peeler

• Ladle

• Mixing spoon

Ingredients

Makes approx  7-8 quarts of chicken stock

• 1 5-6 lb whole chicken

• 6 quarts chicken or vegetable stock or water*

• 2 leeks

• 5 or 6 large carrots

• 4 parsnips (optional)

• 8-10 celery ribs

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley

• 1/2 cup fresh dill

• 1 teaspoon Twice stolen spice for balls

• 2-3 Bay leaves

Directions

Chicken Soup

Cook the whole chicken in a large pot filled with approximately 8 quarts to cover the bird in stock with bay leaves until the meat falls off the bone. Extract the whole chicken and bones. Cool to room temp before putting in fridge overnight. You do this to let the fat coagulate on top and spoon it off (to use for your matzo balls). After spooning the shmaltz off, put the pot back up to simmer. Once hot, add your vegetables and if it’s not for Seder dinner, add cut chicken and when it’s all hot, you have a hearty meal! For Seder, we take most of the vegetables out and add cooked matzo balls.

Once hot, add your vegetables and if it’s not for Seder dinner, add cut chicken and when it’s all hot, you have a hearty meal!

For Seder, we take most of the vegetables out and add cooked matzo balls

For Matzo balls

Follow the instructions on the side of the matzo ball mix (I use Streit’s) but I substitute shmaltz (chicken fat) for the oil and I add a small splash of club soda, finely chopped fresh parsley & dill ( to taste)

Add the cooked matzo balls to the soup broth and warm it all up before serving. Add a sprig of dill to make it fancy.

Notes:

*You may need more or less water/stock depending on the size of your pot and chicken