Tori Avey’s Passover Perfection: Matzo Ball Soup & Chicken Recipe

Nothing says comfort like a piping hot pot of matzo ball soup. I’ve spent years perfecting this classic chicken soup recipe with matzo balls. Consequently, it has become a family favorite with readers around the world. It’s a staple dish for the Jewish holiday of Passover. I am excited to share it with you! I’ve also included links to three tried-and-true matzo ball recipes – floaters, sinkers, and gluten free.

This is the way I make matzo ball soup for my family. It starts with my favorite homemade chicken soup… also known as Jewish Penicillin, the soup that can cure anything. My recipe produces a rich, flavorful broth that is just right for serving with matzo balls (or egg noodles, or rice, or veggies). I make this throughout fall and winter; it’s truly nourishing and satisfying.

Chicken soup for matzo balls

Everybody has their own way of making matzo ball soup. It’s a simple concept and recipes abound, along with opinions on which way is the best way. I don’t pretend that one is better than another. This way just happens to be my family’s favorite. Feel free to dress up the chicken stock the way you like it– add a parsnip for sweetness, thyme for a rustic flavor, or garlic for depth. Use your imagination, or your bubbe’s favorite ingredients. Play around until the flavor is right for you!

On its own, chicken soup is gluten free and very healthy– a great source of protein, with healing qualities. It helps to clear your sinuses and warm you from the inside. From this basic soup recipe, a starch of your choice can be added– matzo balls for matzo ball soup, of course. But you can also add rice, egg noodles, kreplach, or vegetables like squash, zucchini, and potatoes.

How do you make matzo balls?

During Passover, matzo balls are the traditional and kosher starch of choice for the holiday. Some like their matzo balls light as a feather (floaters), whiles others prefer the more chewy, dense version (sinkers). Both are varieties are delicious in their own way. Likewise, there are always opinions on which herbs and spices to add to the mix, and which fat to use for binding the matzo.

My method for making matzo balls is pretty simple. Once upon a time I used Manischewitz mix, which I still think is a great option. But I’ve learned over the years that it’s just as easy– and cheaper– to make your own from scratch. Making your own mix allows you more control over the flavor and texture of the matzo balls. I use a few spices, fresh dill, and melted schmaltz to bind the batter (you can use avocado or safflower oil if you prefer).

To check out my various matzo ball recipes, click the links below. In our family, we prefer floater matzo balls. I’ve also included my gluten free matzo ball recipe for those who can’t stomach the matzo; it’s potato based, and really delicious.

“Floater” Matzo Balls

“Sinker” Matzo Balls

Gluten Free Matzo Balls

I typically cook my matzo balls in homemade chicken stock for the best flavor. You can also use boxed chicken broth, water flavored with bouillon, or simply salted water. I do prefer using something with more flavor than water.

Of course, if you’re not a matzo ball fan, feel free to make this chicken soup into something completely original by adding your own favorite ingredients. The possibilities are endless!

Recommended Products:

Stock Pot

Mesh Strainer

Matzo Ball Soup

Recipe for delicious homemade chicken soup with matzo balls. Links to three different matzo ball recipes. Kosher for the Jewish holiday of Passover.

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COURSE: Soup

Kosher Key: Meat, Kosher for Passover

Servings: 16 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours

Ingredients

Chicken Soup Ingredients

• 4 pounds whole chicken (use a whole chicken, or a mixture of white and dark meat chicken pieces – must be bone in, skin on)
• 2 pounds celery stalks, cleaned
• 1 pound carrots, peeled
• 1 yellow onion, skin on, rinsed clean
• 2 ounces fresh parsley (one large handful), rinsed clean
• 1.5 ounces fresh dill (one handful), rinsed clean
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 3 whole cloves (optional- do not add unless you like the flavor of cloves)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon sea salt or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads (optional– adds a rich yellow color and depth of flavor to the broth; only use high quality expensive saffron, the other kind has no flavor)

Matzo Ball Recipes (choose one)

• 1 batch Floater Matzo Balls
• 1 batch Sinker Matzo Balls
• 1 batch Gluten Free Matzo Balls

NOTES

You will also need: 10 quart pot (or larger), another large pot or bowl with at least 6 quart capacity, large mesh strainer, cutting board, medium mixing bowl, mortar and pestle (only needed if using saffron).

If your pot is 8 quart (a standard large size), you should use a 3 pound chicken. The pot will be very full during the initial cooking phase, and this recipe will not make quite as many servings using a smaller 3 pound chicken. A larger stock pot (12 quart is my preference) is a good investment if you plan on making a lot of homemade soup and stock. 

Matzo Ball Recipes

For Floater Matzo Balls (my preference), click here.

For Sinker Matzo Balls, click here.

For Gluten Free Matzo Balls, click here.

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups. Using a 4 pound chicken, soup pot makes roughly 14 cups of stock, 4 cups shredded chicken, and 6 cups vegetables (if using). Recipe makes roughly 12 servings without vegetables, or 16 servings with vegetables.

Nutrition is calculated using 1 tablespoon of sea salt, with vegetables, for 16 servings. Nutritional info only relates to the chicken soup recipe that appears here. Each matzo ball recipe has its own nutritional information, follow the links above for more information.

Make Ahead: You can make this chicken soup up to 3 months in advance. After cooling to room temperature, it can be frozen in a freezer-safe container, then thawed and reheated before serving. Like the soup recipe, matzo balls can also be made ahead and frozen for ease of preparation. Freezing instructions are provided at the matzo ball recipe links above. Be sure to freeze matzo balls separately from the soup and broth. They can be thawed and reheated directly in the hot soup (or a pot of soup stock) just before serving.

Instructions

To Make Chicken Soup

• I've created very specific instructions here, but once you've made this soup a time or two, you'll see that this whole process is very flexible. Making chicken soup "your own" is part of the fun, so use whatever process and ingredients work best for you!

  I typically add celery and onion as the main vegetables when cooking my soup stock, though you can add carrots too. I prefer adding carrots at the end of cooking, to avoid the stock becoming overly sweet – we prefer a more savory broth. I highly recommend putting in fresh vegetables after the chicken stock is cooked; they'll be much more flavorful that way (otherwise they tend to be mushy and boring).

  For the first pound of celery, cut it into large 1-inch chunks (you can include any celery leaves as well).
  
• The rest of the celery and the carrots (which will end up in the finished soup that is served) should be sliced no thicker than 1/2 inch, with larger stalks and carrots halved lengthwise before cutting into chunks. The uniform size will ensure the pieces cook quickly and evenly. Reserve. (By the way, these veggies are optional – some people like their chicken soup without any vegetables.)
  
• If using saffron, crush the saffron threads in a mortar and pestle until pulverized to powder. Note: saffron adds a depth of flavor and a deep golden color to the broth, but true saffron (the only kind with flavor) is very pricey. It's got a very nice, but distinctive, essence, so don't add it unless you know you'll enjoy it. The soup will be delicious with or without it.
  
• Remove the root end of the onion, then slice the whole onion into two halves. Leave the skin on, but make sure it is rinsed clean.
  
• If using a whole chicken, make sure any gizzards that might be hidden inside are removed (they'll make the stock murky and cloudy). Place the chicken into a 10 quart or larger stock pot. Cover with 5 quarts (20 cups) of water.
  
• Bring water to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce to an even simmer. Let the chicken simmer for 10-15 minutes, skimming the foam and particles that rise to the surface of the water periodically, until most of the foam is gone.
  
• Replenish the liquid that was removed during scumming with hot water (it's usually around 1-2 cups).
  
• Do a final skimming to remove any leftover foam. Add the first pound of celery (the larger pieces), onion, parsley (unchopped), 2/3 of the dill (unchopped), peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves to the pot. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water (if you're salt sensitive or using a kosher salted bird, you may wish to salt less). Bring back to a simmer. From this point on, it's important not to let the soup come to a rolling boil. A slow and even simmer is best – if the soup boils quickly, the broth may become cloudy.
  
• If you are adding the saffron, add it to the pot now. Spoon a little of the hot water from the pot into the mortar, stir, then pour it out to make sure you get every bit of saffron into the pot.
  
• Put the lid on the pot and vent it. Reduce heat to medium low so the soup is slowly simmering. Let the soup cook for roughly 90 minutes.
  
• Test for doneness by pulling the leg from the chicken. It should easily separate, showing that the chicken has become quite tender. If not using a whole chicken, stick a fork into one of the dark meat pieces to see if it flakes tenderly. When chicken is ready, turn off the heat. Use a pair of tongs to carefully pull the chicken from the broth (it may fall apart into pieces as you pull it out – that's a good sign!). Put it on a plate or in a bowl.
  
• Allow the chicken and the broth to cool down for 20-30 minutes, until the pot handles are cool enough to touch and lift. Carefully strain the broth into another pot or large bowl (6 quart) through a mesh strainer. Discard the celery and onion (which will be very mushy and flavorless at this point), spices, herbs, and onion halves. If you used a bowl here, clean the pot and add the strained stock back to the pot again – it will need to cook a little longer.
  
• Note: When the soup is completely cool, you can skim the fat from the top of the broth if you want to– it will come off in a gel-like layer (this is the "schmaltz"). I actually don't like to skim the fat; those droplets on the surface make the broth silky and give it flavor.
  
• Pull the meat from the chicken bones into bite-sized pieces.
  
• Now is the time to add the reserved fresh sliced veggies to the pot (1 pound celery, 1 pound carrots). Bring the broth to a simmer – not a boil – and let the vegetables cook for 20-30 minutes until tender. (If you're not adding additional veggies, just skip ahead to the next step).
  
• Remove stems from the remaining fresh dill and chop it up.
  
• Stir the cooked chicken pieces and the dill into the soup with the vegetables, and simmer for a couple of minutes more. Taste the chicken broth and season with additional salt, if desired.
  

To Make Matzo Balls

• This recipe is for the chicken soup that is served with matzo balls. You'll want to make the matzo balls separately, then serve this soup together with the matzo balls. I recommend one of these three recipes for the matzo balls – floaters, sinkers, or gluten free. Follow the links for each specific process.
  
• I generally cook my matzo balls in homemade chicken stock in a separate pot. Technically you can cook matzo balls (or kreplach or noodles or whatever) directly in the soup broth, but it will soak up a lot of the yummy stock, leaving you with very little broth for serving. If you prefer to cook your starch of choice directly in the soup, do so before you add the reserved vegetables and chicken pieces – just know you'll be left with very little broth for serving.
  
• Serve individual portions of soup ladled over the matzo balls. I usually add about 1.5 cups of soup per bowl, and 2 matzo balls per serving (depending on the size of the matzo balls).
  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Matzo Ball Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 143 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 41mg14%

Sodium 543mg24%

Potassium 398mg11%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 5574IU111%

Vitamin C 12mg15%

Calcium 53mg5%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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