Jewish Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls Recipes

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic and seasonings in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove 2 of the chickens and allow to cool slightly. Remove the breast meat from both chickens and set aside. Return the remaining chicken and carcasses to the pot and continue simmering, uncovered, for 3 more hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and chill. Remove the surface fat, then reheat the stock as follows, or pack in containers and freeze.
• To serve the soup, return the stock to the pot and reheat, adding the diced carrots, celery, dill and parsley. Shred the reserved chicken breast meat into large pieces and add to the stock. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to cook the vegetables and reheat the chicken. Season to taste and serve as is, or ladle each serving over 1 or 2 warm matzo balls.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.
• Bring a pot of chicken stock to a simmer (about 3 quarts). Form matzo balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into the simmering stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in the chicken soup.

JEWISH CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg white and salt. Whisk in matzo meal, oil and 3 Tbsp cold water.
• Cover and chill the mixture at least 1 hour or overnight.
• In a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add parsnips, carrots and onions, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.
• Gently roll the chilled matzo dough by level teaspoonfuls into balls, dropping them into the simmering broth as you work. Cook the matzo balls, covered, for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid; the broth must simmer rapidly to allow the matzo balls to expand properly.
• Uncover the pot, add broccoli and mushrooms and simmer until the broccoli is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with dill or parsley and serve.

KOSHER CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• To make the soup on the stovetop, combine chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and 3 quarts water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for at least five hours. Skim the surface of the soup occasionally to remove any foam that develops.
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth; discard vegetables. Strain the broth, cool, and refrigerate overnight. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the chicken meat from the bones, and chop or shred the meat; cover and refrigerate.
• To make the soup in a pressure cooker, add chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and water to the pressure cooker as directed in step 1, seal the pressure cooker, and bring it up to full pressure. Reduce the heat, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop naturally. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain the broth; discard vegetables. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from bones as directed in step 2.
• Combine vegetable oil, eggs, basil, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper in a bowl; mix well. Stir in the matzo meal, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Bring at least 3 quarts of water, or as needed, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large pot. Using wet hands, gently shape the matzo mixture into balls about 2 inches across and drop them in the boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Skim the fat off the chilled chicken broth and place broth in a pot over medium heat. Add salt to taste and the reserved cooked chicken, if desired (see Cook's Note). Transfer the cooked matzo balls to the chicken soup and heat to serve.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZOH BALLS

Steps:

• 1. Beat together the eggs and 1/2 cup of the stock. (If you would prefer very light matzoh balls, separate the eggs and beat the yolks with the stock. Beat the whites until almost stiff and fold them in after adding the matzoh meal.)
• 2. Stir in the onion, fat, salt, and pepper. Add the matzoh meal; the dough should be quite moist, barely stiff enough to make into balls. If it is too moist, add a little more meal.
• 3. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. When you're ready to cook, place a large pot of salted water to boil. (You can also cook the matzoh balls directly in your stock, but use the larger quantity of stock; the balls absorb a lot of liquid.) Using wet hands, shape the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Meanwhile, cook the carrots in the 5 1/2 cups stock.
• 4. Turn the heat under the boiling water to medium-low and cook the balls until expanded and set, about 30 minutes. Set them in soup bowls and ladle the stock and carrots over them, then garnish with lots of parsley.

JEWISH CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chicken into a large pot with the breast side down. Fill with enough cold water to reach about 3 inches from the top of the pot. Add the onion, carrot, parsnip, celery and dill. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, partially covered for 2 hours. Do not let the soup boil. Skim any fat from the top of the soup, and add the garlic cloves. Partially cover, and simmer for another 2 hours for best flavor.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the matzo meal, eggs, oil, salt, and 1/4 cup of the broth from the chicken soup. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes to set up.
• Bring a separate pot of water to a rolling boil. Roll the matzo mixture into about 16 balls. Wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them. Drop the balls into boiling water, cover, and cook for about 35 minutes.
• While the matzo balls are cooking, strain the broth from the chicken soup. Return the broth to the pot. Remove the bones and skin from the chicken and cut into pieces. Return to the soup, or leave the soup as a broth, and reserve the chicken for other uses. Remove the matzo balls from the water, and serve in the hot chicken soup.

CHICKEN-MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• In small bowl, stir eggs, oil, parsley, salt and ginger until blended. With hand mixer, beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add matzo meal and water; stir until smooth. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat all soup ingredients to boiling over medium-high heat. Lightly form matzo ball mixture into 15 (1-inch) balls. Drop matzo balls into boiling soup. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes or matzo balls are thoroughly cooked.

JEWISH CHICKEN SOUP WITH HORSERADISH DILL MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• The day before you want to serve the soup, put the whole chicken in your largest lidded pan. Add sufficient cold water to cover by at least 1cm. Bring the water to a boil over a high heat, skimming off (and discarding) any foam with a big metal spoon. While it's boiling, halve the onions through the roots (leaving the skins on - they will add colour). As soon as it starts to boil, add the onions and remaining soup ingredients plus 1 tbsp salt. Turn down the heat to a very low simmer, partially cover the pan and leave to cook gently for 1 hr 30 mins, until you see the meat on the chicken's legs start to come away from the bone. Depending on how large your pan is you may need to drain a little water off to fit the vegetables in, so it doesn't overflow.
• Use two forks to carefully remove the chicken from the pot, leaving the veg behind. Strip the meat from the bones, tearing some of the chicken into pieces to serve in the soup (save the rest to use in salads, sandwiches or pies). Return the bones and cartilage to the pot and simmer gently for a further 1 hr-1 hr 30 mins. Strain the soup into a large container or pan. If they are still in reasonable shape, lightly scrape the peel from the carrots and slice them to go in the finished soup - keep refrigerated until needed. Discard the other vegetables and the bones. Leave the soup to cool completely then refrigerate overnight.
• By morning, the fat will have risen to the surface - skim it off, pop it in a dish and refrigerate it. This is known as schmaltz, which you'll need to make the matzo balls. (You can use what's left over to make roast potatoes.) Taste the soup to see if it has enough flavour. It may need to be reduced a little by boiling it rapidly, then seasoning.
• To make the matzo balls, use a fork to beat the eggs with ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir in the schmaltz, matzo meal, 2 tbsp chopped dill, horseradish and 60ml chicken soup. Fold into the egg mixture (it will be quite sloppy). Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 mins to hydrate the matzo meal and firm the mixture enough to handle. Scoop heaped tablespoons of the mixture and, with moistened hands, gently roll into balls. Put them on a plate or on a tray lined with baking parchment. You should end up with 12 matzo balls.
• Fill a wide pan with cold water and season with 1 tbsp salt. Set it over a high heat to boil, then transfer the matzo balls, one by one, gently into the water. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover with a lid (preferably a glass one) and leave for 30 mins. Do not be tempted to peek too soon. They are done when they have puffed up and when you cut into one, it should be light all the way through to the centre.
• If including fresh carrots in the soup, slice them into 2cm-thick discs and add them to the soup pot with the chicken pieces. Simmer for 10-15 mins to soften the carrot and heat the chicken. If using the carrot from the stock, add for the last 3 mins to heat up. When the matzo balls are ready, carefully remove them from the pot using a slotted spoon and put two (or three) in each bowl. Ladle over the hot chicken soup. Sprinkle with more chopped dill to serve.

CHICKEN MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• Wipe the chicken with kitchen paper and put in a large saucepan with the giblets. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim away any scum with a large spoon or ladle every few mins for about 30 mins until no more comes to the surface. Crumble in the stock cubes and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and vegetables.
• Bring to the boil again, then reduce the heat to very low. Cover and simmer gently for 3-3 1 /2 hrs.
• Leave the soup to cool a little, then transfer to the fridge overnight.
• Once chilled, the fat from the soup will rise to the top. Save 11 /2 tbsp for the matzo balls and set aside, then use a large spoon to remove as much as you can. Remove the chicken, shred all the meat, then add it back to the pan. Put the soup back on the heat and skim away any remaining fat while you bring it to the boil.
• Meanwhile, make the matzo balls by combining the fat, egg, matzo meal and 1/2 tbsp warm water. Stir into a paste, adding a little more water if needed, then chill for 10-15 mins. Roll into about 12 small balls. Dampen your hands if the mixture is too sticky.
• Drop the matzo balls into the soup for a few mins. Scatter with parsley and serve with challah bread, if you like.