September 19, 2020

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Noodles

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Noodles is a hearty bowl of chicken stock, noodles, chicken, and carrots and celery. Once you’ve made this soup base, you can keep it in the freezer and use it for all recipes that call for chicken stock. After trying this homemade chicken stock, you will never want to use a canned stock again!

The Equipment You’ll Need

A tall and large soup pot- You will need a large pot to make this soup.
A Strainer- You will need this to get the little bone pieces out of your soup.

The Ingredients You’ll Need for Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Noodles

The Chicken- While you can use dark meat chicken, I prefer the taste of white meat chicken. You can also use skin and bone scraps for part of the chicken this recipe calls for. Whatever you do, don’t let any liver pieces slip in there. If you use chicken legs or a whole chicken, you may find some small pieces of liver attached to the bones. Get rid of any liver, as it imparts a bitter flavor to the soup.
The Parsley Root- If you can’t find this, leave it out. You can also omit the parsnip, parsley, and dill.
The Carrots- I think carrots give great flavor to this soup and often use about eight of them.
The Matzo Meal- You can find this with the Jewish aisle of your market. Forget using ground up matzo; it’s not nearly fine enough.
The Chicken Fat- The best way to get this is by letting the stock sit overnight in your refrigerator and then skimming it off the next morning. I usually keep it in the freezer until I need it.
The Noodles- Our favorite is the thin Italian noodle, fideos, made by Barilla.

How I Made My Soup

First, I was careful to not use more than the ten cups of water, so I could make a rich stock.
Next, I had to keep a close watch on my soup. You don’t want it to boil, just simmer, or it will be cloudy.
Then, I carefully rolled my balls, and made sure that water just simmered too. If you boil the water too violently, your balls will explode.
Finally, I strained the soup carefully. I wouldn’t want someone to choke on a bone particle.

My Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Noodles is Jewish comfort food at it’s best. But, it’s also a great source of chicken stock for all your cooking needs. This stock is far superior to anything you can buy, and will add an incredible depth of flavor to all your soups, stews, and sauces. I’ve been making this stock for almost thirty years, and it is the basis for almost everything I cook in my kitchen. I hope you’ll try it soon!

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls and Noodles

Chicken soup with carrots, celery, chicken and matzo balls.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 30

Course Soup

Cuisine Jewish

Servings

Ingredients

4½ pounds chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
10 cups water
2 peeled onions
2 peeled carrots
3 peeled parsley roots
1 tbsp. kosher salt
4 stalks celery
1 peeled parsnip
2 tbsp. garlic
1 cup fresh parsley and dill
4 eggs
⅓ cup melted chicken fat
⅓ cup chicken stock
1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 cup matzo meal
3 cups cooked egg noodles

Instructions

Put the chicken and the salt in a large tall pot and cover with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the chicken fat, chicken broth, pepper, and a teaspoon of salt. Slowly stir in the matzo meal with a fork. Refrigerate for two hours, uncovered.
Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Add a tablespoon of salt. Wet your hands and form golf ball sized balls of the matzo mixture and drop into the water. Cover and simmer for thirty minutes without peeking. Drain the balls, and add to the soup when it's served.
Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth. Reserve any vegetables or chicken meat you want to serve with the soup.
Serve the soup with the matzo balls, noodles, chicken, carrots, and celery.