Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
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This delicious Matzo Ball Soup Recipe of fluffy matzo balls in a homemade chicken soup with vegetables and fresh herbs is amazing. Once you try my version for this classic soup, you will be hooked.
Not much out there that makes me happier than a delicious warm pot of soup. It’s one of my favorite things to make and eat. If you love it as much as I do, then try my Lentil Soup or Avgolemono.
Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo ball soup is a soup consisting of dumplings made from matzo meal, eggs, and chicken fat, that are then cooked and served in chicken soup. It stems all the way back to the 19th century, where Jewish people would make matzo balls from leftover crumbs of Matzo bread. Originally matzo balls were called Knoedela, and later, in the US, they were known as Matzo balls.
Matzo goes back to the Jewish holiday, Passover. The bread is unleavened, and it represented the bread the Jewish people while fleeing from Egypt. The Passover meal is known as a Seder and still to this day has a great tradition of eating it. The story of Passover can be found in the book of Exodus in the bible.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts in this matzo ball soup recipe. However, you can also use boneless skinless thighs or drums.
- Fat – I used olive oil to sear the chicken breasts. You can also a neutral flavored oil like avocado oil, clarified butter, or ghee. In addition, I used schmaltz for the matzo balls. Butter is a good substitute for it.
- Stock – You will need to use chicken stock for this recipe. You could also use vegetable stock or water.
- Carrots – I used carrots for the soup portion of this recipe.
- Celery – Some celery was added to the soup for flavor.
- Herbs – I finished the soup with minced fresh dill. In addition, I add minced fresh parsley to the matzo balls.
- Onion – Use red, white, yellow, or sweet onion for the matzo balls. You’ll also use some whole garlic cloves. In addition, I garnish the soup with optional sliced green onions.
- Baking Powder – This is used to help make the matzo balls light and fluffy.
- Eggs – Any large chilled or room-temperature eggs will work.
- Matzo – You can purchase a matzo meal, or you can process matzo crackers until they are coarse ground.
How to Make Matzo Ball Soup
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot, 6 qt size.
- Next, add chicken stock, place a lid on the pot, and cover medium heat for 1 hour or until chicken easily shreds apart with 2 forks.
- After the chicken is shredded, add the small diced carrots and celery.
- While the soup is cooking, combine the matzo meal with finely minced yellow onions, garlic, eggs, baking powder, sea salt, pepper, and of course, melted schmaltz until combined.
- Let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Form ping pong balls of the matzo batter until used and place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. I’ve found the matzo ball dough to be sticky, so if you wet your hands a bit before you roll the balls with your hands, it shouldn’t stick to your fingers too much.
- Add as many matzo balls to the pot as possible without overcrowding it and cook for 15-20 minutes, moving and flipping the balls every 3-4 minutes until cooked through and firm.
- Serve a few matzo balls into a soup bowl and pour a few ladles of chicken stock, chicken, carrots, and celery over top, and garnish with fresh dill and sliced green onions.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this soup up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep the balls separate from the broth.
How to Reheat: To reheat it, simply add your desired portion to a small saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. Add your desired portion to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until hot.
How to Store: This soup recipe will hold well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will also freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating and serving.
CHEF NOTES + TIPS
- Chicken fat is better known as schmaltz. This can be difficult to find, but believe it or not, a lot of grocery stores do carry it, and it’s located in the frozen food section.
- Substitute the fresh dill for dry dill.
- If the matzo balls become sticky while making them, dip your hands in water before rolling.
- Matzo meal is unleavened bread consisting of flour, water, and sometimes eggs baked until crisp. The flours can be wheat, barley, Spelt, rye, or oat. It’s more or less a cracker that is then ground up into small mustard seed-size pieces.
- If you watch the video, yes, I realize I am bad at pronouncing this.
- This is sometimes known as Jewish penicillin.
More Soup Recipes
Video
Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
This delicious Matzo Ball Soup Recipe of fluffy matzo balls in a homemade chicken soup with vegetables and fresh herbs is amazing.
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 92 ounces chicken stock
- 3 peeled and small diced carrots
- 3 small diced ribs of celery
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- ¼ cup sliced green onions, optional
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the Matzo Balls:
- ½ peeled and finely minced yellow onion
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons melted schmaltz
- 2 cups matzo meal
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the Chicken Soup: Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat in a large 6 to 8-quart pot. Once it begins to smoke lightly, add in the chicken breasts and then turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until browned and cooked throughout.
- Add the chicken stock, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 1 hour or until the chicken easily shreds apart.
- Remove the chicken, and using two forks, pull the chicken apart until it's shredded.
- Add the carrots, celery, shredded chicken, salt, and pepper to the pot of stock and let it simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Keep warm.
- For the Matzo Balls: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients using your hands or a spoon until they are well mixed together and set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the matzo ball mixture, roll it into small golf ball-sized balls, and place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
- Place a few matzo balls at a time into the soup and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are cooked and firm. Move the balls around and flip them over every 3-4 minutes.
- Place the cooked matzo balls in a soup bowl along with the chicken broth, shredded chicken, and vegetables and garnish with chopped dill and sliced green onions.
Notes
Make-Ahead: You can make this soup up to 2 days ahead. Keep the balls separate from the broth.
How to Reheat: To reheat it, simply add your desired portion to a small saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. Add your desired portion to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until hot.
How to Store: This soup recipe will hold well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will also freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating and serving.
Chicken fat is better known as schmaltz. This can be difficult to find, but believe it or not, a lot of grocery stores do carry it, and it’s located in the frozen food section.
Substitute the fresh dill for dry dill.
If the matzo balls become sticky while making them, dip your hands in water before rolling.
Matzo meal is unleavened bread consisting of flour, water, and sometimes eggs baked until crisp. The flours can be wheat, barley, Spelt, rye, or oat. It’s more or less a cracker that is then ground up into small mustard seed-size pieces.
If you watch the video, yes, I realize I am bad at pronouncing this.
This is sometimes known as Jewish penicillin.
Nutrition
Calories: 456kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 24gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 198mgSodium: 582mgPotassium: 755mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 4271IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 3mg
Chef Billy, I appreciate your including the “history” of this soup although I would like to include a few facts for your followers. Knoedela or Kneadle is a Yiddish term which means matzah ball 🙂 The term is still used. Jewish people do not mix meat and dairy, and I’ve never used butter in any part of making this soup because of that (the chicken makes the entire dish a meat dish or “fleshik). When making the matzah balls, I use a big pot of water with chicken bullion BECAUSE as they puff out (usually 3 or so times the original golf ball size) they absorb the soup or liquid they are in, so to save and have MORE of the chicken soup I use the stock instead. Never store the Knoedela in the soup because they will absorb all the soup, lol and store the chicken separately because it will “sour” the soup after a few days. My family has always used chicken wings to make the best soup.
You hit it on the head, Chef Billy, this is Jewish Penicillin and everyone should keep some of the soup frozen for “emergencies” such as cold, flu, allergies 🙂 CHICKEN FAT is easy to make and store in freezer. Cut up a chicken, separating the skin from pieces and cut into pieces, spreading it around the chicken.Bake on a cookie sheet until chicken is done and chicken fat pieces are crispy. You will see lots of liquid which is the rendered chicken fat. Can also do this in a dutch oven. Carefully pour rendered fat into a glass or ceramic bowl until cool. Then put into small plastic container and freeze for future use. Don’t throw out those crispy pieces, they are called GRIBINESS and are delightfully delicious (think Jewish pork rinds but 1,000 times more delicious)