Growing up, there was a deli/restaurant that we often ate at that made the BEST matzo ball soup ever. While I was never a huge fan of homemade chicken soup, I really loved matzo ball soup.
I was really excited to find a good recipe for matzo balls some time ago and have been making them with my chicken soup now for years.
Matzo balls are dumplings made from matzo meal. You can easily find matzo meal in most grocery stores, often in the specialty sections.
I love the addition of mini matzo balls in this recipe for homemade chicken soup! It's a nice change from noodles.
I have changed some of the ingredients in the original recipe I found for matzo balls to make them a little easier to make. The original recipe I found for matzo balls calls for chicken fat, and while this is yummy, it's rather time consuming to collect. I don't think the changes I have made sacrifice taste at all.
Even if you don't make the mini matzo balls, this recipe makes a wonderful chicken soup with vegetables with rich chicken flavor.
If you are a chicken noodle soup lover, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Ingredients for Chicken Soup
- chicken (whole or cut up)
- good low sodium chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics)
- whole carrots (I don't like to use those "baby" carrots in this soup. Whole carrots will give you better flavor)
- parsnips (if you can find them. If not, just leave them out)
- onions
- celery
- fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, parsley
- fresh garlic
- lemon
- dried bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- dried red pepper flakes
Ingredients for Matzo Balls
- oil
- unsalted Matzo Meal
- eggs
- fresh dill
- salt
How to make Chicken Soup
If using whole chicken, cut in half, cutting out the backbone, and reserving it. You can also request your butcher do this for you or you can purchase cut up chicken.If you purchase cut up chicken, you won't likely have a backbone to add to the soup. That's fine.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in bottom of large stock pot, including the backbone.
Add carrots, parsnip, celery, half of the lemon, garlic, and onion and bay leaves. Take the parsley, rosemary, and thyme and tie together and add to pot.
Add chicken broth and water to the pot. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming off scum as it rises to the top. Prepare matzo balls.
Remove chicken, carrots, parsnips, and celery and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain what is left in pot through a fine mesh strainer, and return broth to pot.
Remove chicken from bones and cut chicken into bite sized pieces, cut up carrots, celery and parsnip into bite sized pieces and return all to the broth. Taste for salt and pepper, and add as needed.
Add juice of reserved half of lemon, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 c parsley. Simmer for another 30 min.
Put desired amount of matzo balls in bowl, and ladle a cup of chicken soup on top. Garnish with parsley.
How to make Matzo Balls
In large bowl, combine the oil, eggs and egg whites, the matzo meal, and salt. Mix until just combined. Add the ice water and dill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 min. Bring a large pot of water to boil, remove bowl with matzo ball mixture in it, and drop by tablespoons into pot of boiling water. ( I use a cookie scoop to form the balls).
Turn heat to med, cover pot and allow to boil for 35 minutes. The matzo balls will double in size once cooked. Remove matzo balls from water with slotted spoon and set aside until soup is done.
What to serve with Chicken Soup
Dilled Cucumber and Radish Salad is a wonderfully light and refreshing spring/summer salad that would pair well with this Chicken Soup with Mini Matzo Balls.
If you're looking for a good homemade bread to serve alongside this delicious soup, Spiced Pumpkin Bread is a great compliment! I also love this hearty Honey Oat Whole Wheat Bread as a side.
Can chicken soup be frozen?
Yes! This chicken soup freezes beautifully and will keep in your freezer for several months. To reheat, defrost in the refrigerator and reheat on stove top or in your microwave. Chicken Soup with noodles does not freeze well, as the noodles break down and become mushy in when frozen and defrosted.
Yield: 16 servings
Chicken Soup with Mini Matzo Balls
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 3 Hour
Rich chicken broth with chicken and veggies is served with mini matzo balls in this delicious homemade chicken soup recipe!
Ingredients
For the Chicken Soup:
- 3-4 pound whole chicken, cut in half or chicken pieces
- 10 whole carrots, peeled with ends cut off
- 1 large parsnip, peeled ( or several small ones), with ends cut off
- 4 ribs of celery, cut into 5 inch sections
- 1 lemon, halved
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 dried bay leaves
- handful of flat leaf parsley
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 stalks of fresh rosemary
- 1 large yellow onion, ends cut off, skin on, cut into chunks
- salt and pepper
- 96 oz. low sodium chicken stock (3 boxes)
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley plus extra chopped parsley for garnish
For the Mini Matzo Balls:
- 2 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 c unsalted matzo meal
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. ice water
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
For the Chicken Soup:
- If using a whole chicken, cut in half, cutting out the backbone, and reserving it.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in bottom of large stock pot, including the backbone. Add carrots, parsnip, celery, half of the lemon, garlic, and onion and bay leaves. Take the parsley, rosemary, and thyme and tie together and add to large stock pot.
- Add chicken broth and water to the pot. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming off scum as it rises to the top.
- While soup simmers, make the matzo balls. (Directions below)
- When chicken is cooked and veggies are soft, remove chicken, carrots, parsnips, and celery and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain what is left in pot through a fine mesh strainer, and return broth to pot.
- Remove chicken from bones and cut chicken into bite sized pieces, cut up carrots, celery and parsnip into bite sized pieces and return all to the broth. Taste for salt and pepper, and add as needed.
- Add juice of reserved half of lemon, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 c parsley to soup. Simmer for another 30 min.
- To serve, put desired amount of matzo balls in bowl, and ladle a cup of chicken soup on top. Garnish with parsley.
For the Matzo Balls:
- In large bowl, combine the oil, eggs and egg whites, the matzo meal, and salt. Mix until just combined. Add the ice water and dill.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 min.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, remove bowl with matzo ball mixture in it, and drop by tablespoons into pot of boiling water. ( I use a cookie scoop to form the balls).
- Turn heat to med, cover pot and allow to boil for 35 minutes. The matzo balls will double in size once cooked.
- Remove matzo balls from water with slotted spoon and set aside until soup is done
Nutrition Facts
Calories
339.08Fat (grams)
18.86 gSat. Fat (grams)
4.96 gCarbs (grams)
7.88 gFiber (grams)
2.01 gNet carbs
5.87 gSugar (grams)
2.55 gProtein (grams)
33.50 gSodium (milligrams)
6888.60 mgCholesterol (grams)
120.31 mgNutritional Information provided is an estimate.
Copyright © 2010 Renee's Kitchen Adventures
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