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.
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:
Matzo Ball Soup
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
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).
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Hello Shiksa, Ur chicksoup looks great, I want to make it but lazy girl as I am, I wonder if it would’nt be just as good if I did put the pot in the oven on low heat for a few hours? What do u think? Thank you for ur beautiful and happy blog.
Helene, try making it in a crockpot – you won’t have to babysit it.
My mom’s special ingredient was parsnip. I love it. My wife hates parsnip, but she’s Scottish so what can you do?
Love your site. Since dark meat has so much more flavor for soup, I use thighs and necks for soup and put in some white meat at the end to just cook thru for adding to the soup. I also add a tomato for color, sometimes sweet potato, and the onion skinks a must! It is weird how much richer a darker soup tastes.
Love the cheesecloth. I put the chicken in one cheescltoh baf for easy draining, and the veggies in another cheesecloth bag so I can squeeze out the liquid which makes the soup so flavorful.
Rona S
Rona, am curious – what is an onion “skinks” and where can I buy it?
Oh, thank you! I got the chicken and onion and matzoh meal and then obdessed on whether or not to cut up the chicken or keep it whole. Yout site is so helpful, comments too.
its look good
This is almost exactly the same chicken soup recipe my grandmother brought when she immigrated from Europe. I was raised on it and have been making it myself for over 50 years. In fact, I think I’ll make it tomorrow.
PS: It’s also good for diabetics and anyone wishing to lose weight.
Honestly. When I look at that picture of matzo ball soup, I feel like I could close my eyes and when I open them, I’ll be in my Grandma’s kitchen. 🙂
I always thought that my matzo ball soup was pretty good until I tried yours. My husband found your website on facebook and I decided to try it. It is amazing. Rich and flavorful. Thank you so much! I like floaters. I prefer my matzoh balls to be very light. The key is not to handle them too much while forming the balls. A few seconds to roll them and drop into boiling water.
Hi Tori, I enjoy reading your blog and especially enjoy using your recipes. No one made chicken soup as good as my late mother in law Elizabeth. She added a cubanelle pepper, a tomato, a veal bone or “sugar bone”, and turkey necks to the usual ingredients. I like to add a bouquet garnis on the top with resh parley cut from the root (which I add to the soup…sweeter than parsnip) and fresh dill. After the vegetables and herbs are removed, I create “soup from soup” where I blend the veggies and a bit of chicken broth to create a puree and add some curry to make a new soup. I put it in the freezer for another time!
L’shana tova to you and your family!
Janet-Lee in Toronto
Great tips Janet-Lee! 🙂
Dear Janet-Lee, I have been wanting to make chicken soup amd became curious about the “sugar” bones you referred to and wanted to know specifics if you don’t mind sharing!
Thanks, Joshua
Hi Shiksa,
I’m new to your site and think it is wonderful. As you are interested in the history of food, I am wondering if you know about Westfallian matza balls. My German Oma made them from whole matzah, soaked and crumbled and mixed with caramelized onions and eggs. I never knew anyone that made our Matzah balls except for those family and friends that I grew up with in Washington Heights. Then I saw them posted on Baroness Tapuzina’s site! She says that they were also made on the Germanic side of Italy. Anyway, although I simply can’t make them taste like my Oma’s or my mother’s, I still make them every year. It wouldn’t be Pesach without them.
I like floaters, but I actually LOVE sinkers! Dense and delicious and filling…
I must pass this one on to hubs. He loves chicken soup and it is one of the few (okay maybe only) things he makes. This is a great tutorial on how to do it right. So he’s getting it in his email. Lol!
Hi Shiksa – I have found that one of the critical paths to making great chicken stock is to NEVER let the liquid come to a boil. Cut the heat down to low as soon as you see activity in the liquid. Boiling causes cloudiness, and just keeping on low simmer makes a great, clear stock. Perhaps this a tenet of Asian cooking, but still applicable. Just saying. I’m making your matzoh balls tomorrow night! – Larry
My chicken soup with matzoh balls is “famous” among our family and friends.It’s not too different than yours,but here’s a tip.To “stretch” soup,I add a kosher brand of canned broth.I favor the green and orange trimmed can that has been around forever.As to matzoh balls,we like them so light that you have to keep the lid on the pot to keep them from floating away!
I vote for the FLOAT.
Regarding scratch vs. boxed mix, both Manischewitz and Streit’s are very good. In the past, I have not found mixing ingredients from scratch to result in a better matzoh ball.
But since everything can be improved…I really look forward to trying your FLOATER recipe Tori!
Lori Lynn
I like using either the Manischewitz mix or the Streit’s mix, I made matzo’s from scratch once but I guess I messed up, they came out like stones and did not fluff up like they are supposed to, but then I am a guy and goyum to boot, LOL
My mother used to make matzo balls that you could use as a hockey puck. The reason they will be hard and drop like a stone is because you have made too many for the size of the pot you are using. Actually, I kinda like the hard ones. I guess it’s what you were raised with.
I like using those mixes as my base too. I’ll usually double the amount of matzo balls by processing an equal amount of matzo and adding an equal amount of egg & oil to the mixes provided matzo mix according to their directions. I also had some shredded / diced up carrots, chicken & angel hair pasta, adding an extra quart of chicken broth to the mix as necessary. Comes out great every time, and the matzo ball are always floaters.
floaters are the only way to go…
This looks SO incredible! Judging by the look alone I suspect this is world famous – and I’m sure the taste is out of this world! My mother-in-law makes the best matzo balls in chicken soup. I’d better not let her see my comments here or I’ll be cut off from her matzo balls/chicken soup forever…!
Thank you for posting!
lovely soup recipe. I am surprised you didn’t offer a no added fat recipe of floater matzo balls made with seltzer. I now only make these, because they are far healthier (1 pt on WW) and taste better. 1/2 c. matzo meal, 1 tsp salt (or to taste), 2 large eggs plus 1 egg white, 2 Tbsp seltzer. Mix, let sit for 20 mins, then cook as usual….delish!!
Hey Merle! I’ve tried adding seltzer to the mix but never noticed a big result in texture, however I’ve never tried the exact proportions you’re suggesting (I’ve always added a little oil/fat to the mix, never totally replaced it with seltzer). I’ll give it a try, and maybe I’ll even add it to the menu! Thanks for the recommendation.
As with anything, one can go too far in trying to have a healthful diet. The amount of fat that is usually added to kneidlach, when you condiser that it gets divided amount a couple of dozen of them, is not unhealthful. And, as with everything, it is now known that it is not healthful to remove every bit of fat from one’s diet. And, after all, there is fat in those eggs too. You wouldn’t make matzoh balls with just egg whites, would you?
Help, every year I need to find a great vegetarian ‘mock chicken’ soup for our family vegetarian. The rest of the years easy because I use Knorr veggie cubes, salty and good, but I can never find the right combination of vegetbles and tricks for a really good soup base. Any suggestions much appreciated!
Jackie, try this, you will LOVE it! https://toriavey.com/vegetarian-matzo-ball-soup/
You can make a very rich vegetable broth by roasting your vegetables in the oven first before cooking them in a stock pot with water and herbs/spices. I’ve used a mix of carrots, onions, parsnips and mushrooms.
The broth is hearty and flavorful and can serve as a base for many soups.
I LOVE roasted veggies…