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
NOTES
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).
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
This is good chicken soup recipe, but I totally disagree with onion skin. It makes soup looks black, I love clear yellow chicken soup and it is very easily achieved by not allowing soup to continue boiling on high heat. I lower heat as soon as it stats boiling.
Didn’t try it with cloves, As much as I love cloves, I was making soup for my fiends for Passover and didn’t want to experiment. But I will ty it.
Onion skin has never, ever made my broth look black. If you used a ton of onion skin then yes, it might change the color, but one halved onion shouldn’t cause any issues at all. It’s fine to remove the skin if you prefer.
My daughter , Shana,rang me to tell me that my 15-year-old granddaughter, Kiearn, decided to do her first Seder (with her mother’s help) and I was delighted. They live on the Queensland Sunshine Coast and I couldn’t be there. When I asked how she made the soup I must say I was shocked when she mentiioned cloves. I’m 79 and my mother taught me how to make her chicken soup using our home-grown hens. After she took one to the rabbi to be slaughtered (we had no shochet where we lived) we went home and I helped de-feather it, clean it and put aside the giblets etc. and any eggs to put in the soup. Mum would sew up the neck and make helzel using her family recipe of flour, chicken schmaltz and onion. The soup would be simmered for about three hours and then she would make the matzo balls, sinkers and floaters to please her five daughters and our father. I highly recommend using a boiler or steamer, which I buy from the Chinese butcher who also sells feet, giblets and necks which all help make the soup extra delicious. The eggs (yolks) were reserved for my father. I still make my chicken soup the same way and, as I live on my own, share it with my neighbours. Hope this posting isn’t too long! Thank you Torey for your wonderful recipes. I’ve always believed that you can teach an old dog new tricks, although my soup recipe is sacrosanct!
Your soup sounds amazing! Cloves give it a hint of warmth and a fabulous aroma. I picked up that tip from a Jacques Pepin/Julia Child cookbook years and years ago.
I love this recipe and use it all the time. So happy to see that your recipes have made it to Australia. I am a newly transplanted New Yorker living in Tasmania. Heather can you tell me how to get my hands on Matzoh. I know some Coles stores in Victoria sell it but I haven’t seen any in Tassie. Do they sell it in Queensland?
I loooooove all of your recipes!!! Thanks to you my 1st time cooking the Seder for my husband’s family was a huge hit, and this chicken soup with matzo balls was sensational! I also made your brisket and your noodle kugel. Everyone was raving and totally amazed because it was my first time, but your recipes are delicious and your directions are so easy to follow! Thank you a thousand times!!!
You’re welcome Rose! So happy to hear it all worked out well for you.
I made this recipe and it was fabulous! Did not strain the broth, and did not add saffron – it was wonderful on it’s own!
i always make it with garlic and fresh lemon juice added with no maize balls as an immunity boost soup
I love reading your “his-stories” and making your winning recipes. Here’s a bit of my family’s history with chicken soup. My mother-in-law’s tradition was to serve the soup at the end of the Yom Tov meal so guests would eat the main course and not fill up on just soup. When I joined the family meals she would tell me that it was to “fill in the empty spaces in your stomach so you shouldn’t be hungry”! My father-in-law had many ailements as he aged, one being that he become severely bloated after eating chicken soup. Instead of no longer making her chicken soup, my smart monther-in-law started adding a few garlic cloves to the cooking of the soup and behold, it no longer caused bloating and discomfort to my father-in-law. My mother-in-law was not universtiy educated but was a brilliant lady. Eventhough she and her husband are not longer with us, I happily continue her tradition.
Hi Tori,
Your chicken recipe sounds absolutely fabulous. I’ll have to try it one time. I usually use a hen – and not a chicken – to make chicken soup. I find that the soup made with chicken is very much lighter in flavour and although the hen takes longer to cook, the ensuing soup is much more flavoursome I find. The rest of the ingredients are similar to yours with a slightly different emphasis on which ones I use. Have you ever made chicken soup using a hen? I wish you and your family a very happy and kosher Pessach
I have to agree with you, Samuel. When my four sisters and I were children we emigrated from England to Australia in 1949. We kept chickens (hens) and mum would take one to the Rabbi (we had no shochet) to be slaughtered. Back at home we would pluck it, clean it and put aside the giblets, feet, neck etc. to cook with the soup. My grandmother always called it ‘gildern (golden) soup because of the globules of golden fat floating on the top. The flavour was indescribable! I get my hens (steamers) from the Chinese butcher shop who also sell bags of feet, necks and giblets. You will never go back to ‘chicken’ soup again!
Hum!!! I thought a chicken and a hen were the same thing, what’s the difference?
Hi Tori, If I’m not a huge fan of Dill can I leave it out of the recipe or subsititue it with a different ingredient. Thanks Seth
You can leave it out, no problem.
Wow. what a simple recipe and it looks delish. I will be trying this soon, soon. I usually make chicken soup but more robust and hearty. However, my husband prefers this version, light and airy. I live in Toronto and yes it’s cold and this will def. warm him up. I will add green cooking banana to this because he doesn’ t like the matzo balls. Personally, I don’t like chicken soup, because when I was small, the first thing they fed up was soup, and as an adult today, I associate soup with sickness, weird, I know. I need therapy.
Tori,
i made this soup and teared up, as it is so close to my late mother’s, it smells the same while simmering and finally i can make ‘real’ chicken soup…thank you so much
your recipes are so superior , at least for me, than all other sites i subscribe to.
Love your work
Continued success
J
That makes me so happy. 🙂 Thanks for writing Jay!
Hi Tori. I love all of your Kosher recipes!! Thank you. I made my chicken soup for Passover but, I used to much water. It is not as colorful or tasty as it usually is. How can I fix this. my email is (removed) Thank you Tori and, have a great day and a very happy Passover
Hi Donna! You can try simmering some dark meat chicken pieces in a smaller soup pot just covered with water for a couple of hours to create a very rich stock, then add that richer stock to your soup base. Another trick I’ve used is to simmer some saffron (real saffron, it’s expensive and potent) in the stock. The saffron adds a nice dimension to the flavor and it also colors the stock golden. But for more rich flavor, I would go with the smaller pot of stock option. Good luck!
Shalom, Joy to you for passover.
How do recommend cleaning the chicken. Do all the guts etc come out. Can’t wait to try the recipe.
Take out any “innards” before making the stock. You can include the neck in the stock if you want to, but the liver and other organ meats will make the broth cloudy.
I’m going to try this recipe, but I’m a novice at cooking. Can dried spices be substituted for the parsley and dill and get the same result?
Hi Jessica – the flavor will really be different using dried herbs. Honestly for best flavor I recommend fresh. Good luck!
Delicious. This is perfect chicken soup, literally just like mom’s. Your instructions are clear and very easy to follow, and I’m glad you include skimming the foam – very important! Thank you.
My Jewish mother-in-law used to make Matza Ball soup. I usually just buy Manischewitz Soup Mix Box type, which I like. I am going to try your receipe. With the cold weather here in MI and having a head cold. I really think this will be what the Dr. ordered. Thank you.
I tried the chicken soup recipe and it was delish!! My husband loved it. My mom always made chicken soup for the holidays, and this is the first time I’ve actually made it myself. The recipe was easy to follow, and the broth was rich. I think the cloves add a wonderful warm and somewhat spicy element to the soup that we both enjoyed. I made it with noodles, but I will definitely try it again with the matzoh balls.
Great step-by-step instructions.
Amazing soup! I usually but a mix but not anymore, thank you!!!
Thanks, great comments……..I’m off to make my Mom some of that wonderful motza ball stuff. She has been under the weather for some time, and I don’t think anything will make her feel better.
I am trying to access your recipe for Jewish Chicken Soup…but it was a specific entry where you talked about your mother and your Bubbe…you specifically mention making sure you start with the chicken in cold water…I am getting a message that that website is down. Can you send me that particular version of your recipe?
Nancy, I’m not sure which entry you’re referring to. I don’t have a Bubbe, I’m a convert to Judaism 🙂 maybe you are talking about a different site? Also my site appears to be up right now, so if you’re having any issues please let me know.
Tori’s recipe is delicious, but this might be the recipe you’re looking for…
http://girlandthekitchen.com/jewish-chicken-soup-with-matzo-balls-the-real-jewish-penicillin/
Am I correct in assuming the bay leaves go in with the rest of the veggies and spices? I don’t see it listed beyond the ingredients list.
Yes it does – on this blog dry bay leaves are considered a “spice” or “herb” and can be counted among those ingredients in process instructions.
Hi Tori!
I know you posted this a while ago, and I’ll be cooking this on Sunday, but I have a couple questions I hoped you might be able to answer.
1. I picked your recipe because it seemed the best, but I’ve seen other recipes that use pre-made chicken stock and 3 pounds of chicken cooked in it to make the broth. I love A LOT of flavor, but is that overkill or does it screw with your recipe?
2. I’m making this with your floater matzo ball recipe. I’d like to make it with schmaltz, but I’m not sure how to procure chicken skin and fat. Will there be sufficient skin and fat from the chicken I use to make this broth or is there another way I should be getting that?
Let me know, thanks!
Hi Hayley! Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, I’m a little behind on comment moderation. Personally I feel that using pre-made chicken stock here is overkill and unnecessary. The soup broth will have plenty of flavor, and a pre-made stock will mess with the careful balance of broth flavors… plus it’s an added expense. It won’t hurt the end result, but it’s not needed. If you want to use a bigger chicken you can, that will add to the flavor as well. Schmaltz can be purchased at most kosher markets in the frozen section (it comes in a small tub), or you can make your own using the following tutorial. You won’t get enough from the broth of one soup pot for the matzo balls, unfortunately– and I don’t recommend skimming the fat from the broth anyway, it adds to the richness of the flavor! https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/06/schmaltz-and-gribenes/