Uncomplicated, straight from the heart of the cook to the mouth and belly of the diner via the stove, a bowl of matzo balls in chicken soup is a sure-bet comfort food. With chicken in the matzo balls and the homemade “twice-cooked” broth, that simple bowl of comfort food becomes a substantial meal. It is a good idea to make the broth and meatball mixture the day before, so that when you’re ready to eat, there’s not a long wait. Also, that way you can use the fat that congeals on top of the broth, the schmaltz, in place of butter in the matzo balls.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Broth
Meatballs
Preparation
Step 1
To make the rich broth, in a large pot, combine the chicken parts, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, thyme, broth, and water as needed to cover the chicken and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover partially, and cook until the meat is falling off the bones and the broth is well colored, about 2 hours. Remove from the heat, let cool to room temperature, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the contents of the sieve and refrigerate the broth until the fat congeals across the top, at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
Step 2
To make the meatballs, crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk to mix. Add the butter, matzo meal, chicken, and salt and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Step 3
To make the soup, skim the fat off the broth. Pour the broth into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. With moist hands, form the chicken mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls and drop them into the boiling broth as you go. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover, and cook until the meatballs rise to the top and are tender all the way through, about 30 minutes.
Step 4
To serve, ladle the broth and balls into large individual bowls and garnish each bowl with scallion and parsley. Serve piping hot.
