Golden Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

I learned how to make chicken soup by calling my mother and having her walk me through it over the phone. Over time, I developed my own far more involved recipe. But, my mom’s chicken soup will always be the best chicken soup. When I want something quick, simple, and familiar, I make her recipe. When I want something richer and deeper, and I have the time, I make this recipe. 

I would argue that chicken soup is as central to Jewish cooking as pastrami, brisket, or challah. Also affectionately called “Jewish penicillin,” chicken soup is as comforting as it is healing. My chicken soup starts with a rich broth that takes time to simmer and develop flavor. I love to put a pot of it on the stove on a rainy day, and putz around the house as it quietly bubbles. Once you have your stock, you can quickly turn that stock into soup. Matzo balls were born to be included, but I also like to serve this soup with pelmeni or egg noodles. 

GOLDEN CHICKEN SOUP

Serves 6-8

For the stock:
1 4-5 pound chicken, cut up or whole
½ pound chicken wings or chicken feet (or both)
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and halved 
3 stalks celery, cut into thirds
3 medium-size carrots, cut into thirds
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into thirds
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally 
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon peppercorns
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch fresh dill
1 bunch fresh thyme (optional) 

For the soup:
2-3 stalks celery, sliced thin
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2-3 teaspoons turmeric powder
Fresh chopped parsley
Fresh chopped dill
Oil or schmaltz, as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Make the stock:
Place all of the stock ingredients into a large (10-16 quart) stockpot. Fill the pot with cold water. Bring the water up to a simmer, avoid letting the water boil. Let the stock simmer on low for 1 hour, removing any scum that floats to the top during that time. After an hour of simmering, remove the whole chicken; if using a cut-up chicken, remove the breasts only. Allow the stock to continue to simmer.

Allow the chicken to cool slightly, and then remove the chicken breasts from the chicken. Shred the cooked chicken breast and reserve. Place the rest of the chicken and bones back in the pot, and allow the broth to continue to simmer for at least 2 more hours or up to 6 hours. The longer the broth simmers, the richer the flavor. The broth will reduce as it cooks. 

Strain the broth and reserve until ready to make the soup. If making stock ahead of time, a layer of fat will form on top of the broth once you chill it. You can discard it or skim it to use as schmaltz, or you can keep it and it will add more richness to your soup. Stock keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Make the soup:
Add a drizzle of oil or a spoonful of schmaltz to a large pot on medium heat and sauté the carrots and celery until just starting to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the turmeric and sauté for an additional minute. Add the stock to the pot. Season generously with salt and pepper. Allow the soup to simmer for 20-30 minutes, taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley and dill. 

Serve hot with reserved shredded chicken breast, matzo balls, pelmeni, egg noodles, or rice. Both the broth and the soup can be frozen for up to 6 months. 

Variations:

• You can use any additional vegetables you like in the broth: rutabaga, sweet potato, turnips, leeks, green garlic, and any good vegetable scraps all work here. I also keep a bag of vegetable scraps and herb stems in the freezer, and I love to add those to my stocks too. 

• If you don’t have a whole chicken, this will work with cut up chicken parts. Remove the breasts after one hour, but you can leave the rest of the chicken in the pot as it simmers.

• Turmeric adds flavor and color to the soup, but it also makes the broth darker and less clear. It can be omitted if you want a clearer broth.

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Whether you make matzo balls from scratch, or opt for a box mix, doctor them up with fresh herbs and schmaltz and you’ll have a truly exceptional matzo ball every single time. 

MATZO BALLS

Makes 9-11 matzo balls

1 cup matzo meal
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
¼ cup oil/schmaltz 
2 Tablespoons finely chopped dill/parsley

In a large bowl, whisk together the matzo meal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add the eggs, oil, and herbs to the matzo meal mixture. Mix until just incorporated (be careful not to overmix). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. 

Once the batter has chilled and rested, get ready to form and cook the matzo balls. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Adding a little oil to your hands will help prevent the batter from sticking as you form the matzo balls. Using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop out 1-tablespoon of batter. Gently roll the batter into balls of equal size. 

Add the matzo balls to the boiling salted water. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes or until just cooked through. Test one to make sure it is cooked through. Simmer longer if the matzo ball looks dry in the center. Serve balls immediately in soup, or store matzo balls in their liquid, and reheat as necessary. Matzo balls keep for up to 1 week in the fridge; you can freeze them, but their texture will change.

Miso Matzo Ball Soup

Let me start by saying I broke some rules making this dish (and not just the most obvious one). For one, I made a cheater's version of vegetarian dashi. T

here are also some instant dashi mixes on the market. You can also find instant miso soup at many stores, and if that's your thing go for it. If you are still up for making miso soup from scratch I found this post helpful.

Aside from the lack of the dashi's authenticity, this soup is also a little disorienting from the matzo ball perspective. I'm highly accustomed to matzo balls floating around in chicken broth (or vegetarian chicken-tasting broth). When I took the first taste of this soup I wondered where all the familiar flavors had gone. 

Then I took a second bite. 

I quickly forgot about tradition and authenticity. This is the merger of two comfort foods from two different culinary cultures. 

The sweet umami salty miso broth is happy to host hearty matzo balls (in lieu of soft tofu or shellfish). 

The scallions add a refreshing bit of green and bite. I think you could even try out a little fresh dill (gasp!) in this soup. 

One note about matzo balls: I'm not a fan of leaden sinkers, but I do like some chew to my matzo balls. You can make your matzo balls however your bubbe made them. If you really don't want to make matzo balls from scratch you can buy matzo ball mixes at the store. 

There's a lot of room for controversy in this recipe. When you're making super traditional dishes everyone has a strong opinion about what is right and wrong. It's a little daring, but I was happy to throw out the rules and combine two things that aren't frequently brought together.

This recipe could happen in moments if you take all the cheats you want... or this recipe could take just a little longer and you could make every element authentically and from scratch. However you choose to make it, this merger is a happy one.

Miso Matzo Ball Soup

Serves 4 

Makes 10-12 matzo balls

for the matzo balls

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil (or schmaltz)

½ cup matzo meal

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon kosher salt

pepper to taste

for the miso soup

1 4-5 inch piece kombu, rinsed (can substitute with an extra sheet of nori)

1 sheet nori

5 cups water

4 tablespoons white miso

2 large scallions, sliced thin

for the matzo balls

In a bowl, beat the eggs and olive oil together. To the egg mixture, add the matzo meal, baking powder, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix together until combined. Your mixture should be sticky and wet. Let the matzo ball dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before using it.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the matzo ball dough has chilled and the water is boiling, form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Lower the heat to a simmer, and then carefully drop the balls into the simmering water. They will float and begin to expand. 

Place a lid on the pot, and simmer the matzo balls for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn off the heat, and serve the matzo balls, or let them cool in the liquid, and store them in the fridge until ready to use. Matzo balls can be made 1-2 days ahead of when you intend to serve them. 

While the matzo balls are cooking, make the soup.

for the soup

In a medium pot, add the kombu, nori and water. On medium heat, slowly bring the liquid to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes until the seaweed has imparted flavor to the liquid, and the nori is falling apart. Before the water has come up to a simmer, when it is warm and about 100°F, take a few tablespoons of the liquid and combine it in a small bowl with the miso. Stir until smooth and reserve.

After the broth has simmered for 10 minutes, remove the kombu and nori from the pot. The nori may fall apart a little and that's ok; the seaweed sediment adds flavor. On low heat, whisk the reserved miso mixture into the pot. Add the onions to the pot. Simmer the soup for another 2-3 minutes, but be careful not to boil the miso.

to assemble the dish

Ladle the miso soup into bowls. Serve 2-3 matzo balls per bowl.