| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 11 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 8 hr |
| Cook: | 3 hr 25 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons chicken fat
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons seltzer water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup unsalted matzo meal
- 2 large yellow onions, quartered
- 3 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 (3-pound) chicken
- 3 lbs chicken bones, neck included
- Water
- 2 jalapeno peppers, roasted and slit
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh dill leaves
Instructions
- For the matzo balls:
- Heat the chicken fat over medium heat in a small pan. Add the chives and cook for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, dill, seltzer, sugar, and salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Add the matzo meal and the chicken fat/chive mixture and stir to combine. Cover well and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Form the matzo mixture into 8 equal size balls, about 1 3/4 ounces each, add to the water, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook until very tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the pot with the chicken stock and cook for 5 minutes before serving. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve.
- For the chicken stock:
- Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover by 2-inches. Bring to a boil, over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, skimming the scum from the stock with a ladle, every 15 minutes, for 3 hours. Strain into a large bowl and discard the solids.
- Transfer to a large saucepan and cook until reduced by half. Add the roasted jalapenos for the last 10 minutes or of simmering, then remove. Season with salt, pepper and freshly chopped dill.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 636 |
| Total Fat | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 45 g |
| Cholesterol | 242 mg |
| Sodium | 1110 mg |
Reviews
I’ve made this soup many times. It’s always a hit. Thank you so much for sharing.
These Matzo balls are so light and flavorful! I’ve made them several times and they always turn out delicious. This was the gist time I made the broth too and it was a game changer! So good with the dill and jalapeño!
This matzo balls were excellent! (although I did commit heresy and used bacon fat, since I didn’t have chicken fat on hand) I also used homemade frozen stock, so can’t comment on the stock portion of the recipe. But I will definitely make these matzo balls again!
Excellent soup with amazingly light matzo balls. I doubled the recipe but I only used half the dill.
VERY GOOD
The chicken stock was a five, but suffered a bit from the denseness of the matzoh balls. Dill in a matzoh ball is an acquired taste, and especially if you have some octogenarians at your Passover table. Good thing I avoided the chili. No joke on keeping them cooking for 1hr. 20 mins. The denseness of the mix keeps the heat from reaching the center, so cook them long and strong. I happened to like them, but caught a couple of eyes rolling at the table when they thought I wasn’t looking.
I did not use the stock recipe but I LOVE this matzo ball recipe. This was my first time making matzo balls, and I was totally intimidated by the concept. Too many years of my grandmother’s “sinkers” really psyched me out. This recipe was easy and delicious. They came out just light enough but not too flaky either. I doubled the recipe and got about 21 matzo balls out of it. The chive, dill and seltzer seem to be the magic ingredients. I can’t wait to serve them tonight.
This was our first time to try Matzo Ball Soup and our entire family loved this recipe! We will be making it again! It was a really nice fusion between my newly discoverd Jewish ancestry and my husband’s Mexican culture.
Hey Bobby,
Coming from a strict kosher home, you can imagine the amount of chicken soup and matzo balls ( we call “knadlack”), we have made and eaten over the years. Your throwdown did look delicious. ??? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE CHICKEN YOU PUT INTO THE POT FOR THE SOUP??
We eat the soup chicken right from the pot – sometimes with a good red horseradish sauce, but often just from the post. DELICIOUS. Also great to make chicken salad or other chicken recipes.
What do you think ??
Actually, my wife’s soup (chicken, cabbage, pea, veg, etc) are known thoughtout our kosher neighborhood. THE BEST.
Coming from a strict kosher home, you can imagine the amount of chicken soup and matzo balls ( we call “knadlack”), we have made and eaten over the years. Your throwdown did look delicious. ??? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE CHICKEN YOU PUT INTO THE POT FOR THE SOUP??
We eat the soup chicken right from the pot – sometimes with a good red horseradish sauce, but often just from the post. DELICIOUS. Also great to make chicken salad or other chicken recipes.
What do you think ??
Actually, my wife’s soup (chicken, cabbage, pea, veg, etc) are known thoughtout our kosher neighborhood. THE BEST.
Norm Friedman
norm613@verizon.net
bty, 613 is the # of commandments in the torah (old testament)
answer please!!