A pot of matzo ball soup built on a from-scratch chicken broth rewards patience with deep flavor, airy dumplings and soft vegetables. Leeks, parsnip and a little lemon zest round out the bowl, making it suited to a holiday table or a soothing everyday meal.
Info
- Cook time: 40 minutes
- From start to finish: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8
Ingredients
Broth
- 2 medium leeks
- 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, quartered, with the neck set aside
- 1 large carrot, cut into big pieces
- 1 celery stalk, cut into big pieces
- 3 fresh dill sprigs
- 3 fresh parsley sprigs
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- Low-sodium chicken broth, to top up as needed
Matzo Balls
- 1/4 cup rendered chicken fat
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup chilled seltzer
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup matzo meal
- Vegetable oil, for greasing
Soup
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 medium parsnip, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 wide strips lemon peel
- Kosher salt
- Chopped fresh parsley and dill, to finish
Instructions
- Start the broth. Wash one leek well and cut away its dark green top. Cut away and discard the dark green top of the second leek. Split the white and pale green portions of both leeks lengthwise, rinse them thoroughly, slice them thin and set them aside. Put the dark green leek tops you reserved into a large Dutch oven. Add the chicken and its neck, the carrot, celery, dill, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and 4 quarts of cold water. Bring the pot to a low simmer, spoon off any foam that rises, and let it cook until the chicken is very tender and the broth tastes rich, roughly 1 1/2 hours.
- Finish the broth. Lift out the chicken and let it cool; throw away the neck. Pour the broth through a strainer and discard the vegetables. When the chicken is cool enough to work with, remove and discard the skin and bones, chop the meat, and set aside 2 cups (keep the rest for another dish). Wipe out the Dutch oven, put the strained broth back in it, and check the quantity: you want about 12 cups. If you have less, stir in low-sodium broth until you reach 12 cups.
- Mix the matzo ball batter while the broth cooks. Melt the chicken fat in a large bowl in the microwave, which takes only a few seconds. Stir in the eggs, seltzer and 2 teaspoons salt, and whisk until everything is combined and no streaks of egg white are left. Fold in the matzo meal. Chill the mixture until it is firm enough to scoop into a loose ball, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Cook the matzo balls. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Oil a medium ice cream scoop lightly and scoop 18 portions of the matzo mixture onto the sheet. Oil your hands lightly, roll each portion into a ball, and lower the balls gently into the boiling water. Lower the heat so the water simmers rather than boils. The balls should float to the top; if any stay down, nudge them up with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot and simmer 10 minutes, then uncover, turn the balls gently with a wooden spoon and keep simmering until they have roughly doubled in size, about 10 minutes more.
- Build the soup. While the matzo balls cook, bring the broth back to a gentle simmer. Add the sliced white and pale green leeks you set aside, along with the diced carrot, parsnip, celery and lemon peel. Simmer until the vegetables are fully tender, about 20 minutes, then salt to taste. Lift the matzo balls out of the water and put them in the soup. Add the 2 cups of chopped chicken and cook 3 minutes. Take out the lemon peel, ladle the soup into bowls, and scatter parsley and dill over the top.
