Matzo Ball Soup with Chicken Meatballs is an easy and homemade way to celebrate Passover or any matzo ball craving—with a twist.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword matzo ball
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Total Time 5 hourshours40 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Calories 751kcal
Ingredients
for chicken broth:
1 4-poundwhole organic or kosher chickengiblets and neck removed from cavity
1leekwhite part only
1head garliccut in half crosswise (don’t remove skin)
5carrotschopped in 4-5 chunks
5ribs celerychopped in 4-5 chunks
1onioncut in half crosswise (don’t remove skin)
20sprigs Italian parsley
20sprigs fresh thyme on stem
1 ½tablespoonsblack peppercorns
2tablespoonskosher salt
for meatballs:
1poundground chicken breast
½onionminced
1eggbeaten
¼cupchopped parsley
½cupmatzo meal
kosher salt and pepper
1tablespooncanola oil
for matzo balls:
1Manischewitz Matzo ball mix
for soup:
3cupsegg free noodles
4carrotssliced
⅛cupparsley or dill
4quartschicken broth or stockrecipe above, or if you don’t make your own, Kitchen Basics makes a good alternative
chicken meatballsrecipe above
Instructions
For chicken broth:
Place chicken and all vegetables and spices in a large stockpot. Cover with 6 quarts of water.
Over high heat, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 4 to 5 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.
Strain pot and discard vegetables. Chicken meat can be refrigerated and saved for another use. Skim broth and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove fat from surface, skim broth again and reheat and simmer for soup. Can be made 3 days in advance.
For meatballs:
In a large bowl, combine ingredients until just combined.
Form meatballs in ½” balls. Heat a large skilled on medium, add oil and cook in batches, turning frequently, 3-4 minutes total. Set aside.
For matzo balls:
Follow package directions and add chopped parsley or dill if desired. Keep warm until served.
For soup:
In a large stockpot, bring chicken stock to a boil and cook pasta and carrots for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken meatballs and cook for 5 minutes more or until meatballs are warmed through.
Place matzo balls in bowls and ladle in soup, carrots, noodles and chicken meatballs. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
Matzo balls need to rest in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour prior to cooking.
I cook the matzo balls directly in the chicken stock rather than water. Don’t let the matzo balls sit in the broth however or they’ll soak all of your broth away.
The chicken meatballs can be made 2 days in advance.