Clear golden chicken broth studded with tender shredded chicken and pillowy matzo balls, brightened with carrots, celery and fresh dill for a comforting holiday bowl.
A Bowl of Golden Comfort
Clear, deeply flavored chicken broth with tender shredded meat and pillowy matzo balls—simple, make-ahead soup that turns a chilly night or holiday table into something utterly reassuring.
This soup exists for the moments when you want homey without fuss: a whole chicken simmered low and slow with an unpeeled onion, carrots, celery and a handful of peppercorns until the broth turns clear and golden. Skimming the occasional foam and straining through a fine-mesh sieve gives you that crystal-clear bowl everyone thinks takes fancy technique—only it really just takes patience and good ingredients.
The matzo balls are what turns this into a celebration. Whisking eggs with a little oil and fizzy club soda keeps the batter light; folded together with matzo meal and a touch of baking powder, they steam into soft, pillowy dumplings with a delicate crumb. A few practical tips: chill the batter briefly before shaping to make rolling easier, and simmer the matzo balls gently so they cook through without falling apart.
Once the chicken is pulled, shredded and returned to the strained broth, the vegetables and fresh herbs—dill and parsley—brighten every spoonful. Taste the clear stock and finish with the last bit of salt; the difference between flat and brilliant is often just a half teaspoon. The soup’s texture is a pleasure: silky broth, tender shreds of chicken and the soft, yielding matzo balls that soak up flavor without collapsing.
This recipe is a great make-ahead workhorse: the broth can be made a day or two ahead (chill to remove surface fat), and matzo balls rewarm beautifully in a simmering pot of soup. It’s at home on a holiday table, but equally right for a winter weeknight when you want something healing and celebratory at once—comfort that looks and tastes like care in a bowl.
Ingredients
How to Make Matzo Ball Chicken Soup Night
- Rinse the chicken and place it in a large stockpot; add 12 cups cold water, whole onion (unpeeled), carrots (halved), celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the kosher salt.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer and cook uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, for 75–90 minutes until the chicken is tender and the broth is flavorful.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discard solids, and return the clear broth to low heat; taste and add up to the remaining 1/2 tsp salt if needed.
- While the broth simmers, make the matzo-ball batter: in a medium bowl whisk the eggs, vegetable oil and club soda until combined, then stir in matzo meal, baking powder, ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt until just combined.
- Cover the matzo mixture and chill in the fridge 20–30 minutes to hydrate; use wet hands to form the mixture into 8 equal 1 1/4-inch balls—handle gently to keep them light.
- Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer and carefully drop the matzo balls in, cover the pot, and simmer for 25–30 minutes without lifting the lid so they set and expand.
- Meanwhile shred the cooled chicken meat off the bones into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones or reserving meat to return to the soup.
- When matzo balls are cooked, add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the sliced carrots from the initial vegetables (or reserve a few fresh carrot rounds if you prefer firmer carrots) and warm for 3–5 minutes; stir in chopped dill and parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Ladle hot broth, 1–2 matzo balls, and chicken into bowls; garnish with extra chopped dill or parsley and serve immediately with crusty bread or challah on the side if desired.
Recipe Card
Matzo Ball Chicken Soup Night
Clear golden chicken broth studded with tender shredded chicken and pillowy matzo balls, brightened with carrots, celery and fresh dill for a comforting holiday bowl.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 2 hr
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken and place it in a large stockpot; add 12 cups cold water, whole onion (unpeeled), carrots (halved), celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the kosher salt.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer and cook uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, for 75–90 minutes until the chicken is tender and the broth is flavorful.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discard solids, and return the clear broth to low heat; taste and add up to the remaining 1/2 tsp salt if needed.
- While the broth simmers, make the matzo-ball batter: in a medium bowl whisk the eggs, vegetable oil and club soda until combined, then stir in matzo meal, baking powder, ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt until just combined.
- Cover the matzo mixture and chill in the fridge 20–30 minutes to hydrate; use wet hands to form the mixture into 8 equal 1 1/4-inch balls—handle gently to keep them light.
- Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer and carefully drop the matzo balls in, cover the pot, and simmer for 25–30 minutes without lifting the lid so they set and expand.
- Meanwhile shred the cooled chicken meat off the bones into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones or reserving meat to return to the soup.
- When matzo balls are cooked, add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the sliced carrots from the initial vegetables (or reserve a few fresh carrot rounds if you prefer firmer carrots) and warm for 3–5 minutes; stir in chopped dill and parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Ladle hot broth, 1–2 matzo balls, and chicken into bowls; garnish with extra chopped dill or parsley and serve immediately with crusty bread or challah on the side if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 30
- Saturated Fat
- 6
- Sodium
- 900
- Fiber
- 3
- Unsaturated Fat
- 16
- Protein
- 36
- Fat
- 26
- Cholesterol
- 170
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 500
- Sugar
- 6