Spring Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls Recipes

SPRING CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Cook broth:
• Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating them to remove all sand and grit, then lift out and transfer to an 8-quart stockpot.
• Add all remaining broth ingredients to pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, 3 hours.
• Make matzo balls:
• Stir together matzo meal, parsley, dill, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl.
• Work rendered chicken fat into mixture with your fingers until incorporated, then stir in 1/2 cup broth from chicken and yolks. Mixture will be stiff.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl until they just form soft peaks.
• Stir one-third of egg whites into matzo mixture to lighten, and then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Chill, covered, 30 minutes. If after being chilled, the matzo mixture is still not firm, add 1 tablespoon additional matzo meal.
• Finish soup:
• Transfer chicken from broth to a cutting board to cool. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken into shreds, discarding skin and bones.
• Remove carrots from broth and once cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Line a large sieve with a double layer of dampened paper towels. Pour broth through sieve into a 5-to 6-quart pot, pressing hard on and discarding solids. Return broth to a simmer.
• With dampened hands, gently form chilled matzo mixture into roughly 1-inch balls, gently dropping them into simmering soup as formed (this should yield about 20 matzo balls; moisten hands as necessary to prevent sticking).
• Simmer matzo balls, covered, until just cooked through, about 45 minutes (To test: Halve one matzo ball. It should have a uniformly moist interior; if uncooked, it will be dry in the center).
• Stir carrots and chicken into hot soup to warm through before serving.
• Garnish with dill sprigs.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• For the matzo balls: Combine the matzo meal, salt, onion powder and white pepper in a large bowl. Combine the eggs and schmaltz in a second large bowl. Very gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil and season well with salt.
• Using wet hands, form the matzo mixture into 1 1/2-ounce balls. (Be gentle: overmixing can result in tough, hard dumplings.)
• Add the dumplings to the pot of water and cook until cooked all the way through, about 45 minutes. The dumplings can be held in warm water until ready to serve.
• For the soup: Sweat the onions, carrots and celery in a large soup pot with the schmaltz until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Skim any foam or bits of food that have risen to the top. Discard the bay leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Just before serving, add the noodles and chicken and heat through. Place 2 matzo balls in each bowl and add the soup.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic and seasonings in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove 2 of the chickens and allow to cool slightly. Remove the breast meat from both chickens and set aside. Return the remaining chicken and carcasses to the pot and continue simmering, uncovered, for 3 more hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and chill. Remove the surface fat, then reheat the stock as follows, or pack in containers and freeze.
• To serve the soup, return the stock to the pot and reheat, adding the diced carrots, celery, dill and parsley. Shred the reserved chicken breast meat into large pieces and add to the stock. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to cook the vegetables and reheat the chicken. Season to taste and serve as is, or ladle each serving over 1 or 2 warm matzo balls.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.
• Bring a pot of chicken stock to a simmer (about 3 quarts). Form matzo balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into the simmering stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in the chicken soup.

CHICKEN MATZO BALL SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix eggs with the melted butter or margarine. Stir in matzo meal, parsley, salt, pepper, and water to form a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring chicken broth and carrots to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to a simmer. Shape the matzo dough into 12 balls. (For easier shaping, dip hands in cold water from time to time). Drop the matzo balls into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

KOSHER CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• To make the soup on the stovetop, combine chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and 3 quarts water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for at least five hours. Skim the surface of the soup occasionally to remove any foam that develops.
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth; discard vegetables. Strain the broth, cool, and refrigerate overnight. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the chicken meat from the bones, and chop or shred the meat; cover and refrigerate.
• To make the soup in a pressure cooker, add chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and water to the pressure cooker as directed in step 1, seal the pressure cooker, and bring it up to full pressure. Reduce the heat, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop naturally. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain the broth; discard vegetables. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from bones as directed in step 2.
• Combine vegetable oil, eggs, basil, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper in a bowl; mix well. Stir in the matzo meal, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Bring at least 3 quarts of water, or as needed, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large pot. Using wet hands, gently shape the matzo mixture into balls about 2 inches across and drop them in the boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Skim the fat off the chilled chicken broth and place broth in a pot over medium heat. Add salt to taste and the reserved cooked chicken, if desired (see Cook's Note). Transfer the cooked matzo balls to the chicken soup and heat to serve.