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Active Time
25 minutes
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Total Time
3¾ hours plus chilling
The key to a superlative matzo ball soup recipe—one with an aromatic golden broth, tender matzo balls, and deep chickeny flavor throughout—is all in the fat. Rendered chicken fat (orschmaltz) appears like magic atop homemade chicken stock as it chills. Once cold, you can spoon it off and use it to infuse perfectly fluffy matzo balls with rich flavor. Use half a whole chicken, bone-in chicken breasts, or any 4-lb. array of bones and other chicken parts to make the broth. If you’re using pieces with the meat still attached, feel free to shred the chicken after cooking and add it back to the soup (orsave the shredded chicken for another use).
While some matzo ball recipes use seltzer or baking powder for leavening, this version just asks for a light hand (and a high ratio of eggs). To form the dumplings, dip your hands into a small bowl of cold water and ever so carefully coax the matzo ball mixture into spheres. Keeping your hands damp will prevent the mixture from sticking (it’s also a good method for shapingmeatballs). Whatever you do, “don’t work too hard to shape them,” says cookbook author Mitchell Davis: “Rolling the matzo balls around for too long toughens them up.”
While the broth can be made a few days ahead, matzo balls are best on the day they’re made, but you can prepare them an hour or so in advance. Transfer the cooked matzo balls to a baking sheet coated with vegetable oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. When ready to serve, bring the broth back to a simmer, drop in the matzo balls to warm them, ladle into bowls, and serve.
This recipe has been adapted for style from ‘Kitchen Sense’ by Mitchell Davis. Buy the full book onAmazon.
Ingredients
4–8 servings, depending on whether you want Carnegie Deli size portions, or just ordinary portions
Broth:
Matzo balls and assembly:
Broth:
Step 1
Place½大鸡(约2½磅),切成块or a combination of necks, backs, wings, and other chicken parts to equal 4 pounds, 4 stalks celery, tops included, roughly chopped, 3–4 carrots, roughly chopped, 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped, 1 small parsnip, roughly chopped, 1 small turnip, peeled and chopped, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns, and1 point of a star anisel in an 8-quart stock pot and add about 3 qt. cold water to cover. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, skimming any froth that rises to the surface. Turn the heat down to low, set the lid ajar, and simmer 2 hours.
Step 2
Add4 sprigs fresh dilland continue simmering an additional 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, cool to room temperature, and strain through a fine sieve. Refrigerate.
Do Ahead:Broth will taste even better if prepared 1–2 days in advance. Keep chilled and skim off any fat that coagulates on the surface; reserve fat for matzo balls.
Matzo balls and assembly:
Step 3
Whisk5 large eggs, 4 Tbsp. hot chicken soup or water, 3 Tbsp. chicken fat (schmaltz), and1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher saltin a large bowl to combine. Stream in ¼ cup hot broth or water, whisking constantly. Add1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. matzo mealand whisk to combine. Refrigerate, uncovered, 1 hour.
Step 4
Bring 5 qt. water to a boil over high heat. Add4½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher saltto the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Remove the matzo ball mixture from the fridge. Wet your hands with cold water and gently shape about 2 Tbsp. of the mixture into a sphere by rolling it around in the palms of your wet hands. Try not to compact the ball too much. Note that the matzo balls will swell to more than double their size when cooked.
Step 5
Add the rolled matzo balls to the boiling salted water and repeat with the remaining mixture. Bring the water back to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer, tightly cover the pot, and cook for about 40 minutes until the matzo balls are floating on the surface, puffed, and snowy white.
Step 6
Meanwhile, bring strained broth to a simmer in a large pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked matzo balls to the hot broth. Keep warm until ready to serve. Ladle in to bowls and garnish with fresh dill (if using).
Editor’s note:This recipe first appeared on Epicurious in February 2017. Head this way for more ofour favorite recipes for Rosh Hashanah→
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