This has been a favorite soup of ours ever since we moved to New York City in the late 80s.
It all starts with a deeply flavorful chicken broth, which in turn provides you with classic schmaltz, or chicken fat, for the best-ever homemade matzo balls. It’s perfect for Passover, especially with an amazing brisket and rolls. But, it’s so good, we love making it throughout the year.
How to Make Matzo Ball Soup with Roasted Chicken
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The Ingredients You Will Need
The ingredients in this iconic soup are easy to find and the broth can be made well in advance. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
For the Broth
Chicken – For maximum flavor, use bone-in skin-on chicken pieces. Thighs and breasts are great choices.
Mirepoix – Carrots, celery, and onion, roughly cut up.
Bouquet Garni – A bundle of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, celery leaves, parsley, dill, and bay leaves. Bundle them together into a cheesecloth packet, if possible.
Seasoning – Salt, if desired.
For the Matzo Balls and the Soup
Matzo Meal, or Matzo – Found in the Kosher section of most supermarkets. If you can’t find matzo meal, simply pick up the matzo crackers and pulverize them in your food processor or in a baggie.
Fresh herbs – Dill and parsley, finely chopped.
Seasonings – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Broth – From the homemade chicken broth, or purchased.
Schmaltz – Scrape the congealed chicken fat from the surface of the chilled chicken broth. If you don’t make the broth, then you can substitute olive oil or softened unsalted butter.
Eggs – Separated. You’ll need 4 egg whites and 4 egg yolks.
EXPERT TIP: Allowing the chicken broth to chill overnight will give you a solid layer of schmaltz that will be easy to spoon off the following day. You’ll only need 3 tablespoons of schmaltz. Safely discard the rest of the congealed fat.
Make the Broth or Stock in Advance – You can buy quality chicken broth from the store, and the soup will still be delicious. But making the chicken broth or stock is easy and puts the soup over the top.
Chill the Matzo Mixture – Before making the matzo balls, ensure that the mixture is well chilled before shaping and cooking to achieve light and fluffy results. Incorporating the egg whites into the matzo ball mixture adds some lightness and airiness, but, the schmaltz also makes them dense. The perfect combination.
Garnish with Fresh Dill – Just before serving, garnish the matzo ball soup with freshly chopped dill to add a burst of fresh herb flavor and a vibrant touch to the dish. This will elevate the overall taste and presentation.
Other Broth Soups To Try
We love all kinds of soups, but, soups that have a broth or stock as the base are just so comforting and delicious. Here is a collection of some of our favorites that we are certain you and your family will love, too:
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Tortilla Soup with Roasted Chicken
Chicken and Dumplings
Vietnamese Chicken Phó
French Onion
Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Sausage
Instant Pot Minestrone
Italian Wedding Soup
Farm Fresh Corn Chowder
Ramen with Spinach and Poached Egg
EXPERT TIP: You can form the matzo balls to be any size you like. We like them to be in the range of 1 to 2 inches in thickness. Just make sure they are all the same size to ensure even cooking for them all. Remember they will expand during the cooking process.
How To Serve
This soup is hearty and makes for a wonderful appetizer, but it’s also filling enough to make a glorious soup entree.
We serve the soup directly from the pot. Just plunge a large ladle into the soup and let family or guests fill their own soup bowls.
Wesley likes to crumble extra matzo crackers into his soup, but, the soup is so nourishing on its own, that’s not necessary, but, it’s fun to have it on the side, especially with a little softened butter.
EXPER TIP: Before serving, you’ll need to taste the broth. You may need to add more salt, especially if you used purchased chicken broth or stock. Be careful not to over-salt, though!
Talk about a soup steeped in history and heritage. You can taste the love and care that goes into making this iconic soup.
It is such a wonderful celebration of Jewish culture and faith and is enjoyed by so many around the world, especially during Passover.
But, we love it all year round, and so will you and your loved ones!
Ready to make the best soup in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Matzo Ball Soup
Ingredients
Do Ahead
- 4 quarts chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts skin-on, bone-in
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Matzo Balls
- 4 large eggs separated, egg whites and yolks
- 1¼ cups matzo meal sometimes spelled matzoh*
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp schmaltz rendered chicken fat (see NOTES)
- ½ cup chicken broth the liquid used to cook the chicken
For the Soup
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil
- 3 medium carrots peeled and sliced into ¼-inch medallions
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- sprigs of dill for garnish
Instructions
Do Ahead
- Prepare the chicken broth and chill in the refrigerator (uncovered) for 4 hours, or preferably overnight.4 quarts chicken broth
- Remove the pot of broth from the refrigerator just before you are ready to start making the matzo balls.
- To roast the chicken, preheat oven to 350°F. Brush olive oil over the skin of the chicken and then liberally season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking rack on a baking sheet and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until you reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Set aside to cool and then remove the skin and pull the meat from the bones, shredding with your hands. Refrigerate until ready to add to the soup.2 chicken breasts, 2 tbsp olive oil, Salt and pepper
Make the Matzo Balls
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks just form. Set aside.4 large eggs
- In a separate medium bowl, stir together the matzo meal, parsley, dill, 1 tsp salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.1¼ cups matzo meal, ¼ cup parsley, 2 tbsp fresh dill, ¼ tsp Kosher salt, ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Use a spoon to scrape the schmaltz (3 tbsp) from the surface of the chilled broth. Work the schmaltz (or oil if no schmaltz) into the matzo mixture until incorporated (you can use your fingers to do this). Remove the remaining congealed fat on the surface of the broth and discard.3 tbsp schmaltz
- Stir in the chicken broth (½ cup), and then the egg yolks.½ cup chicken broth
- Now, use a wooden spatula to fold in half of the egg whites into the mixture.
- Gently fold in the remaining whites until fully incorporated.
- Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Make the Soup
- Heat the broth over medium heat on the stove until heated through.
- Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the carrots. Sprinkle a couple pinches of salt over the carrots. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.2 tbsp unsalted butter, 3 medium carrots, ½ tsp Kosher salt
- Pour the warm broth into the Dutch oven or skillet with the carrots.
- With dampened fingers, gently form chilled matzo mixture into 1 to 2-inch balls (they will expand as they cook), and then gently drop them 1 at a time into the simmering broth.
- Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Serve hot in soup bowls and garnish with dill sprigs.sprigs of dill
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This was originally published in April 2015, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in April 2024!
This lovely matzo balls are really alluring. They way you made this is exceptional. I will be happy to make this at home for my family. Thanks for sharing ingredients.
Thanks, Kirti! We love this soup very much!! Hope you give it a try! Best, Kris & Wesley