Matzo ball chicken soup
This warming soup is the ultimate in comfort food – it is so nourishing and filling, with shredded chicken, matzo ball dumplings and noodles.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 whole free-range chicken, skin on
- 6 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 3 celery sticks, chopped into large chunks
- 2 onions, cut in half
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the matzo balls
- 130²µ/4¾´Ç³ú matzo meal
- 4 free-range eggs
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or chicken fat (see soup method below)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock (for poaching)
To serve
Method
To make the soup, put the chicken in a large cooking pot and just cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and skim off all the scum that rises to the top. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for around 1 hour.
Take the chicken from the pot and leave to cool slightly. Remove the chicken meat from the carcass. Set the meat aside in the fridge and return the bones to the stock.
Continue to simmer for another hour to extract all the flavour. Skim every now and again for a clear stock. Remove the carcass from the stock. Chill the broth in the fridge overnight to allow the fat to set on the top. Once set, remove the fat and use in the matzo balls (if you are using chicken fat rather than oil).
To make the matzo balls, mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons of the broth. Form into golf ball-size balls and place in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
When ready to cook, bring the chicken stock to the boil and poach the dumplings for 35–40 minutes until swollen and light. Remove the dumplings and keep warm.
To serve, taste and season the broth with salt and pepper.
Shred the reserved chicken meat into the broth pan, bring to the boil and reheat until the chicken is piping hot.
Divide the noodles and dumplings between serving bowls and spoon over the hot broth with some chicken and vegetables in each bowl.