Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo ball soup is more than just food to me. It is like a warm hug in a bowl. When I was a kid, the smell of chicken broth filling the kitchen meant a special day was coming. This soup is famous for being very comforting. People often call it Jewish penicillin because it makes you feel better when you are sick. You do not have to be a professional chef to make this. It is a simple meal that uses basic items you can find at any grocery store. I want to show you how to make it perfectly every single time.

Making good matzo balls can be tricky at first. Some people like them light and fluffy. Others like them dense and heavy. In my kitchen, we aim for the fluffy kind that float on top of the soup. I have spent years testing different ways to get the texture just right. I have made mistakes like using too much liquid or not letting the mix rest long enough. But those mistakes taught me exactly what works. By the time you finish reading this, you will know all the secrets to a clear broth and soft matzo balls.

Grab your big soup pot and get ready to cook something amazing. This recipe takes some time, but most of it is just waiting for the pot to bubble. It is the perfect project for a Sunday afternoon when you want your home to smell like heaven.

Check out the steps below to start your soup adventure!

Getting Everything Ready for Your Soup

Before you turn on the stove, you need to gather your tools and food. Using fresh vegetables makes a big difference in how the soup tastes. I like to use a big stockpot that can hold at least six quarts of liquid. This gives the chicken and veggies plenty of room to swim around and share their flavors. If you use a pot that is too small, the water might boil over and make a mess on your stove. I learned that the hard way when I tried to make a double batch for a big party!

Make sure you have a sharp knife for chopping. You do not need fancy gear, but a good knife makes cutting carrots and celery much easier. You will also need a few bowls for mixing the matzo ball dough. I find that glass or metal bowls work best because they are easy to clean. If you are organized from the start, the whole process feels much more relaxing. Cooking should be fun, not stressful. Let’s look at what we need to put on our shopping list.

What You Will Need to Buy

First, you need the star of the show: a whole chicken. I usually buy one that weighs about four or five pounds. This provides enough meat for the soup and enough fat to make the broth rich. You will also need plenty of water. Most recipes use about twelve cups. For the vegetables, get a big bag of carrots, a head of celery, and two large yellow onions. These three things are the base of almost every great soup. They add sweetness and depth that you just can’t get from a box of broth.

• One whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
• 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and halved
• 1 bunch of fresh dill
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chicken fat (schmaltz) or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup seltzer water or plain water

For the matzo balls, you need matzo meal. This is just ground-up matzo crackers. You also need eggs to hold everything together. The secret ingredient for many people is seltzer water. The bubbles help make the balls lighter. If you don’t have seltzer, regular water or even a little chicken broth will work fine. I prefer using chicken fat, also called schmaltz, because it adds a traditional flavor. But if you want to keep it simple, vegetable oil is a great swap that still tastes good.

Making the Golden Chicken Broth

Starting the broth is the longest part of the recipe. Put your whole chicken in the big pot and cover it with cold water. It is important to start with cold water. This helps pull the flavor out of the bones and meat slowly. Turn the heat to medium-high until the water starts to boil. Once it boils, you might see some gray foam floating on top. This is normal! Just take a big spoon and scoop that foam out. It helps keep your soup clear and pretty instead of cloudy.

After you clean the top of the water, turn the heat down to low. You want the soup to simmer, which means just a few bubbles popping up now and then. Add your onions, half of your carrots, and half of your celery. Throw in the parsley and some of the dill too. I like to tie the herbs together with a piece of string so I can pull them out easily later. Let this simmer for at least two or three hours. Your house will start to smell incredible during this time. FYI, the longer it cooks, the better it gets!

When the chicken is very soft and falling off the bone, the broth is ready. Carefully take the chicken out and put it on a plate to cool. Use a strainer to pour the liquid into a clean bowl. Throw away the mushy vegetables and herbs that cooked in the pot. They have given all their flavor to the water. Now you have a beautiful, golden broth. You can put the broth back in the pot and add the rest of your fresh carrots and celery to cook until they are tender. This ensures you have nice, firm veggies to eat in your final bowl.

Perfecting the Matzo Balls

Now we get to the part that scares some people, but it shouldn’t! Making matzo balls is a lot like making a soft dough. The most important thing is patience. You cannot rush this part or your matzo balls will fall apart in the soup. I once tried to cook them right after mixing the dough, and they turned into a pile of crumbs. It was a sad day for my dinner. The dough needs time to sit so the matzo meal can soak up the liquid. This makes the dough firm enough to roll into balls.

You should also decide how big you want your matzo balls to be. Some people like them tiny, like marbles. Others like them huge, like golf balls or even baseballs. Keep in mind that they will grow as they cook. They soak up the soup and puff up quite a bit. I usually aim for a size somewhere between a walnut and a golf ball. This is a good size for kids and adults alike. It fits perfectly on a large spoon.

Mixing the Matzo Ball Dough

In a medium bowl, crack your four eggs and beat them with a fork. Add your chicken fat or oil and the seltzer water. Stir it all together until it is mixed well. Now, slowly stir in the matzo meal along with some salt and pepper. Don’t over-mix it! Just stir until you don’t see any dry meal anymore. The mixture will look a bit wet and loose at this stage. Do not worry. It is supposed to look like that right now. If you add more meal now, the balls will turn out like rocks.

Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. It needs to rest for at least thirty minutes. An hour is even better. This is when the magic happens. The dry meal drinks up the eggs and oil. When you take it out later, it will be firm like play-dough. This makes it easy to handle without it sticking to everything. While the dough rests, you can pick the meat off your cooled chicken to add back to the soup later. I love snacking on a little piece of the cooked chicken while I wait!

Rolling and Cooking the Balls

Get a separate pot of water boiling on the stove. Some people cook the balls directly in the soup, but I don’t recommend it. The balls soak up a lot of liquid. If you cook them in the soup, they might soak up all your hard-earned broth! Plus, they release a little starch which can make your clear soup look cloudy. Cooking them in salted water keeps your soup perfect. Wet your hands with a little cold water before you start rolling. This keeps the dough from sticking to your palms.

Roll the dough into smooth circles and drop them gently into the boiling water. Once they are all in, turn the heat down to low and put a lid on the pot. This is very important: do not peek! You need to leave the lid on for at least 30 to 40 minutes. The steam trapped inside helps the balls puff up and stay light. If you keep opening the lid, the temperature drops and the balls might come out heavy. IMO, the wait is the hardest part, but it is worth it for that fluffy texture.

Combining Everything for Serving

Once the matzo balls are done, they will be much larger and floating happily on top of the water. Use a slotted spoon to move them from the water into your pot of hot chicken soup. Now is the time to add back the shredded chicken meat you saved. Let everything heat through for a few minutes so the flavors can mingle. Taste your soup one last time. Does it need more salt? Maybe a little more pepper? Now is the time to fix it before you serve your guests.

When you are ready to eat, ladle a big scoop of soup into a bowl. Make sure everyone gets plenty of carrots, chicken, and at least one or two matzo balls. Sprinkle some fresh chopped dill on top. The green color looks beautiful against the golden broth. I like to serve mine with some crusty bread or crackers on the side. This soup is a full meal on its own. It is filling, healthy, and tastes like home. Everyone will be asking for seconds, so I hope you made a big batch!

How to Store Your Leftovers

If you have soup left over, you are lucky! It tastes even better the next day. However, you should store the matzo balls and the liquid in separate containers. If the balls sit in the soup in the fridge, they will keep soaking up the broth. By the next morning, you might have giant matzo balls and no soup left! Just put the balls in a small container with a tiny bit of liquid to keep them moist. Put the rest of the soup in a bigger jar or bowl.

You can keep the soup in the fridge for about three or four days. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze the broth. I don’t recommend freezing the matzo balls because they can get a bit mushy when they thaw out. It is better to make fresh balls when you are ready to eat the frozen soup. To reheat, just put everything back in a pot on the stove until it is hot. Avoid using the microwave if you can, as it can heat the balls unevenly. A slow warm-up on the stove is much better for the texture.

Common Questions People Ask

Can I use matzo meal crackers instead of meal?

Yes, you can grind up plain matzo crackers in a blender until they look like coarse sand. It works exactly the same as the store-bought meal.

Why are my matzo balls sinking?

Sinking usually means they are too dense. This happens if you over-mix the dough or forget the seltzer. They might also need to cook longer to puff up.

Is it okay to use store-bought broth?

You can use it if you are in a rush. Just simmer it with some fresh carrots and onions to make the flavor better before adding the balls.

What if I don’t have chicken fat?

Vegetable oil or melted butter are fine swaps. The flavor will be slightly different, but the texture of the balls will still be great.

Time to Enjoy Your Soup

You have done it! You made a beautiful pot of matzo ball soup from scratch. This meal is perfect for sharing with people you love. Whether it is a holiday or a cold Tuesday, this soup brings joy to the table. Enjoy every warm, fluffy bite!