From-Scratch Matzo Ball Soup
The beauty of this homemade matzo ball soup recipe is that every part of the chicken thighs gets used: bones for the stock, meat for the stock and the soup, and rendered fat for the matzo balls.
From-Scratch Matzo Ball Soup
Photo Credit : Michael Piazza | Styling by Catrine KeltyThe Mamaleh’s team tried many variations on matzo balls before deciding on one that closely resembles a recipe from a close family friend of Rachel Sundet’s named Miriam Freidin, who has since passed away. “There’s a nice feeling that comes from keeping somebody’s recipe going,” Sundet says. The beauty of this recipe is that every part of the chicken thighs gets used: bones for the stock, meat for the stock and the soup, and rendered fat for the matzo balls. You can even enjoy the crisp cracklings, also known as gribenes.
From “Long Live the Deli,” March/April 2022
Yield:
8 to 10 servingsFor the Stock
Ingredients
5 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, plus 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 medium onions (about 1 pound), peeled and roughly chopped
4 celery stalks (about ½ pound), roughly chopped, plus 3 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic
8 sprigs fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Salt, to taste
Minced chives or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
First, make the stock: Remove the skin and extra fat from the chicken thighs and set aside. Layer the 5 chopped carrots, onions, 4 chopped celery stalks, and garlic cloves in the bottom of a 7-to-9-quart stock pot and lay the chicken thighs on top. Add parsley, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns. Cover with water by 2 inches. Cover pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a very low simmer (do not boil, or the stock will be cloudy). For maximum flavor, cook for at least 3 hours and up to 12. When finished, cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until ready to use.
Meanwhile, lay the chicken skin and fat in a large skillet over medium heat. When the skin starts to sizzle, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly render the fat from the skin. Keep cooking, turning occasionally, until the skin is brown and very crisp, 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the fat into a measuring cup to cool. If you’d like, you can dry the chicken cracklings on paper towels, salt them, and use them as you would bacon.
Now, make the matzo balls:
For the Matzo Balls
Ingredients
½ cup melted chicken fat or a combination of vegetable oil and chicken fat
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups matzo meal
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup chicken stock
Instructions
Take the chicken fat and add enough olive oil or vegetable oil to reach ½ cup. In a large bowl, whisk the fat together with the eggs. Add the matzo meal, salt, and ¼ cup chicken stock. Mix well. The mixture should feel a bit like Play-Doh. Wet your hands and form the dough into balls roughly the size of ping-pong balls. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
When you’re ready to put the soup together, cook the matzo balls in a large pot of salted water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the stock and set aside, strain out the vegetables and herbs, and return the clear stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the 4 diced carrots and 3 diced celery stalks and cook until just tender, for 10 to 15 minutes. Just before serving, pull the chicken meat off the bones and add it to the pot along with the cooked matzo balls. Add salt to taste, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives or parsley.
