Eastern European · Lunch · Dinner
Matzo Ball Soup
קניידלעך זופּ (Kneidlach Soup)
A comforting bowl of clear, golden chicken soup with tender shredded chicken, sweet root vegetables and fluffy dill-flecked matzo balls. This lighter version uses lean chicken breast and a little oil in place of schmaltz.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Serves
- 6
Calories come from: Carbs 35% · Fat 30% · Protein 35%
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Ingredients
For 6 servings- 1 cup130 gmatzo meal
- 4 large200 geggs
- 2 tbsp27 gcanola oil
- 1/4 cup60 gcold water for matzo ball mix
- 1 1/2 tsp, divided9 gsalt
- 3 litres3,000 gwater for cooking matzo balls
- 6 cups (1.5 litres)1,500 glow-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups500 gwater for soup
- 2 medium breasts500 gboneless skinless chicken breast
- 3 medium180 gcarrots, sliced
- 3 stalks120 gcelery, sliced
- 1 medium150 gonion, diced
- 1 medium100 gparsnip, sliced
- 1/2 cup, divided10 gfresh dill, chopped
- 1/3 cup10 gfresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
Steps
- 1
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, 1/4 cup cold water and 1/2 tsp salt.
- 2
Stir in the matzo meal and half the dill until evenly combined.
- 3
Cover and chill the mixture for 30 minutes so the matzo meal hydrates.
- 4
Bring the 3 litres of cooking water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a large pot.
- 5
With wet hands, roll the mixture into 12 walnut-sized balls without packing them tightly.
- 6
Drop the balls into the boiling water, reduce to a steady simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes without lifting the lid.
- 7
Meanwhile, put the chicken broth, 2 cups water, onion, carrots, celery and parsnip in a second pot and bring to a boil.
- 8
Add the chicken breasts, lower the heat and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
- 9
Lift out the chicken, shred it with two forks and return it to the pot.
- 10
Season the soup with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and the black pepper.
- 11
Transfer the cooked matzo balls to the soup with a slotted spoon and simmer together for 5 minutes.
- 12
Serve two matzo balls per bowl, sprinkled with parsley and the remaining dill.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a gluten-free version, use a matzo-style meal or ball mix labelled gluten-free and check that your chicken broth is labelled gluten-free too.
- Swap the chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken thighs for richer, juicier meat that stays tender when reheated.
- If you can't find parsnip, use an extra carrot or a small turnip instead.
- For a traditional, richer flavour, replace the canola oil in the matzo balls with an equal amount of schmaltz (rendered chicken fat).
Storage
Refrigerate within 2 hours, keeping the matzo balls in a separate container from the broth so they don't get soggy, and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the soup and matzo balls together gently until steaming hot; the broth and chicken freeze well for up to 3 months, but the matzo balls can turn dense after freezing.
Make ahead
Make the matzo ball mixture up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or cook the matzo balls and soup a day ahead and store them separately. Reheat the soup, add the matzo balls and simmer until everything is steaming hot.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenEggsCelery
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (1,083 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 352 kcal | 33 kcal |
| Protein | 31.1 g | 2.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30.5 g | 2.8 g |
| of which sugars | 4.1 g | 0.4 g |
| Fiber | 3.2 g | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 11.9 g | 1.1 g |
| of which saturated | 2.4 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 807 mg | 75 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
