Chicken soup is a staple in Jewish cuisine. While chicken soup can be served with noodles or rice, during Passover we serve it with matzoh balls.
Author: Sharyn Glasser Lantzman
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 4 hrs
Total time: 4 hrs 30 mins
Serves: 20
Soup Ingredients
- 6 lb pullet, washed under cold running water, fat removed, cut up
- 1 small parsnip, peeled, halved
- 3 stalks celery, halved
- 2 onions, peeled, sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled, halved
- 3 springs parsley, stems removed
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
- 2 cups tiny noodles, cooked
- 2 gallons water
Matzo Balls Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 2 Tbsp. soup broth or water
- 1 tsp. salt (optional)
- 6 cups cold water
Soup Instructions
- Put chicken into deep soup kettle.
- Add water.
- Heat to boil slowly; use slotted spoon to skim off any scum that appears.
- Add parsnip, celery, carrots, onions, parsley and 1 tsp. salt.
- Simmer uncovered for four hours, adding more water if needed.
- Remove from heat; strain through colander.
- Then strain liquid through triple thickness of cheesecloth set in wire strainer.
- Refrigerate liquid covered until fat solidifies.
- Remove every globule of fat from top of soup until only a clear gold liquid remains.
- Add matzo balls. (See below for recipe)
- Cover tightly.
- Heat to simmer 30-40 minutes.
- Taste for Salt.
- Meanwhile, allow vegetables and chicken to cool. When cool, remove meat from chicken; cut into small shreds or pieces. Cut carrots into round slices. Discard bones, skin and other vegetables.
- Serve soup with noodles, carrot and pieces of chicken as cold victims begin to recover.
Matzo Ball Instructions
- In a bowl, bet eggs, add oil, matzo meal and salt. Blend together.
- Add soup broth or water and mix until uniform.
- Cover and Chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Remove chilled matzo balls mixture from refrigerator.
- Moisten hands and form batter into matzo balls, approximately 1/2 inch – 1 inch in diameter.
- Add matzo balls to soup and (return to step 10 – above)
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