Matzo Ball Soup

This Matzo Ball Soup is a classic comfort food, where fluffy matzo balls simmer in a delicately seasoned chicken soup. It’s a staple during Passover, but is also beloved all year long.

Chicken soup is one of those foods that people around the world go to for a pick me up. From Greek Avgolemono to Mexican Caldo, I love them all.

Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo (or Matzah) ball soup is a popular Jewish dish that originated in Eastern Europe. It is commonly eaten during Passover, and because of it’s comforting qualities has come to be referred to as “Jewish Penicillin.”

In this soup, matzo meal, made from crushed unleavened matzo bread, is mixed with fat, eggs and seasonings and formed into dumplings that simmer in chicken broth. Most varieties also include other ingredients like chicken and simple vegetables to bulk the soup up.

Ingredient Notes

• Matzo meal – The base for the matzo balls. You may see “matzo ball mix” in the supermarket, but I am using regular matzo meal for this recipe.
• Eggs – A key binder in the dumplings.
• Fat – The traditional fat used in matzo balls is schmaltz, which is rendered chicken fat. You can also use vegetable oil. Technically, melted butter would work, but then the soup would not be kosher.
• Seltzer water – Not entirely necessary, but it helps make the matzo balls light and fluffy.
• Chicken – I use boneless skinless breasts for this recipe. It keeps things simple. For a bigger pot, you can boil a whole chicken and pick the meat off the bones.
• Chicken broth – Better than Bouillon is my go-to here, but any good quality broth or stock will work.
• Vegetables – Onion, carrot and celery, for an aromatic flavor base.
• Garlic – Because it makes all soups taste better.
• Bay leaves – They add some more flavor depth to the soup.
• Fresh dill – I use this both in the matzo balls and as a garnish for the soup. If you don’t have fresh dill, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon dried dill in the matzo mixture.

How to Make Matzo Ball Soup

First, I mix together the matzo ball ingredients in a large bowl, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (this can be happening while making the chicken soup).

While the matzo mixture is resting, I heat some oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add diced onion, carrot and celery and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Then I stir in garlic and cook for about a minute.

Next, I stir in chicken broth and bay leaves, bring it to a low boil, then add in chicken breasts. I bring it back up to a boil, reduce heat to keep it at a low simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked, I remove it to a cutting board, dice it into ½ inch cubes, then return it to the soup. At this point, I taste and adjust the broth for salt and pepper.

With the broth ready, I remove the matzo mixture from the fridge and roll it into golf ball sized spheres, then gently lower the matzo balls into the broth. I place the lid on the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, until matzo balls are puffed up and cooked through.

Finally, I serve the soup in bowls garnished with more fresh dill.

Recipe Tips

• I tend to prefer my soup on the heartier side, so stick to 6 or 7 cups of chicken broth for this recipe. You can use up to 8 cups if you like a brothier soup.
• I like light, fluffy matzo balls, which remind me of my mom’s chicken and dumplings. If you want them denser, omit the seltzer.
• If you find the mixture sticking to your hands too much, wet hands with a little water or oil.
• Looking for a shortcut? Some nights I use diced up rotisserie chicken.

Leftovers

Storage: Leftover matzo ball soup refrigerates well for about 3 days. I recommend storing the matzo balls in a separate container, as they can have a tendency to soak up a lot of the broth.

Reheating: When ready to enjoy your leftovers, simply reheat in a pan on stovetop over medium to medium-high heat until warmed through. Make sure to check the internal temperature of the matzo balls, as they will take longer to heat up than the broth.

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More comforting international soups:
Pozole Verde
Ukrainian Borscht
Arroz Caldo
Finnish Salmon Soup
Hungarian Goulash
Fasolada

Matzo Ball Soup, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This Matzo Ball Soup is a classic comfort food, where fluffy matzo balls simmer in a delicately seasoned chicken soup. It’s a staple during Passover, but is also beloved all year long.

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Ingredients

Matzo Balls

• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup schmaltz (or vegetable oil)
• ½ cup seltzer water
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Soup

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-8 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and schmaltz or oil. Add in seltzer, matzo meal, salt, pepper and dill. Mix until well combined, then place mixture into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. While the matzo mixture is resting, heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrot and celery and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for about a minute.
3. Stir in chicken broth and bay leaves. Increase heat, bring to a low boil, then add in chicken breasts. Bring back up to a boil, reduce heat to keep at a low simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
4. Remove chicken breasts to a cutting board and dice into ½ inch cubes. Return the chicken to the soup. Taste and adjust broth for salt and pepper.
5. Remove matzo mixture from the fridge and roll into golf ball sized spheres. Note: If you find the mixture sticking to your hands too much, wet hands with a little water or oil. Gently lower the matzo balls into the broth.
6. Place the lid on the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, until matzo balls are puffed up and cooked through.
7. Serve in bowls garnished with more fresh dill.

Notes

• Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat and gives the most authentic flavor. If it is unavailable, vegetable oil can be used as a substitute.
• Be sure to use regular matzo meal, as opposed to matzo ball mix.
• If you want denser matzo balls, omit the seltzer.
• I tend to prefer my soup on the heartier side, so stick to 6 or 7 cups of chicken broth for this recipe. You can use up to 8 cups if you like a brothier soup.
• Looking for a shortcut? Use diced up rotisserie chicken.
• Storage: Leftover matzo ball soup refrigerates well for about 3 days. I recommend storing the matzo balls in a separate container, as they can have a tendency to soak up a lot of the broth.
• Reheating: When ready to enjoy your leftovers, simply reheat in a pan on stovetop over medium to medium-high heat until warmed through. Make sure to check the internal temperature of the matzo balls, as they will take longer to heat up than the broth.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 477Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 193mgSodium 1364mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 34g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.