Traditional Jewish chicken soup, affectionately referred to as “Jewish penicillin,” is built on a slow simmer of a whole chicken, root vegetables, and fresh herbs to create a clear, golden, and deeply restorative broth.
Paired with soft matzo balls, this classic dish offers an authentic, comforting meal for eight servings.
Recipe Overview and Timings
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Servings: 8 servings
- Difficulty Level: Medium
Complete Ingredients List
Achieving the classic restorative profile of this dish requires specific ingredients for both the broth base and the matzo balls.
Ingredients for the Chicken Soup Base
- Whole Chicken: 1 whole chicken, weighing approximately 1.5 to 2 kilograms.
- Cold Water: 2 quarts of cold water, or enough to completely submerge the chicken.
- Carrots: 8 medium carrots, peeled and sliced.
- Celery: 2 stalks of celery, chopped.
- Parsnip: 1 large parsnip, chopped, which is essential for imparting a subtle, classic sweet undertone.
- Yellow Onion: 1 medium yellow onion, quartered, keeping the papery yellow skins on.
- Garlic: 3 cloves of garlic, crushed.
- Fresh Dill: 1 large bunch of fresh dill, chopped.
- Seasoning: Salt and black pepper added to taste.
Ingredients for the Matzo Balls
- Matzo Meal: 2.5 cups of matzo meal.
- Eggs: 6 large eggs.
- Fat: 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil, or rendered chicken fat (schmaltz) if available.
- Salt: 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Warm Broth: 1/4 cup of prepared chicken broth, taken directly from the warm soup pot.
Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
Step 1: Simmering the Soup Base
- Arrange the Chicken: Place the whole chicken breast-side down in a large stockpot.
- Add Water and Vegetables: Pour in the cold water until it sits roughly 3 inches below the rim of the pot. Add the sliced carrots, chopped celery, chopped parsnip, quartered yellow onion, chopped fresh dill, salt, and black pepper.
- Bring to a Gentle Simmer: Place the stockpot over medium heat until it reaches a gentle simmer. Avoid letting the liquid boil rapidly, as rapid boiling will cloud the clear broth.
- Simmer and Skim: Partially cover the pot with its lid and let it simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any foam or scum that floats to the surface frequently.
- Add Garlic and Finish Cooking: Stir in the 3 crushed garlic cloves, partially cover the stockpot again, and simmer for another 2 hours. Cook until the chicken becomes tender and begins pulling away from the bone.
Step 2: Preparing and Chilling the Matzo Ball Mix
- Whisk Wet Base: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 6 large eggs, 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil or schmaltz, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/4 cup of warm chicken broth taken from the pot.
- Combine Matzo Meal: Add the 2.5 cups of matzo meal to the bowl and stir until fully combined.
- Refrigerate: Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. This resting period allows the matzo meal to hydrate and firm up properly.
Step 3: Rolling and Boiling the Matzo Balls
- Boil Water: Bring a separate large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Form Spheres: Wet your hands with cold water to prevent the mixture from sticking. Scoop up portions of the chilled matzo mixture and gently roll them into approximately 16 golf-ball-sized spheres.
- Boil Covered: Drop the rolled spheres carefully into the boiling water. Tightly cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer.
- Simmer Undisturbed: Cook the matzo balls for 35 minutes without opening the lid, allowing them to swell up fully.
Step 4: Straining, Assembling, and Serving
- Process the Chicken: Remove the whole chicken from the pot. Strip away and discard the skin and bones, then shred or dice the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Strain the Liquid: Pour the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. You can return the cooked carrots and celery to the broth, or discard them if you prefer a completely clear liquid.
- Reheat Base: Return the strained broth and diced chicken meat to the stockpot to stay warm.
- Combine and Serve: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked matzo balls out of their cooking pot and place them directly into the hot chicken soup. Ladle the soup and matzo balls into deep bowls, garnish with additional fresh dill, and serve immediately.
Essential Pro Tips
- Natural Golden Tint: Leaving the clean, papery yellow onion skins attached to the quartered onion while simmering naturally colors the broth a rich amber hue.
- Overnight Flavor Enhancement: The flavor profile improves significantly when prepared a day ahead. Refrigerating the strained broth overnight allows the fat layer (schmaltz) on top to harden, making it easy to skim off and use for rolling exceptionally flavorful matzo balls the next day.
