Nothing signifies the end of summer and the onset of cooler weather quite like a big pot of chicken soup on the stove. The aroma fills the entire house, and the soup is the perfect comfort food. Add some delicious matzah balls to the mix, and you have a truly soul-satisfying meal. Just serve it with a green salad and enjoy!

Chicken and Matzah Ball Soup

For the matzah balls ~


4 eggs


3 tablespoons oil


1 cup matzah meal


1/3 cup chicken broth


1/3 cup finely ground almonds


1-1/2 teaspoons salt


2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley


1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the soup ~


2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs


3 tablespoons oil


2 medium onions, chopped


2 carrots, chopped


3 leeks, white part only, chopped


2 stalks celery and leaves, chopped


1 small rutabaga, chopped


1 small head green cabbage, cored and shredded


11 cups chicken broth


1 teaspoon dried thyme


3 small bay leaves


Salt and pepper to taste


1 can diced tomatoes

Preparation ~


Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick coating. Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until juices run clear. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add onions, carrots, leeks, celery, rutabaga and cabbage and saute, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.

Add chicken broth, thyme and bay leaves. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Near the end of the 2 hours, slice the roasted chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and add to the soup.

To make the matzah balls, whisk the eggs and oil in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in the matzah meal and then add the broth, almonds, salt, parsley and ginger. Stir to combine, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, use a cookie scoop sprayed with nonstick coating to form balls about 1-1/2″ to 2″ in diameter (or use wet hands to form them).

Reduce the water to a simmer and drop in matzah balls. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Drain well and add to the chicken soup.

Add the diced tomatoes to the soup and remove the bay leaves just before serving.

Yields 24 matzah balls and 8 to 10 servings of soup.

Recipe Notes ~


This unique matzah ball recipe comes from Marlene Sorosky’s Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holiday. The addition of ground almonds and ginger results in a fragrant, flavorful and firm matzah ball that holds up well against this hearty chicken soup.

Source: MyGourmetConnection