If you’ve never had a matzo ball, allow me to introduce you to them. They are essentially Jewish cuisine’s equivalent to a Southern dumpling. The story goes that the recipe originated in Germany and Austria at in the mid 1800s. And they are pillows of delight when floating or sinking in a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Mine are the best of both worlds where the balls are fluffy on the outside with a slight bite on the inside but what sets them apart is by using two secret ingredients: ginger ale for flair and Better Than Bouillon for the most flavorful and practical broth. So get your hands ready and get ready to roll some balls in this classic matzo ball soup which is also known as “Jewish Penicillin.”
Watch The Video!
Make The Matzo Ball Mixture
Roll the Matzo Balls
Prep the Broth
Make The Soup
Cook the Matzo Balls
Chicken, Noodles, or Both?
The Best Matzo Ball Soup
If you've never had a matzo ball, allow me to introduce you to them. They are essentially Jewish cuisine's equivalent to a Southern dumpling. The story goes that the recipe originated in Germany and Austria at in the mid 1800s. And they are pillows of delight when floating or sinking in a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Mine are the best of both worlds where the balls are fluffy on the outside with a slight bite on the inside but what sets them apart is by using two secret ingredients: ginger ale for flair and Better Than Bouillon for the most flavorful and practical broth. So get your hands ready and get ready to roll some balls in this classic matzo ball soup which is also known as "Jewish Penicillin."
Ingredients
The Matzo Balls
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil or schmaltz (rendered chicken fat, melted but at room temp)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt or kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white (preferred) or black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup ginger ale or seltzer (see Jeff's Tips)
- 1/8 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
- 1 1/4 cup matzo meal (not to be confused with matzo ball mix)
The Soup
- 8 cups chicken broth (I use 8 cups water + 8 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base)
- 8 ounces baby carrots, sliced in 1/4-inch disks
- 3 ribs celery sliced into 1/4-inch pieces, with the leafy tops of the stalks reserved
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh dill
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley (see Jeff's Tips_
To Add Chicken and/or Noodles
- Meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, ripped up by hand
- Egg noodles of your choice, cooked according to package instructions
Instructions
- Make the Matzo Balls: In a large mixing bowl, combine all the matzo ball ingredients except for the matzo meal. Beat lightly with a fork. Then, add the matzo meal and mix with the fork until it can course through the mixture, with some friction. Pop the matzo ball mixture in the fridge, uncovered, for 1 hour to chill and set.
- Set up three stations: a small bowl with a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil, the chilled matzo bill mixture, and a large dinner plate. Dip your finger tips in the vegetable oil, which will prevent the matzo ball mixture from sticking to your fingers. Then, pinch some of the mazto ball mixture into your fingers and roll into a ball that'a the size of a ping pong ball and place on the plate. Repeat the process until you've rolled all of the mixture into matzo balls. You should have about 14 when done.(NOTE: If they seem small, don't worry! They will expand to twice their size once cooked!)
- Make the Soup: Set a large burner on the stove to high. In an 8-quart soup pot, combine the broth, carrots, celery, dill, seasoned salt, lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and dried parsley. Once bubbling, carefully drop the matzo balls in one-by-one and then reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid for 20 minutes. Once done, the matzo balls will have expanded and will be fully cooked! Kill the heat.
- If adding the shredded rotisserie chicken, add it now along with the reserved leafy tops from the celery. Ladle into bowls and add separately cooked egg noodles, if desired.
Jeffrey's Tips
I think these matzo balls are absolutely perfect as is as they have a melt-in-your-mouth fluffy outside and a slightly firm inside, for even fluffier matzo balls, add up to 1/2 cup total of seltzer and ginger ale.
If you want to use fresh parsley instead of dried, add about 1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh parsley when adding the reserved leafy tops fo the celery in Step when adding the optional chicken.
Making matzo balls is a bit of a science and all based on a matter of texture preference. You can absolutely feel free to use less matzo meal and more ginger ale or seltzer, if you desire. OR feel free to season them up differently! Perhaps with curry powder? (I like the way I think sometimes). Either way, have fun! Experiment! Play ball!
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