Best Matzo Balls Recipes

MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Whisk together the egg yolks, chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley, and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.
• Form balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands, or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into simmering chicken stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in chicken soup.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic and seasonings in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove 2 of the chickens and allow to cool slightly. Remove the breast meat from both chickens and set aside. Return the remaining chicken and carcasses to the pot and continue simmering, uncovered, for 3 more hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and chill. Remove the surface fat, then reheat the stock as follows, or pack in containers and freeze.
• To serve the soup, return the stock to the pot and reheat, adding the diced carrots, celery, dill and parsley. Shred the reserved chicken breast meat into large pieces and add to the stock. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to cook the vegetables and reheat the chicken. Season to taste and serve as is, or ladle each serving over 1 or 2 warm matzo balls.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup chicken stock, chicken fat, parsley and salt. Stir in the matzo meal. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Whisk them into the matzo mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.
• Bring a pot of chicken stock to a simmer (about 3 quarts). Form matzo balls the size of golf balls by shaping them with 2 spoons, rolling them with your hands or scooping them with a small ice cream scoop. Drop them into the simmering stock and cook for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked and puffed, turning once. Remove and serve hot in the chicken soup.

KOSHER PERFECT MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Follow these instructions carefully.
• Measure and mix dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Individually break the eggs into a clear glass, discarding any with blood spots, and then pour into a second bowl.
• Add oil or schmaltz (and water or broth for firm matzo balls) to the eggs and stir gently with a fork until the yolks are broken and the oil just mixed.
• Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture and gently mix with the fork.
• DO NOT OVER MIX.
• Treat it like a muffin mixture; if you over mix they will be tough.
• Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on the stove.
• After matzo ball mix has set, gently remove teaspoon fulls of the batter and roll into 1-2" balls and drop into the water.
• When all the balls are in the water leave it to boil until all the balls float to the top, then lower the temperature to a rolling simmer for 40 minutes and your matzo balls will be ready.
• DO NOT STIR AT ANY TIME.
• The matzo balls may be removed from the water with a slotted spoon and served in soup, with a stew, as a side dish with gravy or placed on a cookie sheet and frozen covered for a later use.

KOSHER CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• To make the soup on the stovetop, combine chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and 3 quarts water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for at least five hours. Skim the surface of the soup occasionally to remove any foam that develops.
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth; discard vegetables. Strain the broth, cool, and refrigerate overnight. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the chicken meat from the bones, and chop or shred the meat; cover and refrigerate.
• To make the soup in a pressure cooker, add chicken, onions, celery, carrots, dill, bay leaf, and water to the pressure cooker as directed in step 1, seal the pressure cooker, and bring it up to full pressure. Reduce the heat, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop naturally. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain the broth; discard vegetables. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from bones as directed in step 2.
• Combine vegetable oil, eggs, basil, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper in a bowl; mix well. Stir in the matzo meal, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Bring at least 3 quarts of water, or as needed, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large pot. Using wet hands, gently shape the matzo mixture into balls about 2 inches across and drop them in the boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Skim the fat off the chilled chicken broth and place broth in a pot over medium heat. Add salt to taste and the reserved cooked chicken, if desired (see Cook's Note). Transfer the cooked matzo balls to the chicken soup and heat to serve.

MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Beat the eggs, oil, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Fold in the matzo meal and mix until fully incorporated. Store the mixture, covered, in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight.
• Boil 12 cups of water in a 4 to 5-quart saucepan. With greased hands, roll the batter into about 12 balls, a little smaller than ping-pong ball size, and drop into the boiling water. After about 5 minutes the matzo balls will begin to rise to the top of the water, and you can stir them gently. Boil until doubled in size, about 15 minutes total.
• Serve in chicken soup or use as a dumpling for other soups. Cooked matzo balls may be stored in the refrigerator, covered in water, up to 3 days.

FLUFFY MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Whisk eggs, chicken broth, olive oil, parsley, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Fold in matzo meal until thoroughly mixed.
• Cover and refrigerate until matzo mixture softens into a soft dough, 3 hours to overnight.
• Roll matzo mixture gently into 12 golf-sized balls, moistening hands if dough is too sticky.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add matzo balls; cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

GREEN CHICKEN SOUP WITH DILL MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• For the soup:
• Place chicken, celery, carrots, onions, fennel, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley and dill with stems in a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 1". Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, partially covered, skimming off any foam that accumulates, until chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, about 1 1/2-2 hours.
• While the soup is simmering, make the matzo balls: Using a fork, mix together the eggs, oil, matzo meal, seltzer water, dill, and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and keep water at a simmer.
• Moisten your hands with water. Scoop out a rounded tablespoonful of chilled matzo ball batter and very gently pat into a 1" ball (avoid squeezing too hard or rolling too much). Drop into simmering water and repeat with remaining batter. Cover pot and gently simmer until matzo balls are tender and puffed, 40-45 minutes. Drain matzo balls and return to the pot; cover and keep in a warm place.
• Remove chicken and vegetables from the chicken broth with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board; let rest until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Return the strained broth to the pot. Using your fingers, remove chicken meat from bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Slice vegetables into bite-size pieces. Place chicken and vegetables in broth, cover pot, and set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
• To serve, add kale to broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale softens, 3-5 minutes. Season soup generously with salt and pepper.
• Divide matzo balls among bowls and ladle soup on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and dill before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Matzo balls can be cooled to room temperature, then stored, covered, in the fridge up to 1 day. Soup can be made until just before adding kale, cooled to room temperature, then stored in a covered container in the fridge up to 1 day. Reheat, then add kale and simmer for a few minutes before serving.

GOOSE-MATZO BALLS WITH DRIED GINGER AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Crumble matzos, mix in other ingredients slowly, rolling dough into squash-ballsize balls. Place in salted, boiling water with salted goose meat and vegetables.

MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the margarine and eggs until well blended. Combine the matzo meal and salt; lightly stir into the egg mixture until the liquid is absorbed, and the meal is damp. Gradually mix in the water so that the mixture holds together, but is not too wet. Cover and refrigerate while bringing the water to a boil.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. When the water is at a full boil, remove the matzo mixture from the refrigerator. Using wet hands, shape spoonfuls of the dough into balls. Do not pack the balls together too tightly.
• Drop balls into the boiling water, and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from water and serve in soup or cold milk. Do not let the matzo balls sit out too long, or they will harden.

QUICK & EASY MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients until well blended; cover. Refrigerate 30 min.
• Shape evenly into 18 balls, each about 1 inch in diameter, using moistened hands. Add to large pot of boiling salted water; cover.
• Cook 30 min. or until matzo balls are cooked through; drain.

JOAN NATHAN'S MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Mix the chicken fat or vegetable oil with the eggs, salt, nutmeg, ginger, matzo meal and parsley together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Take the matzo mix out of the refrigerator and, after dipping your hands into a bowl of cold water, gently form balls the size of large walnuts. Add the salt to the water and drop in the balls.
• Simmer slowly, covered, for about 20 minutes, remove from water with a slotted spoon, and add to the soup.

ANGEL FAMILY CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Place raw chicken in a large stockpot.
• Add parsnips, carrots, celery, onion, dill, and parsley to the stockpot; cover with water, and boil until the chicken is 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) or begins to fall apart, about 1 hour.
• Remove chicken from the stock and set aside for another use.
• Whisk together eggs and oil in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Add matzo meal to the bowl with eggs and oil, stirring until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Remove matzo mixture from the refrigerator and gently hand-roll into 1 inch balls. Be careful not to over-roll as this can make the matzo balls tough.
• In a separate pot, heat chicken stock. Place matzo balls into the stock and simmer until they are soft, at least 1 hour.
• Transfer the matzo balls into the soup pot with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, place pieces of the roasted chicken into soup bowls and ladle the chicken soup with matzo balls over it. Enjoy!

FLUFFY MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks. Add chicken fat, salt and pepper, and beat well. Set aside.
• Fold matzo meal into egg whites gently, preserving as much air as possible. Fold egg yolk mixture into batter, still preserving as much air as possible. Refrigerate batter 30-60 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt (more than you would use for pasta). Using wet hands, divide batter into 12 portions and form each into a rough ball. Drop into pot.
• When all 12 balls are in the pot, and the water has returned to the boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, turning matzo balls over in the water once. Turn off heat and allow to remain in the hot water for 60 minutes more. Serve in hot soup (or refrigerate up to 2 days, reheating in the soup before serving).

LEEK AND GINGER MATZO BALLS IN LEMONGRASS CONSOMMé

Steps:

• For consommé:
• Place chicken in extra-large pot. Add next 7 ingredients, then enough cold water to cover (about 18 cups). Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup 2 hours, skimming impurities from surface. Let stand 30 minutes. Strain consommé into large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 8 cups, if necessary. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled (fat will form solid layer on top).
• For matzo balls:
• Whisk 4 eggs in medium bowl. Mix in leek, chicken fat, broth, coarse salt, ginger, and pepper. Stir in matzo meal. Cover; chill at least 4 hours.
• Using wet hands, shape generous 2 tablespoons matzo mixture into balls. Place on sheet of foil. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Drop in matzo balls; cover pot. Reduce heat to low; simmer until matzo balls are cooked through, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls in single layer to shallow dish. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Rewarm consommé. Add more lemon juice by teaspoonfuls, if desired. Add matzo balls; simmer to reheat, 5 to 10 minutes. Divide matzo balls and consommé among 6 bowls. Garnish with chopped chives.
• What to drink:
• A fragrant white wine would be great with the consommé. We like the Yarden 2007 Gewürztraminer, a kosher wine made in Israel ($18).

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• For the chicken stock: Place the chicken bones, garlic, celery, carrots, onions, parsley, salt, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves in a 10-quart or larger pressure cooker. Pour in about 16 cups water to just cover ingredients by 1 inch. Add more water if necessary but do not fill more than two-thirds of the pot. Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure according to manufacturer's instructions. (If the cooker has two levels of pressure, cook on the lowest.) Adjust the heat to maintain pressure, and cook for 45 minutes.
• Let the pressure subside by itself (natural method), or if in a rush, run cold water over the lid for a few minutes.
• Strain the liquid through a colander lined with layers of cheesecloth. Discard the solids.
• Cool uncovered and refrigerate overnight until the fat floats and solidifies. Remove the fat and save a small amount for matzo balls.
• Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days. Important to bring to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute before using. Freeze up to 6 months.
• For the matzo balls: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the seltzer, schmaltz, salt, pepper and eggs. Then in a separate bowl, add the baking soda to the matzo meal and mix together. Next, add the matzo meal mixture into the egg mixture while stirring to a loose consistency. It will look watery, like a loose porridge. If it becomes too thick, either don't add the full amount of matzo meal or add a bit more seltzer. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Fill a large pot with water and salt and bring to a simmer. With wet hands, roll out balls and gently drop to the water. Simmer until tender, light and fluffy in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. (To test centers, insert a toothpick, which should slide easily all the way through.) Allow to cool in the water undisturbed. Refrigerate in the cooking liquid or transfer to chicken soup.
• Serve with assorted garnishes.

GONDI (PERSIAN "MATZO BALLS" WITH CHICKPEAS AND CHICKEN)

Steps:

• To make the matzo balls, puree the onions in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl, and whisk in the egg, garlic, cardamom, turmeric, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and several grinds of pepper. Mix in the chickpea flour and chicken to form a thick paste. Cover and store the dough in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours, to firm up.
• Wet your hands with cold water and break off walnut-size pieces of the dough. Roll them into smooth balls, to make a total of 30 balls.
• In a large stockpot, bring the 12 cups stock and 2 teaspoons sea salt to a rapid boil. Carefully drop the dumplings into the stock. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes without opening the pot. When ready, the gondi will be firm in the center. Remove them with a slotted spoon. The cooking stock can be strained and used for the soup broth, or reserved for another use.
• In a second stockpot, combine the 8 cups stock, carrot, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Pierce the limes several times with a fork and add them to the stock along with their soaking water. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice just before serving. Divide the gondi among soup bowls, ladle the broth over the top, and serve.

SPRING CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Cook broth:
• Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating them to remove all sand and grit, then lift out and transfer to an 8-quart stockpot.
• Add all remaining broth ingredients to pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, 3 hours.
• Make matzo balls:
• Stir together matzo meal, parsley, dill, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl.
• Work rendered chicken fat into mixture with your fingers until incorporated, then stir in 1/2 cup broth from chicken and yolks. Mixture will be stiff.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl until they just form soft peaks.
• Stir one-third of egg whites into matzo mixture to lighten, and then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Chill, covered, 30 minutes. If after being chilled, the matzo mixture is still not firm, add 1 tablespoon additional matzo meal.
• Finish soup:
• Transfer chicken from broth to a cutting board to cool. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken into shreds, discarding skin and bones.
• Remove carrots from broth and once cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Line a large sieve with a double layer of dampened paper towels. Pour broth through sieve into a 5-to 6-quart pot, pressing hard on and discarding solids. Return broth to a simmer.
• With dampened hands, gently form chilled matzo mixture into roughly 1-inch balls, gently dropping them into simmering soup as formed (this should yield about 20 matzo balls; moisten hands as necessary to prevent sticking).
• Simmer matzo balls, covered, until just cooked through, about 45 minutes (To test: Halve one matzo ball. It should have a uniformly moist interior; if uncooked, it will be dry in the center).
• Stir carrots and chicken into hot soup to warm through before serving.
• Garnish with dill sprigs.

CELERY AND PARSNIP SOUP WITH GREEN ONION-DILL MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Melt margarine in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add next 5 ingredients. Cover; cook 10 minutes. Add 6 cups stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth, adding celery leaves to each batch. Return to pot. Thin with more broth, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill until cold. Cover; keep chilled.)
• Rewarm soup. Serve with Green Onion-Dill Matzo Balls.

SAFFRON CHICKEN BROTH WITH SPINACH MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• For saffron chicken broth:
• Bring all ingredients to boil in very large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain broth into another pot. Spoon 1/4 cup fat from top of broth and place in medium bowl; add 1/4 cup broth. Cool fat mixture and reserve for matzo balls. Remove enough meat from chicken wings to measure 1 generous cup. Finely mince chicken; reserve for matzo balls. Chill remaining broth until ready to use. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)
• For matzo balls:
• Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper into chicken fat mixture. Mix in matzo meal, then spinach and reserved minced chicken. Cover and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Bring large pot of generously salted water to boil. Using wet hands and about 2 tablespoons for each, shape matzo mixture into 16 balls; drop into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to 13x9x2-inch dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.)
• Skim any fat from top of broth; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked matzo balls; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Ladle broth and 2 matzo balls into each of 8 bowls and serve.

GREEN ONION-DILL MATZO BALLS

Steps:

• Melt chicken fat in small skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté 30 seconds. Set aside. Whisk eggs and all remaining ingredients in medium bowl to blend well. Stir in onion mixture. Cover; chill at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
• Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Drop matzo ball mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto foil, forming 16 mounds. Using wet hands, shape into balls; drop into pot. Cover; boil matzo balls until very tender, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer matzo balls to shallow dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Steam 15 minutes to rewarm.)