Information
Notes
Since some people prefer their chicken soup with noodles, while others like matzo balls, one solution is to serve both. Then you really have the best of both worlds. You can prepare the soup and matzo balls ahead and reheat them when you need them.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken pieces
- 10 cups cold water
- 1 whole onion, peeled
- 2 ribs celery, including leafy tops
- 1 small leek, cleaned and left whole
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ½ pound carrots, sliced
- My Mother?s Matzo Balls
- 1 cup very fine noodles (soup noodles)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or Italian parsley
Directions
1. Combine chicken, water, onion, celery, leek, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Skim thoroughly. Partially cover and simmer 1½ hours, skimming occasionally. Add carrots and simmer about 15 minutes or until tender. Skim off excess fat. Add pepper. Refrigerate soup. Thoroughly skim fat from soup.
2. Prepare matzo balls. Then, skim fat again from soup. Discard onion, celery, bay leaf and leek. Reheat to a simmer. Cover and keep hot.
3. Cook noodles in a large pan of boiling salted water about 7 minutes or until just tender. Drain well.
4. Add dill to soup. For each serving, remove 2 or 3 matzo balls from their cooking liquid with a slotted spoon, add them to soup bowls and ladle hot soup over them. Add noodles and a few carrot slices to each bowl. Serve hot.