Creamy Chicken Soup With Matzo Recipes

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients, except the matzo balls, in a large stockpot, cover abundantly with water, and bring to a boil. Skim to remove all the gray scum that will float to the surface, then let cook at a simmer for about 3 hours. Just keep tasting: when the broth tastes golden and chickeny, it's ready. Remove the chicken and, if you like, leave the soup to get cold to you can remove any fat that collects on the surface. That way you can accrue some schmaltz, too.
• Reheat the stock, and serve it as a plain soup, or add a few carrot sticks - from about 2 carrots, say - and cook in the soup, adding some torn-up pieces of chicken to warm through at the end. I like to add freshly chopped parsley. (You can also cook the Matzo Balls in the soup as well while it's heating up again.)
• Whisk the egg in a large-ish bowl, then whisk in the melted schmaltz (or whatever). Carry on whisking as you add the water or soup stock, the matzo meal and salt and pepper, and mix together into a rough paste; if it's too stiff to feel that it might be malleable later, add a little more water. Put in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour (or leave overnight if you wish) then dip out small lumps of paste and roll them into walnut-sized balls between the palms of your hands. Cook the dumplings in boiling, salted water and simmer for about 40 minutes (you can just cook them directly in the soup, but I'll do anything to preserve its unstarchy clearness). They are cooked when they rise to the surface. Add to the soup, and ladle out generously into waiting bowls.

Steps:

• Place chicken and wings in a stockpot; add water, vegetables, herbs and seasonings. Slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1-2 hours., Remove chicken and wings and cool. Strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined colander; reserve vegetables. Skim fat. Remove meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces; discard bones. Return broth, vegetables and meat to pot. If using immediately, skim fat. Or cool broth, then refrigerate 8 hours or overnight; remove fat from surface before using. (Broth may be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen 4-6 months.), Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat matzo ball mix, eggs, oil, chicken fat, dill and parsley until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes., In another stockpot, bring water to a boil. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of matzo ball dough into boiling water. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until a toothpick inserted into a matzo ball comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering), 20-25 minutes., Carefully remove matzo balls from water with a slotted spoon; place 1 matzo ball in each soup bowl. Add soup.

Steps:

• Mix first 4 ingredients until blended. Refrigerate 15 min.
• Meanwhile, heat dressing in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir 6 to 8 min. or until tender. Stir in broth, chicken, carrots, celery, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf and pepper.
• Wet hands and shape matzo dough into 16 (1-inch) balls. Bring soup to boil. Add matzo balls; cover. Simmer 20 min. or until vegetables are tender and matzo balls are cooked through.
• Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese and flour with 1/4 cup hot broth in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually stir cream cheese mixture into soup until blended; cover and simmer 5 min.
• Ladle soup into bowls, placing 2 matzo balls in each. Sprinkle with parsley.

Steps:

• Wipe the chicken with kitchen paper and put in a large saucepan with the giblets. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim away any scum with a large spoon or ladle every few mins for about 30 mins until no more comes to the surface. Crumble in the stock cubes and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and vegetables.
• Bring to the boil again, then reduce the heat to very low. Cover and simmer gently for 3-3 1 /2 hrs.
• Leave the soup to cool a little, then transfer to the fridge overnight.
• Once chilled, the fat from the soup will rise to the top. Save 11 /2 tbsp for the matzo balls and set aside, then use a large spoon to remove as much as you can. Remove the chicken, shred all the meat, then add it back to the pan. Put the soup back on the heat and skim away any remaining fat while you bring it to the boil.
• Meanwhile, make the matzo balls by combining the fat, egg, matzo meal and 1/2 tbsp warm water. Stir into a paste, adding a little more water if needed, then chill for 10-15 mins. Roll into about 12 small balls. Dampen your hands if the mixture is too sticky.
• Drop the matzo balls into the soup for a few mins. Scatter with parsley and serve with challah bread, if you like.