Ingredients
Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock:
- 5 pounds chicken bones with some meat on them (backs, necks, wings, etc.)
- 10 cloves garlic, whole
- 6 celery stalks with leaves on, cut into pieces
- 4 carrots, large dice
- 4 medium onions, quartered
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 4 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons whole peppercorn
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
Matzo Balls:
- 1/4 cup seltzer
- 2 tablespoons schmaltz, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- Pinch ground pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup matzo meal
Garnishes:
- Carrot, sliced on the bias
- Celery, sliced on the bias
- Fresh dill, plucked
- Cooked chicken pieces, shredded
- Fresh lemon juice
Directions
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.
1 Video | Photo: Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls Recipe
















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By michellestuart
on March 16, 2013
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Watched this recipe on TV as well, and thought the same thing as the previous reveiwer, I have to make this! I have never tried Matzo ball soup before, but I have made Rachel Ray's chicken and dumpling recipe many times, which is IMO do die for! So I made this soup following the recipe, and it was very dissappoining. The soup is just chicken broth, so it's pretty watery. The Matzo balls taste very eggy, and soggy. I would not make this again. I'm going to use the leftover soup in other recipes that call for chicken broth as a base. I'm sorry to say this is not "The best thing I've ever made." Maybe if I liked matzo balls, or had other matzo soups to compare to, I might think differently about this recipe.
By SBTampa
Clearwater , FL
on February 20, 2013
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I had watched this episode when it was on TV , I thought WOW I have to try this one for sure . Well , today was the day and I followed the recipe and also remembered that Ron said that the Matzo meal needs to be of porridge consistancy . I ended up adding about 3 TBSP more of the seltzer water and the matzo balls were soft and flat , I think perhaps the porridge consistancy needs to be more of a thick oatmeal consistancy . The broth was great .. just the matzo balls were so very dissapointing .
By lillieeast_11743129
Guthrie, OK
on October 15, 2012
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Absolutely divine and so easy to make. So happy to know the secret ingredients! Just like I had years ago!
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