Passover Chicken Matzo Balls (Kneidlach)
There is nothing I love more than a full table at Passover. In our home, Passover carries two traditions. Mine is Ashkenazi, where chicken matzo ball soup is the heart of the seder. Joan’s is Sephardic, where that is not the custom at all. This year, on the first night, we honored Joan’s tradition and served no matzo ball soup.
As the days went on, I found myself missing it. By the end of the holiday, I could not resist. I like to joke that I felt so liberated this Passover that I finally felt free enough to invent a brand-new matzo ball recipe of my own.
I made my chicken soup the way I always do, from wings and drumettes. The dark meat that flavors the broth is usually forgotten once the pot is done, but this time I could not leave it behind. I pulled it from the bones, chopped it fine, and folded it into the matzo meal with a generous handful of fresh dill.
What came out were not quite matzo balls and not quite meatballs, but something new, poached in the very broth their meat had flavored. The humble scraps that had given their best to the soup came back as the centerpiece of the meal. The ordinary, given a little care, had become extraordinary.
That is the story of Passover in a single bowl. The Torah calls matzo lechem oni, the bread of affliction baked in haste as we fled Egypt. Yet that poor bread became the most sacred food of an enduring holiday. The plain was made holy and the overlooked was lifted up. Passover is z’man cheiruteinu, the season of our freedom. Freedom is not only leaving Egypt behind, it is also the courage to make something new.
This year, when you sit down to your seder, save the meat from your soup, fold it in with dill and care, and taste for yourself how the ordinary can always become extraordinary.
Chag Pesach Sameach.
Passover Chicken Matzo Balls (Kneidlach)
Makes about 18 matzo balls, Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
For the Chicken Soup and Broth
- 2 to 3 pounds chicken wings and drumettes
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks (optional)
- A few sprigs of fresh dill, parsley, rosemary, and thyme (see Cook’s Note)
- Salt and black pepper
- Water to cover, about 3 to 4 quarts
Cook’s Note. I like to tie my herbs, the dill, rosemary, and thyme, in a cheesecloth bag before they go into the pot. That way they give all their flavor to the broth and can be lifted out easily at the end, without leaving a lot of loose leaves behind.
For the Matzo Balls
- The picked dark chicken meat, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups, finely chopped
- An equal amount of matzo meal, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups, so the mix is half and half
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) or neutral oil
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm chicken broth, as needed to bind
- 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Make the chicken soup
Put the wings, drumettes, carrots, celery, onion, parsnip, and a few sprigs of dill and parsley in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 2 hours, skimming as needed, until the broth is golden and full of flavor. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pick the dark meat
Lift the chicken out of the pot and let it cool enough to handle. Pull all the tender dark meat off the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Strain and reserve the broth.
- Make the matzo balls
Finely chop the dark meat and place it in a bowl. Add an equal amount of matzo meal so the mixture is half meat and half meal. Fold in the beaten eggs, schmaltz, fresh dill, salt, and pepper, adding a little warm broth until the mixture just holds together. Cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes so it firms up.
- Roll the balls
With wet hands, roll the mixture into balls about 1 and 1/2 inches across. You should have about 18. Wetting your hands between each one keeps them smooth and easy to shape.
- Set them (optional)
For matzo balls that hold their shape beautifully, arrange them in a foil pan and place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. You can also skip straight to poaching if you prefer them softer.
- Poach in the broth
Bring the reserved broth back to a gentle simmer. Add the matzo balls, cover, and poach for 30 to 40 minutes, until cooked through and tender. Serve each bowl of hot broth with a matzo ball or two, a piece of carrot, and a sprig of fresh dill.
Shopping List
Produce
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Parsnip
- Fresh dill
- Fresh parsley
Meat
- Chicken wings and drumettes
Pantry
- Matzo meal
- Eggs
- Schmaltz or neutral oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
Addition Readings:
For readers who would like to sit a little longer with the ideas behind this dish, here are a few wonderful places to explore.
- Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:3. The Torah calls matzo lechem oni, the bread of affliction, the plain and poor bread eaten so that we remember the day we came out of Egypt all the days of our lives.
- Shemot (Exodus) 12:39. The Israelites baked unleavened cakes from the dough they carried out of Egypt, because they were thrust out and could not tarry. The humblest bread became the bread of freedom.
- Kneidlach, the Ashkenazi matzo ball. A beloved dumpling whose Yiddish name comes from the German Knodel. Generations of Jewish cooks have stretched a little into a lot and let nothing go to waste.
- Moroccan and Sephardic Passover. In many Sephardic homes, matzo ball soup is not part of the seder at all. Moroccan Jews close the holiday with Mimouna, a joyful night of sweets like mufleta that welcomes the return to everyday bread. For more, see Matzo to Moufleta on Breaking Matzo.
May your seder be filled with family, freedom, gratitude, and an abundance of blessings.
