Garden Delish Matzo-Ball Soup with Crispy Chicken Bits

Directions

1. Prepare your chicken by removing all of the skin & chicken fat from container if there is any, and setting it aside for later.

2. Pull apart the legs, wings, and set aside then remove the rest of the meat and shred into large chunks- set aside for later.

3. Prepare your matzo ball base and chill-see below

4. Place a large pot over medium high heat with olive oil and add the chicken skins.

5. Simmer until crispy, then remove and set aside on a paper towel for later.

6. Next, add 1 Tbsp. more olive oil and add the onions, garlic, shallots, celery, carrots, lemongrass and simmer for 2-4 minutes.

7. Then add the remaining chunks of chicken to the pan- about 1 1/2 Cups of shredded chicken and simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the legs and wings, this will add more flavor from the bones.

8. Next add 4 cups of bone broth and 1 ½ -2 Cups of water- (if using chicken broth, you may sub out the water with more stock) enough to cover about an inch or so over the top of the vegetables and meat, about 1 1/2 “ from top of pot.

9. Add the fresh Dill, salt & pepper to the pot and stir to combine.

10. Bring broth to a slow boil, then reduce heat to low and let it cook for about 25-30 minutes-stirring occasionally.

11. Carefully remove the legs and wings from the pot and any bones, the meat should be falling off at this point easily into the pot.

12. Set the bones on a cutting board to cool, then remove any other meat you may want. 

13. Add the rest of your meat to the pot. (Depending on how much meat you want, you can adjust.)

14. Then add more chicken bone broth to the pot, enough to fill the pot back up from what was absorbed.

15. Bring the soup back to a simmer -stirring occasionally for another 15-20 minutes.

16. Chop the cooled chicken skin into smaller pieces and save for garnishing.

Matzo Balls Prep

1. Prepare your matzo balls according to the box while your soup is simmering (timing it about the last 30-45 min), subbing the vegetable oil for chicken fat or schmaltz if you choose-but a good schmaltz makes a huge difference in the taste of your matzo balls!

2. Chill your mixture for 15-20 minutes or according to instructions.

3. When ready, remove your matzo ball mixture from the refrigerator.

4. At this point we recommend boiling the matzo balls in a medium sized pot of water with 1 Tbsp. of Kosher salt first as they tend to act as sponges and will absorb a great deal of soup broth if you cook them in the soup itself.

5. Once the water is at a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and carefully add 1 inch sized matzo balls to the boiling water.

6. Cook for about 20 minutes tightly covered or follow box instructions.

7. Once the matzo balls are finished cooking, remove them from the heat and carefully place them into your soup with a slotted spoon.

Assembly

1. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool for about 5- 10 minutes before serving.

2. When you are ready to serve, remove the lemongrass stalks and discard. Then ladle your vegetables, meat, and 2 matzo balls into a bowl of choice, (at this point you can choose if you want a heartier meal or more broth and matzo balls).

3. Fill up the rest of your bowl with delicious broth and sprinkle fresh chopped dill and chives over each bowl and layer some yummy crispy chicken bits over the top.

4. Mazel Tov!