Uncomplicated, straight from the heart of the cook to the mouth and belly of the diner via the stove, a bowl of matzo balls in chicken soup is a sure-bet comfort food. With chicken in the matzo balls and the homemade “twice-cooked” broth, that simple bowl of comfort food becomes a substantial meal. It is a good idea to make the broth and meatball mixture the day before, so that when you’re ready to eat, there’s not a long wait. Also, that way you can use the fat that congeals on top of the broth, the schmaltz, in place of butter in the matzo balls.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　

Broth

3 pounds chicken backs and wings or other parts

　　1/2 yellow or white onion, halved

　　1 small carrot, cut into large chunks

　　1 rib celery, cut into large chunks

　　3 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

　　2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

　　4 cups chicken broth (page 5)

　　4 cups water, or as needed

　　

Meatballs

2 large eggs

　　1 tablespoon butter or schmaltz, melted

　　6 tablespoons matzo meal

　　1/2 pound ground chicken

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion, white and light green parts

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　

Step 1

To make the rich broth, in a large pot, combine the chicken parts, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, thyme, broth, and water as needed to cover the chicken and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover partially, and cook until the meat is falling off the bones and the broth is well colored, about 2 hours. Remove from the heat, let cool to room temperature, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the contents of the sieve and refrigerate the broth until the fat congeals across the top, at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.

　　

Step 2

To make the meatballs, crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk to mix. Add the butter, matzo meal, chicken, and salt and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

　　

Step 3

To make the soup, skim the fat off the broth. Pour the broth into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. With moist hands, form the chicken mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls and drop them into the boiling broth as you go. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover, and cook until the meatballs rise to the top and are tender all the way through, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 4

To serve, ladle the broth and balls into large individual bowls and garnish each bowl with scallion and parsley. Serve piping hot.

　　Sausage