Roasted Chicken Soup with Perfect Matzoh Balls
Good chicken soup doesn’t start on the stovetop — it starts in the oven. This is a two-step chicken soup, beginning with a deeply flavoured roasted chicken stock, followed by the soup itself. Roasting the bones and vegetables before simmering gives the stock a rich, golden colour and a depth of flavour you simply can’t get otherwise.It does take a little extra time, but none of it is complicated, and every step is worth it. This is the kind of soup that tastes like it’s been cared for — comforting, clear, and built on flavour from the very beginning.
Ingredients
- 12 cups roasted chicken stock, (recipe below)
- 1 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 4 pounds chicken bones , (backs, feet, ribs, wings, necks)
- 2 medium onions , peeled and quartered
- 2 large parsnips , peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
- 4 large carrots , peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
- 2 stalks celery, , (with leaves), cut into 2-inch lengths
- 2 stems parsley , (not the leaves)
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, or 1/2 tablespoon Mortons Kosher salt
- cooked Matzoh balls, (recipe coming soon)
- fresh dill or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Start the soup base. Pour the roasted chicken stock into a large stockpot. Add the chicken bones and the cut-up chicken. Bring to a boil.
- Skim. Reduce heat to low. Using a slotted spoon, skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
- Add aromatics. Add onions, parsnips carrots, celery, parsley stems, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt. Partially cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar so steam can escape.
- Simmer. Simmer gently for 2 hours.
- Strain. Strain the soup through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a clean pot. Reserve the cooked carrots to serve in the finished soup.
- Shred the chicken. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones from the breasts and thighs and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bones, skin, and remaining vegetables.
- Chill overnight. Refrigerate the reserved carrots and shredded chicken in a covered container. Let the strained soup cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the fat. The next day, lift off the hardened fat from the top. Save it for the matzoh balls.
- Finish and serve. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Add the reserved carrots and chicken, plus cooked matzoh balls, and simmer for about 5 minutes to warm through. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley and/or dill.
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