Low Sodium Classic Matzo Ball Soup

Total time3 hr 30 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time2 hr

This soup starts with a whole chicken simmered low and slow alongside carrots, celery, parsnip, onion, and garlic until the broth turns deeply golden and richly flavored, with fresh dill and parsley infusing every spoonful. The chicken gets pulled tender and shredded right back into that broth, joined by freshly cooked carrot coins for sweetness and bite. Pillowy matzo balls, made from a simple mix of matzo meal, eggs, and schmaltz or neutral oil, get chilled until firm, rolled by hand, and gently poached until they're light and fluffy all the way through with no dense center. A little chopped dill folded into the matzo ball mixture echoes the herbs in the broth for a cohesive, comforting bowl. It's the kind of slow-simmered, from-scratch soup that feels like a warm hug, and it holds up beautifully for anyone following an added salt–free approach to eating. Ladled hot with extra dill on top, this is deeply nourishing, old-world comfort food worth making a big batch of.

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the broth

1 whole chicken (3½–4 lb), cut into pieces
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
Carrots Loose Organic Bunch Carrots Grimmway Farms Cut & Peeled Baby Carrots Cal-Organic Farms Baby Carrots, Rainbow, Cut & Peeled Bolthouse Farms Baby-Cut Carrots
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3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, quartered
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small bunch fresh dill (about 6 sprigs)
1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 6 sprigs)
10 whole black peppercorns
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Chef's tip
Season to taste - salt substitutes can taste bitter in larger amounts, so start with less.
10 cups cold water

For the matzo balls

1 cup matzo meal
4 large eggs
¼ cup schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) oil or neutral oil
¼ cup seltzer water or plain water
1 tsp kosher salt
Chef's tip
Season to taste - salt substitutes can taste bitter in larger amounts, so start with less.
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (optional)

For serving

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
fresh dill sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the chicken pieces in a large stockpot and cover with 10 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off any gray foam that rises to the surface during the first 5–10 minutes, until the foam subsides and the liquid runs mostly clear.
2
Add the quartered onion, carrot pieces, celery, parsnip, smashed garlic, dill sprigs, parsley sprigs, peppercorns, and 2 tsp kosher salt. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer — the surface should barely bubble — and cook uncovered for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the broth is deeply golden and fragrant and the chicken is completely cooked through and falling off the bone.

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