flipChicken Broth with Matzo Balls (Kneidlach)
Chicken Broth with Matzo Balls (Kneidlach)
Why this dish? Golda described a simple, traditional Eastern European cuisine, inherited from Ukraine and the kibbutz, with roast chicken as a festive dish. Chicken broth — 'Jewish penicillin' — is the daily foundation, thrifty: you get broth, meat, and fat for the whole week.
A clear, comforting broth, golden from chicken fat, perfumed with dill, in which soft matzo balls (kneidlach) float. The ultimate comfort food of Ashkenazi kitchens.
When someone was tired, sick, or just sad, I made chicken soup — there's no better remedy, believe me. We kept everything: the meat for the next day, the yellow fat on top that you never throw away, and with a little matzo meal we rolled light dumplings. The secret is not to overwork them and let them swim gently, never at a rolling boil. It's a poor man's soup, and it's the richest I know.
- •Hen (with giblets) — one (broth and meat)
- •Onion, carrot, celery — what you have (aromatics)
- •Dill, parsley — a bunch (flavor)
- •Chicken fat (schmaltz) — a spoonful (dumplings)
- •Matzo meal — a measure (dumplings)
- •Eggs — a few (bind dumplings)
Chicken Broth with Matzo Balls (Kneidlach)
A clear, comforting broth, golden from chicken fat, perfumed with dill, in which soft matzo balls (kneidlach) float. The ultimate comfort food of Ashkenazi kitchens.
Why this dish? Golda described a simple, traditional Eastern European cuisine, inherited from Ukraine and the kibbutz, with roast chicken as a festive dish. Chicken broth — 'Jewish penicillin' — is the daily foundation, thrifty: you get broth, meat, and fat for the whole week.
When someone was tired, sick, or just sad, I made chicken soup — there's no better remedy, believe me. We kept everything: the meat for the next day, the yellow fat on top that you never throw away, and with a little matzo meal we rolled light dumplings. The secret is not to overwork them and let them swim gently, never at a rolling boil. It's a poor man's soup, and it's the richest I know.
Ingredients (period version)
- Hen (with giblets) — one (broth and meat)
- Onion, carrot, celery — what you have (aromatics)
- Dill, parsley — a bunch (flavor)
- Chicken fat (schmaltz) — a spoonful (dumplings)
- Matzo meal — a measure (dumplings)
- Eggs — a few (bind dumplings)
Ingredients
- Stewing hen or chicken thighs — 1.2 kg (broth and meat)
- Carrots — 2 (aromatic)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Celery stalk — 1 (aromatic)
- Fresh dill — 1/2 bunch (flavor)
- Matzo meal — 100 g (dumplings)
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Chicken fat or oil — 2 tbsp (dumplings)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Cover chicken and aromatics with cold water, bring to a simmer, skim. Cook gently for 1.5–2 hours.
- Strain broth, adjust salt, reserve meat. Skim solidified fat from surface (schmaltz).
- For kneidlach: beat eggs with fat, add matzo meal, a little broth, salt, and dill. Refrigerate 30 min.
- Wet hands and form walnut-sized balls without squeezing too tight.
- Poach in simmering broth, covered, 20–25 min: they puff and become fluffy.
- Serve boiling broth with carrot slices, dumplings, and a sprinkle of dill.
How it was made : In the shtetl, the Friday hen was used for everything: broth on Shabbat evening, meat the next day, fat saved for the week. Kneidlach, made from matzo, are especially associated with Passover but were made year-round in Ashkenazi homes.
The contemporary twist : You can lighten it by using Israeli olive oil instead of schmaltz, and slip a bit of fresh ginger into the broth — a nod to the Levant that adopted Golda.
Sources : Claudia Roden, The Book of Jewish Food (1996) · Gil Marks, Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (2010)
Golda Meir · Charactorium
