By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 12
174 cal · 135 min
Aunt Gillie's Matzo Ball Soup
Recipe GLPR0807221809e303
A classic Jewish chicken soup featuring a whole poached chicken simmered with carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, garlic, and fresh parsley. This golden, nourishing broth serves as the base for matzo balls and can be enjoyed as a warming, medicinal soup perfect for any occasion.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
1 (3-lb.) whole chicken, rinsed
3 carrots, halved
2 onions, halved
5 stalks celery with leaves, halved
3 parsnips, halved
1 head garlic, unpeeled, split
1 bunch fresh parsley, washed
Directions
Place the whole chicken in a large pot and cover with cold water until the chicken is submerged by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low.
Skim any foam or impurities that rise to the surface during the first few minutes of cooking to ensure a clear, clean broth.
Add the halved carrots, onions, celery stalks with leaves, parsnips, and split garlic head to the pot with the simmering chicken.
Add the fresh parsley bunch to the pot.
Simmer gently, uncovered or partially covered, for approximately 2 hours, until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F and the vegetables are very tender.
Carefully remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids (vegetables, garlic, and parsley).
Once the chicken has cooled, shred the meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Use the shredded chicken and strained broth as the base for your matzo ball soup, or serve the broth alone as a medicinal golden soup.
Comments
Every ingredient is stocked year-round at every Charlotte chain, and the vegetable base is cheap—this comes in well under $1 per serving. The stated 135 minutes is honest: you need 90 minutes for broth, then 30–45 for matzo balls and finishing, with real hands-on time in the middle for shaping dumplings. This is a weekend project, not a rushed weeknight, but it makes 12 servings that reheat beautifully and freeze even better, so one afternoon pays for a month of lunches. A classic that belongs in rotation, with the caveat that you are buying a block of matzo meal (check ALDI or Harris Teeter, under $3) and committing the time upfront.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
