Crispy Passover Chicken and Matzo Ball Soup

Uncle David's Boiled and Broiled Chicken (cold)

Uncle David's Matzo Ball Soup

The year was 2005 and I was celebrating my second ever Passover. We headed over the river and through the woods over to Aunt Judy and Uncle David’s house. Little did I know that I would be dreaming of this meal for the next 7 years. Uncle David’s now famous chicken is perfectly tender with a crispy seasoned crust of a skin. Since he and Aunt Judy have since moved to FL leaving us to fend for ourselves I decided to give his cooking technique a try this year. The result was a deliciously flavorful chicken stock for the matzo ball soup as well as a decent replication of the original chicken dish. I have definitely not mastered his boil to broil method yet but hey, there's always next year. If you are a matzo ball soup lover or just a lover of crispy skin chicken you should give this recipe a try. It is time intensive (think sunday dinner or holiday meal) but the result really is worth the extra work.

Soup Base
3 Carrots, peeled and cut in big chunks
3 Stalks of celery, cut in big chunks
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut up in big chunks
1 Parsnip, cut up
1 whole chicken cut up
1 bunch of Fresh Parsley and Dill, reserve some for chopping
Matzo balls
1 box of matzo balls (use store bought mix)
4 Eggs
Vegetable Oil

Fill a large stock pot with water making sure it is enough water to cover chicken completely. Place chicken, and all other ingredients in water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat until the liquid is simmering. Allow the chicken to cook  for about two hours until chicken is tender and falling off bone. I was completely skeptical of this process and only cooked the chicken for an hour my first time... definitely needed at least an hour and a half but make sure you turn the heat down so you do not end up with boiled chicken.

Make matzo ball “dough”  following the directions on the box. Remove chicken from the soup and set on a broiler rack. Strain the soup stock into another pot, put carrots back in soup, add ¼ C of fresh parsley and fresh dill. Spoon matzo balls into the soup and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.  

Place chicken on broiler tray, season with McCormicks Season All, broil until skin is crispy and brown. That process only took about 5 minutes in my broiler but I have a feeling every oven is different so just keep a good eye on it.