Here at Parade, we’re big Andrew Zimmern fans. The chef, writer and TV host (catch him now on season 4 of Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Gameon Tastemade and other platforms) always has the best recipe tips to share. His thoughtful and careful approach to food and his thorough and helpful explanations make it possible for home cooks like us to dial in our dishes.
In the recent past, we’ve chatted with Zimmern about his go-to sweet potato recipe for Thanksgiving, his top tips for crispy latkes and tender, juicy brisket for Hanukkah, and with Passover almost here, it was time to quiz him about another classic Jewish dish: matzo ball soup.
The comforting chicken soup is a favorite of Zimmern’s. It’s one of his “top five favorite foods” and he says that although he absolutely makes it for Passover, he loves the soup so much that he makes it at least once a month during the rest of the year.
His matzo all soup connections stretch back to his childhood, when his grandmother would make the dish. Some of his favorite matzo ball soup memories include helping his grandmother make the dish when he was about six years old. As the youngest in the family, he would always receive “a second matzo ball” in his bowl, which is a pretty delicious advantage.
Over the years, Zimmern has perfected his grandmother’s matzo ball soup recipe. It’s light but comforting, bright with herbs and steeped in history, nostalgia and love. Here’s how you can bring a taste of that tradition to your kitchen.
Related:When Is Passover 2025? Everything You Need To Know About the Holiday
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What’s So Great About Andrew Zimmern’s Matzo Ball Soup Recipe?
The nostalgia of this recipe, aside from the pure tastiness, is what makes this soup so great, but there are other smart tips that Zimmern incorporates into the dish.
• Zimmern is Team Floater.
When it comes to matzo balls, you either have floaters or sinkers, which refer to the density of the matzo ball. This is a matter of heated debate and is also personal preference, but Zimmern is firming on Team Floater. “You want a matzo ball that doesn’t sink to the bottom of the pot when it’s simmering,” he says. Floaters still have “substance,” making them the “perfect” addition to your soup, according to Zimmern.
To get the texture just right, Zimmern uses cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and whipped eggs whites to make his matzo balls. The whipped whites add air to the mixture and the three leavening agents make sure that there’s even more puff to the finished matzo balls.
When you cut these matzo balls in half, you’ll see the small holes inside, which give them their light (but not too light) texture. “That’s why you can eat like 400 of them,” says Zimmern.
• Don’t skip the schmaltz.
For the tastiest matzo balls, you need rendered chicken fat, also known as schmaltz. It adds a meaty richness to the matzo balls that you can’t get from another fat, like vegetable oil.
• Goose your stock.
There’s no actual goose in the broth, but poaching a whole chicken in chicken stock fortifies the stock and makes it extra chicken-y. A richer broth makes for a more satisfying soup.
• Consider the rutabaga.
Zimmern’s recipe includes a rutabaga, which is a somewhat unusual addition. Zimmern explains that the root vegetable offers a “nuanced, bittersweet flavor,” that “marries with the sweetness of the carrots.”
Related: How to Make Cookbook Author Joan Nathan’s Matzo Ball Soup
How To Make Andrew Zimmern’s Matzo Ball Soup
According to Zimmern, it’s important to follow his recipe to a tee to “avoid weak broth, overcooked chicken, insipid vegetables, and mato balls that are more like stones than dumplings.” That may sound intimidating, but the cooking process itself is pretty simple, as long as you pay attention to the timing and measurements.
- Gather your ingredients.
To make the soup, you’ll need chicken stock, one 3-pound chicken, onion, carrot, celery ribs, rutabaga, parsley sprigs, dill sprigs, and vegetable oil. For the chicken, Zimmern advises purchasing a “premium all-natural organic bird,” versus “commodity chickens [that are] flavorless and make weak broth.”For you matzo balls, you’ll need eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, melted chicken fat, onion, matzo meal, and four seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper).
- Make your matzo ball dough.
To hydrate properly, the matzo dough needs to rest, so get started on it first. It’s as easy as mixing up the ingredients in a bowl until the texture is “similar to cookie dough,” according to Zimmern. Press some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough and stash it in the fridge for at least 30 to 45 minutes. This is also great place to get ahead. Zimmern says you can make the matzo dough up to a day ahead.
- Make the broth.
“Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking it,” Zimmern recommends. Do not season the protein at all. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and then add in the whole chicken. (This will help you create an extra chickeny broth.) Let the broth come to a boil again, and then lower the temperature to a simmer for the remaining cooking time. Watch the chicken and cook it for about an hour (until cooked through). Save half of the meat and shred the rest to add to the soup.
- Add in the vegetables.
Add the sliced vegetables into the soup and let them simmer over medium heat. As the veggies are cooking, start incorporating the matzo balls. Roll them into “golf ball-sized” balls (they’ll double in size as they cook) and place them in the soup. Cook for 25 minutes until they’re fluffy and airy.
- Serve it up.
Zimmern likes to serve the soup in large shallow bowls, “Jewish deli style,” he says or in smaller deeper bowls. Add some fresh parsley and dill on top for a fresh hit of herbal flavor and aroma. Zimmern likes to serve two matzo balls per serving. We wonder if that was inspired by his grandmother too.
Related: 50 Passover Trivia Questions To Quiz Your Friends and Family This Pesach
