I love matzo ball soup. It’s super comforting and cheering and wonderful. My mom makes it twice a year on Passover and Yom Kippur, although the latter is admittedly a bit bland because my mom is convinced it will make you too thirsty during the fast if it has a normal amount of salt and she serves up side eye to any one who tries to season it at the table. Whatever. Moving on. I usually get it a few more times a year at delis, too.
You would think if I love it so much I would consider making it every so often but I don’t. I have a weird thing about cooking Jewish food. Okay it’s not that weird – it’s just that my mom has cooked everything for the holidays for most of my life and I have always felt like it’s not mine to mess with. I know it doesn’t make sense and if tradition prevails I will eventually (but not for a very, very long time) pick up the mantle. Or maybe I will just want to host a Passover Seder for friends.
Still, the first time I made Challah on my own wasn’t until culinary school. It was very good, but it was not my mom’s.
That being said, I have no problem making less traditional versions of Jewish food (let’s not unpack the way my anxious mind works right now). I’ve made Vietnamese matzo ball pho multiple times and it’s also great, albeit time consuming. This year I wanted something different and fresh and vibrant and also filled with matzo balls. And so it came to pass that the matzo ball pozole verde was born.
Matzo balls have always been an area of mild disagreement in my family. Okay, just between my mom and dad. My mom likes the matzo balls to be fluffy but with a little bite. My dad would be happiest if they had the density of concrete. Her recipe stays the same year to year and most times she gets the matzo balls she wants – occasionally my dad gets his wish. The recipe I use for the matzo balls is the same recipe on the box and the same recipe my mom uses with one exception: seltzer water. This creates lighter, consistently fluffier balls (haha) than regular water or broth.
If you are Mexican (I’m not) or you love real pozole (I do!), please know that I know there is no hominy in this soup even though I am calling it pozole and that is literally the only tenet of pozole making. I swapped the hominy for matzo balls and had no clue what to call it – what can you do? I mean, I guess you could still be mad at me or come up with a better name for it and email me or refuse to make this soup in protest but that last one is a bad move because this sh*t is delicious.
All of this aside, I feel the need to mention a few things:
- If you aren’t familiar with tomatillos, they’re pictured above. Remove the husks before using them. They are at virtually every grocery store in Houston (probably Texas) and near the tomatoes or chiles – you just never noticed them. If you live elsewhere, seek out Hispanic grocery stores.
- I used cilantro flowers as a garnish. This is just me being over the top. Cilantro leaves will be perfectly fine. I got the flowers at the farmer’s market.
- If you want denser matzo balls or don’t want to buy seltzer water, broth or regular water will do just fine in its place.
- If you’re worried about spice level, remove the white ribs and seeds in your jalapeno and serrano chiles. Swapping the serrano for a second jalapeno chile will take the heat down even further. If you’re a super wimp, use two poblano chiles and one jalapeno. Do you.
- If you’re concerned with keeping kosher or kosher for Passover, obviously do not include the queso fresco (which can also be purchased at most Houston/Texas grocery stores and all Hispanic markets).
**Disclaimer: this recipe might look daunting. I know there is a long list of steps and ingredients, but I wanted to organize it as best I could to keep things from getting overwhelming. It is a lot easier than it looks and truly rewarding. You can do this!
| Prep Time | 25 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 1/2 hours |
| Servings |
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- 4 chicken thighs bone in, skin on (approx. 1 1/2 pounds)
- kosher salt + pepper
- 2 T neutral oil
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup Matzo Meal
- 1 ts kosher salt
- 1 T cilantro finely chopped (optional)
- 2 T seltzer water
- 1 poblano chile stem and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 1 serrano chile stem removed, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno chile stem removed, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic clove
- 3ish tomatillos roughly 6oz, quartered
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems only, packed
- 1 ts ground cumin
- 1 ts kosher salt or more to taste
- 1 T chicken pan drippings
- 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
- 6 cup low sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
- 1 bunch kale center stalks removed, torn into large pieces
- 1 small red onion halved and thinly sliced
- 1 Hass avocado halved and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1/3 cup queso fresco crumbled
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Ingredients
chicken
matzo balls
soup
optional toppings
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- Preheat the oven to 475F. Heat a cast iron skillet or other oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan. Liberally salt and pepper the chicken thighs. Once the pan is hot but not smoking, add the chicken skin side down (make sure to unroll any extra skin curled over so it has contact with the pan). Cook 8-12 minutes, rearranging occasionally only if needed to cook evenly, until the skin is golden brown.
- Put the pan to the oven for 12 minutes. Flip the thighs over and continue cooking until the skin is crispy and the meat is cooked through - 160F minimum at the deepest point (5-10 minutes).
- Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool enough to handle. Reserve pan drippings for later. Remove all bones and shred/cut the meat and skin and hold it for later (along with any juices collected on the plate - those are gold).
- In a bowl, beat eggs. Add oil, matzo meal, salt (and cilantro if using) and blend. Add seltzer water and mix until uniform. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes in the fridge. **WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING YOU SHOULD PREP STUFF IN THE SOUP SECTION BELOW**
- Remove the batter from the fridge and wet your hands (to avoid excessive sticking). Form batter into 1 inch balls (there should be about 8 of them). Cover and set in the fridge if you aren't ready to put them in the boiling soup.
- Combine all chiles, garlic, tomatillos, cumin, cilantro and 1 ts salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Reserve for later.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chicken drippings to a saucepan or pot with a tight fitting lid (3-4 quart sized) over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes until it's translucent and browned in some spots. Add broth and bring it to a boil.
- Once the broth is at a rolling boil, add matzo balls and put the lid on. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 35 minutes without opening the lid (don't you dare!).
- Take the lid off and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the chile-tomatillo mixture and chicken (and juices!) and cook for 10 minutes to meld flavors.
- Add kale and stir. Cook for 1 minute or until kale has softened a bit. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with any optional toppings you want.
For denser matzo balls, use broth instead of seltzer water.
To reduce spice level, remove seeds and white ribs in peppers. To further reduce spice, swap the serrano chile for a jalopeno.
I used cilantro flowers, but regular cilantro will taste just the same as a garnish.