Rooted in Jewish culinary tradition, this comforting Chicken With Matzo Dumplings is a beloved dish often enjoyed during Passover, when families gather to honor the Exodus story and refrain from eating leavened bread. Matzo meal takes center stage in these tender dumplings, transforming simple ingredients into a bowl of nourishment that reflects both heritage and home. Simmered in a fragrant homemade broth, it’s a timeless reminder of resilience, ritual, and the flavors that bring generations together.

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Chicken With Matzo Dumplings
Serves 4-6
For the broth

• 1 leftover chicken carcass, all skin and fat removed
• 2 Spanish onions, 1 whole and unpeeled, the other peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, coarsely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, with leaves if possible, coarsely chopped
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 large sprig of rosemary
• 2 large sprigs of thyme
• 1 large sprig of sage
• 4 large sprigs of parsley
• 12 white peppercorns

For the dumplings:

• 7 ounces medium matzo meal
• (about 8 matzo sheets, ground up)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 grindings of black pepper
• 2 pinches of salt

Note: You can use good-quality, low-salt kosher chicken stock cubes or bouillon powder, but the recipe above for homemade broth is recommended.

First, make the broth. Put the carcass in a large pot and cover with about 2 1⁄2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns, return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Strain, reserving the broth.

Make the dumplings by mixing all the dumpling ingredients, then knead until you have a smooth dough, adding a little water if necessary.

Cover and let rest for at least 3 hours.

Using your hands, form the mixture into balls the size of apricots.

To put it all together, bring the chicken broth up to a simmer. Drop in the dumplings and continue simmering, covered, for 30 minutes.

If you don’t have a chicken carcass, boil a whole chicken for the soup and use the meat in other
dishes. Traditionally, a boiling fowl from a kosher butcher would be used.