Recipe: Daily Chew’s grated lemon chicken soup with matzah balls

This week, we’re sharing the recipe for grated lemon chicken soup with matzah balls from Julia Kesler Imerman, owner of Daily Chew. The soup is part of the Atlanta restaurant’s Passover menu.

While matzah ball soup is a Seder centerpiece, it can be eaten all week long. Imerman’s recipe is also hearty enough as a full meal.

She recommends sourcing ingredients from your local grocery store or specialty market, a weekly farmers market, or large-scale markets like Your DeKalb Farmers Market. If you don’t have a food processor, shredding the vegetables with a hand grater works fine.

Serves 12 to 16 people

Ingredients

Soup

• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 1/2 cups carrots, diced into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cups chopped white onion
• 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 1/2 cups shredded butternut squash
• 2 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Matzah balls

• 1 cup matzah meal
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chicken fat or oil
• 1/4 cup water or broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp parsley (optional)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (optional)

Directions

1. Make the matzah: Whisk eggs, fat, and liquid. Stir in remaining ingredients and let chill for 30 to 60 minutes.
2. Form mixture into balls.
3. Simmer matzah balls in salted water or broth for 30 to 40 minutes, covered.
4. Start the soup: Combine broth, carrots, onion, celery, thyme, oregano, lemon juice, zest, and white pepper in a large pot.
5. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Add half of the shredded zucchini and squash.
7. Add chicken and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
8. Add remaining shredded vegetables and cook for 30 more minutes.
9. Season to taste. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
10. Cool and refrigerate, or serve hot, with 1 to 2 matzah balls in each bowl.