Preparing chicken noodle soup should be straightforward — in fact, we have a new podcast episode dedicated to this topic. Selecting a chicken noodle soup recipe to follow should also be easy, which is why I didn't plan to add a third recipe to this site. However, I find myself a bit restless and often wonder if there's room for improvement. In that spirit, I've come to recognize that one of my least favorite aspects of chicken noodle soup is the chicken itself. It tends to overcook in the broth, resulting in a dry, challenging texture. But what isn't dry? Light, tender chicken meatballs.
At home, we refer to this as Jewish Wedding Soup — a playful nod to the Italian Wedding Soup featuring meatballs, pasta, greens, and parmesan. [Though it has no wedding connection, amusing dish names always surpass the mundane.] This version includes traditional Grandma-style chicken noodle soup flavors: chicken meatballs instead of pork, carrots and celery, chicken broth, plenty of noodles, along with parsley and/or dill. While forming meatballs may seem a bit daunting, the rest of the soup comes together easily, allowing me to whip up this recipe in 45 minutes on a weeknight.
Regarding the noodles: Have you ever come across a seemingly random article or essay that sticks with you? It's been over ten years since I first read Jami Attenberg's The Unlikely Chef, and since then, I can't make chicken noodle soup without recalling, “We watched in horror as the noodles absorbed all the broth. We tried to add more water, but it was too late.” While they may have simply overdone the noodles, it is undeniably true that noodles tend to soak up broth long after cooking, undermining your efforts. Thus, in this recipe, we’ll be proactive — I cook the noodles separately in either salted water or chicken bouillon broth (I'm too frugal to waste my homemade stock on boiling noodles), and then we can add as many noodles as we desire (and believe me, we desire many) directly to our bowls, ladling the soup and meatballs over them. Repeat as necessary through the blustery winter months.
Chicken Meatball and Noodle Soup: Why use matzo meal? If you grew up with matzo ball soup, you may appreciate the familiar flavor (and I believe greater buoyancy) that it brings, but breadcrumbs will work just as well. The noodle portion of this soup is generous because we prefer it that way, but if you want a more classic ratio, 4 ounces might be sufficient. If you choose to cook your noodles directly in the soup, be sure to include an additional 4 cups of broth.
For the meatballs:
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water or milk
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup (20 grams) plain dried breadcrumbs (like panko) or matzo meal
- 1 pound ground chicken, ideally a blend of dark and light meat
For the soup and assembly:
- 6 ounces (170 grams) noodles of your choice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 4 to 6 cups (950ml to 1.4l) chicken broth
- Minced parsley and/or dill for garnish
Instructions to make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together the egg, milk, parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs, onion powder, salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Incorporate the ground chicken using a fork, mixing just until the parsley is evenly distributed without overmixing. With wet hands, shape the mixture into 1 tablespoon-sized meatballs, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The meatball mixture will be quite soft, but keeping your hands wet will help. Refrigerate the meatballs until you are ready to cook them.
Noodle preparation: In a medium saucepan, bring salted water (or water with chicken bouillon added) to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Personally, I prefer to cook mine until tender rather than “al dente.” Drain the noodles and set them in a bowl until needed.
Soup preparation: In a large saucepan (or my go-to braiser), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion, stirring and cooking until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Add 4 cups of the broth and bring it to a simmer. Carefully add the chilled meatballs one at a time and return the broth to a simmer. Cook the meatballs for 10 minutes, checking one to ensure it is fully cooked, adding more time if needed.
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