Easy Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

When you crave the ultimate comforting classic, this Easy Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup Recipe delivers tender chicken and perfectly fluffy matzo balls without the fuss. Simply set it in the morning and come home to a rich, soothing broth that tastes like it simmered all day long, making it ideal for busy weeknights or a soothing holiday meal.

When you crave the ultimate comforting classic, this Easy Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup delivers tender chicken and perfectly fluffy matzo balls without the fuss.

This recipe takes all the rich, slow-simmered flavor of traditional preparation and simplifies it: you simply set it in the morning and come home to a soothing broth that tastes like it cooked all day long, making it the ideal, effortless solution for busy weeknights or a cherished holiday meal.

Why You Will Love This Recipe!

• Hands-Off Simmering: The slow cooker does 90% of the work, creating a deeply rich, all-day-simmered broth with minimal effort from you.
• Perfectly Fluffy Matzo Balls: This recipe includes tips to ensure your matzo balls are light and airy—never dense or heavy.
• Tender, Shredded Chicken: The chicken cooks right in the broth, resulting in incredibly moist, tender, and easy-to-shred meat.
• Ultimate Comfort Food: It’s the quintessential soothing meal, ideal for a chilly day, a busy weeknight, or when you need some quick comfort.
• Great for Feeding a Crowd: The slow cooker is perfect for batch cooking, making this a simple and scalable dish for holiday gatherings or large family dinners.

Ingredients Needed

• Chicken Breasts: Lean white meat for tender, savory shredding in broth.
• Diced Onion: Aromatic base that provides essential depth of savory flavor.
• Celery: Adds fresh, subtle crispness and traditional soup essence.
• Carrots: Sweet root vegetable for color and earthy flavor balance.
• Garlic: Pungent aromatic that creates a powerful, comforting foundation.
• Salt: Essential mineral to enhance and brighten all other flavors.
• Pepper: Adds a subtle, warm spice and aromatic finish to the soup.
• Chicken Stock: Rich liquid base for deep, satisfying, all-day flavor.
• Water: Essential for volume, ensuring vegetables and chicken cook fully.
• Matzo Meal: Key ingredient for making classic, light, and fluffy matzo balls.
• Baking Powder: Leavening agent crucial for achieving light, airy texture.
• Oil (Matzo Balls): Adds necessary fat, contributing to a tender texture.
• Eggs (Matzo Balls): Acts as the binding agent, holding the matzo balls together.
• Parsley: Fresh herb garnish for bright color and clean finish.

How To Make Easy Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

Step One: To your slow cooker, add the chicken, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken stock, water, and bay leaf. Cover and cook the broth on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, combine the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, pepper, water, vegetable oil, and beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly until well combined, then refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Once chilled, roll the matzo mixture into small, uniform balls and place them back into the refrigerator until the soup is ready for the final step.

Step 3: Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker, shred the meat using two forks, and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Remove and discard the bay leaf. About 30 minutes before serving, gently drop the chilled matzo balls into the simmering soup. Cover the slow cooker and continue to cook for the final 30 minutes, or until the matzo balls are light and cooked through. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup Recipe Tips

• Don’t Overcook the Broth: The long slow cook time is for flavor development, but you should remove the chicken once it’s fully tender (after about 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low). This prevents the meat from drying out before the matzo balls are added.
• Chill the Matzo Mixture: For the fluffiest results, make sure the matzo ball mixture is thoroughly chilled (at least 30 minutes) before rolling. Cold mixture holds its shape better and prevents the matzo balls from dissolving in the broth.
• Roll Small Balls: Matzo balls expand significantly while cooking, often doubling in size. Roll them smaller than you think you need (about 1-inch) to ensure they cook through evenly and are manageable for eating.
• Keep the Broth Simmering: When you drop the matzo balls into the slow cooker, make sure the broth is actively simmering (not just warm). The heat is crucial for puffing them up.
• Rest Before Serving: For the best flavor, let the soup sit for about 10–15 minutes after the matzo balls are finished cooking. This allows the flavors to settle and ensures the matzo balls absorb just the right amount of broth.

Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions

• Storing (Refrigeration): Cool the soup completely before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The soup, broth, and matzo balls will remain fresh for 3 to 4 days.
• Freezing: For best results, freeze the broth and shredded chicken separately from the matzo balls. The broth and chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months, but the matzo balls are best made fresh as freezing can change their light, fluffy texture.
• Reheating: Reheat the soup gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until it reaches a simmer. If reheating frozen broth, add freshly made matzo balls just 15 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup Recipe Faqs

Can I use bone-in chicken instead of boneless breasts? Yes, using bone-in chicken (like thighs or a quartered whole chicken) is highly recommended! The bones add significantly more fat, collagen, and deep, traditional flavor to the slow-cooked broth.

Why do my matzo balls turn out dense and heavy? Matzo balls become dense if the mixture is overworked, or if you use too little fat (oil) or too little leavening agent (baking powder). Ensure you mix the batter until just combined and that you chill the mixture thoroughly before rolling.

Can I add the matzo balls to the slow cooker earlier? No, wait until the final 30 minutes of cooking. Matzo balls absorb liquid quickly and can become waterlogged and fall apart if they sit in the hot broth too long before serving.

How can I make the broth richer? Use low-sodium chicken stock or broth instead of water, and consider adding a parsnip and a few sprigs of fresh dill to the slow cooker during the initial cooking phase for deeper, more complex flavor.

Is it necessary to use baking powder in the matzo balls? While traditional recipes vary, the baking powder in this recipe is key to ensuring the matzo balls are extra light and fluffy.

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