Ingredients

Step by step

1. Add the whole chicken and wings to a very large, deep pot and cover with about 2.5 litres of cold water – the chicken should be fully submerged, with about 1cm of water at the top. Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 25 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.
2. Peel and chop three of the carrots. Add to the pan with the onions, celery, parsley stalks, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. If the liquid threatens to spill over, take out around 150ml – you can add this back in as the broth cooks. Simmer on a very low heat for a further 1 hour and 45 minutes, skimming as needed.
3. Turn off the heat and carefully remove all the chicken. Let it cool down enough to handle, then pull off as much edible meat as you can, discarding the bones, skin and cartilage. Store in an airtight container and chill until needed. Scoop out as many of the remaining solids from the pan as you can, cool the broth then chill overnight.
4. The chilled broth should have a layer of chicken fat on top – the schmaltz. Skim all of it off the top and set aside in a bowl. The broth will have set, so reheat very gently until just melted, then strain through a muslin-lined, fine mesh sieve into a large bowl – it’s enough to use just the sieve, but if you want the characteristic clear broth, you need the muslin too. Set aside the broth until needed.
5. For the matzo balls, combine all the ingredients with 50g of the schmaltz and a few good cracks of black pepper. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, during which it will hydrate. Use damp hands to shape the mixture into 18 balls. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Reduce the water to a gentle simmer and add the balls (you might need to do this in two batches). Cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes until the balls have slightly puffed up and risen to the top of the pan. Try not to lift the lid too often, other than to give a quick stir if all the balls haven’t popped up after 20 minutes or so.
6. As you cook the matzo balls, start on the final stages of the soup. Peel and thinly slice the remaining carrots (about 5mm). Bring the broth to a gentle simmer and add the carrots, increase the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until the carrots are just tender. Season to taste then remove from the heat. Add 240g of the chicken (you can save the rest for sandwiches and salads), and cover for a few minutes, leaving it to heat through.
7. When ready to serve, add three matzo balls to each bowl then ladle over the broth, making sure to get enough carrots and chicken in there. Finish with a sprinkling of dill