Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Broth
- 1500 g whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 3000 ml water, cold
- 250 g yellow onions, halved, skin left on for color
- 300 g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 200 g celery, roughly chopped, including leaves
- 150 g parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
- 20 g fresh dill, whole sprigs
- 5 g black peppercorns, whole
- 15 g kosher salt
Marrow Balls (Markkloesschen)
- 500 g beef marrow bones, center-cut
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 120 g gluten-free matzo meal
- 5 g fresh parsley, finely minced
- 1 g ground nutmeg
- 3 g kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the chicken pieces and cold water in a large stockpot. Slowly bring the liquid to a gentle boil at 100°C/212°F over medium heat. As it heats, use a fine skimmer or slotted spoon to continuously remove the grayish foam and impurities that rise to the surface.
Once the surface is completely clear of foam, add the onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, fresh dill, black peppercorns, and salt. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to maintain a gentle simmer and cook partially covered for 2 hours.
While the soup is simmering, extract the raw marrow from the center of the beef bones using a small spoon or butter knife. Place the scooped marrow into a mixing bowl and use a fork to thoroughly crush and mash it into a smooth paste.
Add the room-temperature eggs to the mashed marrow and whisk vigorously until well incorporated and slightly aerated. Gently fold in the gluten-free matzo meal, minced parsley, ground nutmeg, and salt until a soft, sticky dough forms.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator. Allow the mixture to chill and hydrate.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. With moistened hands, gently roll the mixture into small balls, roughly the size of a marble or cherry, as they will expand during cooking.
Bring a medium saucepan filled with well-salted water to a steady simmer. Gently drop the marrow balls into the water. Poach until they float to the surface and are cooked completely through, ensuring they reach an internal safety temperature of 74°C/165°F.
Carefully ladle the cooked chicken soup through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot or large heatproof bowl. Discard the spent vegetables and herbs, but reserve the chicken meat and carrots if desired for serving.
Distribute the cooked marrow balls into warmed serving bowls. Pour the hot, clear chicken broth over the dumplings, garnishing with the reserved sliced carrots and an extra sprig of fresh dill.
Chef's Notes
- Leaving the skin on the yellow onions provides a natural, deep golden hue to the finished broth without affecting the flavor.
- If raw marrow is difficult to extract, roast the bones at 200°C/400°F for 10-15 minutes just to loosen the marrow before scooping.
- Gluten-free matzo meal absorbs moisture differently than traditional wheat matzo meal. If the dough feels impossibly dry before chilling, mix in a teaspoon of water or broth.
- For strict dietary adherence during Passover, double-check that your potato or tapioca starch-based gluten-free matzo meal is explicitly certified Kosher for Passover.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store marrow balls separately from the broth to prevent them from becoming soggy.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze broth and marrow balls in separate airtight containers.
Reheating: Reheat broth gently over medium heat until simmering. Add chilled marrow balls directly to the hot broth until heated through.
