Chicken Soup with Herbs, Leeks, and Gluten Free Matzah Balls

I make chicken soup almost every Friday night and some variation of my traditional recipe for holidays.  My daughter loves her chicken soup with matzah balls or dumplings.  She particularly loves this one! This chicken soup has leeks, fresh herbs, and gluten free matzah balls for Pesach and Rosh Hashannah.  This recipe is Paleo and GAPs friendly. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 whole kosher chicken.  We love Grow and Behold
2 TB olive oil
3 TB fresh chopped sage
2 TB fresh chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
1 white onion diced
4 leeks thinly sliced
8 carrots peeled and chopped
Optional: celery or parsnip
Dash of tumeric

Gluten Free Matzah Balls:
6 eggs
½ c avocado oil
¼ c chopped italian parsley
1 TB kosher salt
¾ tsp pepper
2 c Yehuda gluten free matzah meal
1 tsp baking powder
¼ c potato flour or potato starch

Preparing the Matzah Balls:
Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.  Whisk the dry ingredients into the egg and oil mixture. Cover and refrigerate.

​Preparing the Soup:
In a large soup pot, saute the onion and leeks in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the sage and move the onion, leek, sage mix to the side of the pot and add whole chicken to the center of the pot. Brown the chicken well on both sides and add 4 quarts  filtered water to the pot. If using celery, add it now.

Simmer your soup on low for 1 hour until the chicken is tender.  Remove whole chicken from the stock, Remove bones and skin, chop the chicken, and add the chicken back to the stock. Set skin and bones aside for making bone stock!

​Add carrots (and parsnips if you are using them) and simmer on low until the carrots are just tender.  While simmering, form 1 inch matzoh balls and slowly add matzoh balls to the soup and continue to simmer on low for 20 mins. The matzah balls can also be made in boiling salted water and added to the soup after.  Be careful not to over cook the matzah balls. Add salt and pepper to taste and add a dash of tumeric for digestion and color. Add the parsley last. Serve and enjoy!