Chicken and Noodles
My maternal grandmother, who we affectionately called “Neena”, was an incredible artist. Her passion was painting canvases with brightly colored flowers. She could also throw fabulous dinner parties for her friends, where she served food on hand painted tablecloths with place cards sketched with each guest’s name. When I asked my family what Neena’s specialty was in the kitchen, everyone mentioned her chicken and homemade noodles. Since I lived so far away, I only had the dish a couple times, but I remember how delicious it was, especially knowing she had spent so much time preparing it. Her recipe can’t be found, but I’ve created my own version of what I remember hers to be. It takes time to prepare, but it is worth it!
Ingredients
Serves 8
Broth:
1 (4-pound) chicken, whole or cut up
2 stalks celery, cut into 3” pieces
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut into 3” chunks
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 black peppercorns
Stew:
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Noodles:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
Process
Broth:
To make the broth, put chicken into a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add celery, onion, carrots, salt, and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover completely. Place pot over medium high heat and bring to a low simmer. Skim off any foam that floats to the top and continue to simmer for 2 hours. Remove chicken and let cool for 30 minutes. Strain broth into a saucepan, discarding vegetables and peppercorns. Keep broth warm over low heat. Remove chicken from bones, tearing into small pieces, and put into a bowl. Discard bones and cartilage.
Stew:
Make stew by heating butter in a Dutch oven or 6-quart pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in flour and combine well. Add 8 cups of warm chicken broth (you’ll have broth leftover for another use). Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, and shredded chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low heat while you make the noodles.
Noodles:
To make noodles, put flour into the bowl of a standing mixer. Add salt, eggs, and water and mix with paddle attachment until mixture forms a soft dough. If it’s too dry, add a few drops of water, and continue to mix on low speed for five minutes. Remove dough and place on a lightly floured board. With a rolling pin, roll dough in a rectangle, 1/16” thick. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/2” X 4” strips. Once all the dough is cut, gather them into your hands to be added to the stew. Once the noodles are submerged, stir to make sure noodles don’t stick together. Simmer for 10 minutes and stir in parsley and serve.
