Chicken and Noodles

I suppose the days that I will be wanting to make hearty soups are drawing to a close. It's a shame because love everything about fall and winter including the all the foods that come along with those seasons. As some of you know...I'm not particularly fond of the summer. Yes there are aspects of it I love, but when the heat and humidity kick in, I'm pretty much done with it.

Living in New England I get a few extra months to make soups, stews and hearty casseroles so that makes me happy. The warm weather has poked it's head through here a few times, but in typical New England fashion we'll have one day when it's 75 degrees and the next morning we'll have a frost warning. We actually had 2 frost warnings this past week. We had to pull my fig Thor into the garage. Yes I named my fig. I plan on having him around a long time so I thought it only fitting that I name him. Most people think I named him after the God of Thunder but I actually named him after a character on Nurse Jackie. We love Thor. A little God of Thunder action wouldn't hurt either. I want figs dammit!

I actually made these chicken and noodles a few weeks back when it was still quite chilly. I can see this recipe on heavy rotation during the colder months.

I had never used frozen noodles before this recipe. We LOVED them! If you haven't tried them before I highly suggest you do. I bought the Reames brand and they were just delicious!





Chicken and Noodles
recipe from Pioneer Woman
1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken * see my note
2 whole Carrots, Diced
2 stalks Celery, Diced
1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced (optional)
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper (more To Taste)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
2 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
16 ounces, frozen "homemade" Egg Noodles such as Reames
3 Tablespoons all-purpose Flour

Cover chicken in 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove bones from broth with a slotted spoon, making sure to get any small bones that might have detached. Add the carrots and celery (and onions, if using) to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for ten minutes to meld flavors.

Increase heat and add frozen egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit. Test and adjust seasonings as needed.

* Note - I skipped using a fryer and just took the meat off a rotisserie chicken then boiled the bones to make broth. It worked out really well.