Mama Lane Cooks
Food from My Kitchen
Country Style Chicken and Noodles
I very seldom write down many of my recipes while cooking. Which leads me to trouble when posting my cooking pieces, as I try in recall each step.
What’s I’ve found as a homecook is that the best recipes are those that are thrown together with a little love and passion. It’s funny, you throw a little of this and that in a pot and BAM – you’ve created something magical.
Typically, most recipes start with what I call the holy trilogy: Onions, Celery and Carrots….and normally a little minced garlic in there too. Sauté in butter or olive oil and the smell is out of this world, even my toddler makes his way into the kitchen to say, “Momma, what are you making…it’s smells goooooood!” He and I, along with baby Cora (who is typically in her Bumbo seat or high chair) are my cooking buddies. Caston has become quite the helper in the kitchen over the past couple months.
It was at Thanksgiving this year that he told me he wanted to help with the turkey. We bought a locally raised turkey (20 pounder to be exact) that was fresh and pretty darn intimidating- it was HUGE. I knew it was going to be chore of cooking this baby and it was. As I learned that I did not have a pan large enough to hold it and my loving husband drove into town to get with one. (Love him!)
We cooked the turkey all night at a very low temperature and the next morning the smell that radiated through the house was something special! And, the turkey…amazing and moist.
This recipe calls for chicken, but I use turkey leftovers when I have them (both white and dark meat). Plus all that extra stock from your turkey make the most amazing stock. You will see that this recipe calls for turmeric powered. You can find this spice in most grocery stores. This is the secret ingredient my grandmother always used for her Chicken and Dumplings, so I use it also for this recipe. The spice gives the dish a beautiful mustard color and an added depth of flavor. In addition, make sure you use all those wonderful celery leaves in this dish. A lot of folks cut off the leaves and that’s the most flavorful part! Don’t waste it, use it in all dishes that call for celery.
Serve this up alongside some crusty sourdough bread and it will warm you right up this winter.
Lane’s Chicken & Noodles
- 1 whole cut-up local Fryer Chicken, about 3.5 pounds ( I also use leftover turkey for this dish after the holidays)
- 3 whole Carrots, Diced
- 3 stalks Celery, Diced (including the celery tops)
- 3 cloves of garlic, Minced
- 1/2 small Onion, Diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1/2 stick of Butter
- 1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
- 16 ounce of Egg Noodles
- 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 1 cup of cream or half and half
Preparation Instructions
Place chicken in a large pot, cover in 5 quarts water and bring to a boil. Simmer pot of chicken for 25 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot and place on a large plate and let cool for about 15 minutes. Debone your chicken and shred the meat. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.
While chicken is boiling, melt butter in a large pan and add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes on medium. Add herbs and spices.
When chicken is ready, remove bones from broth. I always strain my stock to make sure all small bones are removed. Add your pan of vegetables and spices to the broth.
Increase heat to a boil and add egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the bite preferred on the noodles.
Add cream to the pot. In a small cup mix flour and a little water and stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the soup and stir. (This will help your soup to thicken.) Simmer for about another 6 minutes and test the soup for taste, you may want to add seasonings per taste.
417localista
Mama Lane Cooks 