Chicken and Noodles

I might have the most trial and error versions of this recipe than any other. I crave chicken & noodles, especially when I don’t feel well or when it’s a cold snowy day, but my family and II could never agree on the recipe. Some wanted true chicken noodle soup while others wanted the hearty, thick version. My mom made excellent chicken soup but I was trying to marry the best things about soup and true chicken & noodles (more like a casserole). In the end, this is what I came up with. Feel free to add more veggies (peas, etc.) but this is how my family likes it. I cannot stress enough the difference using skin on, bone in chicken and roasting it makes in the finished dish. Campbells chicken broth is a must for the flavor, but I use part Kitchen Basics to try and combat the sodium content of Campbells. Inn Maid noodles is the brand that came up the winner after all my tests.

 INGREDIENTS

3 Tablespoon butter

2 -3 carrots, chopped small

2 celery ribs, chopped small

1 small/medium onion (about one cup), chopped fine

One 32-oz carton Chicken Stock (Kitchen Basics)

4 cans Campbells Chicken Broth

8 oz. Inn Maid wide noodles

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (see Roasted Chicken for Use in Recipes)

For the thick & creamy factor make this simple white sauce to addd in at the end:

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

2-4 Tablespoons Brandy

Directions

Dice onion, carrot and celery (as small as you like – I do pretty small). Cook onions, carrots and celery in butter until very soft. Add the chicken stock and broth . Bring to a boil and add the noodles. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let sit covered for 30 minutes.

Make the white sauce: melt butter, add flour and stir for 1 minute. Add milk (which has been heated for about 1 minute in microwave) slowly while whisking. Once it’s all combined, add Brandy to taste. Add poultry seasoning (or sage), salt & white pepper to taste (it should have pretty strong flavor since it will be going into the giant pot of chicken & noodles). Stir this into the noodles & broth, and add chicken and heat together for about 10 minutes.

NOTE – The white sauce part is something I always do because I like a creamy chicken & noodles. If you just want it plain broth you can leave that out, but I would season towards the end with poultry seasoning (or sage), white pepper and more salt (taste first – the chicken broth is salty).