Lovely weather we’re having in Colorado…light snow and single-digit cold since yesterday and into the middle of next week!  Perfect night for a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup.

My recipe is based on Jeff Smith’s Chicken and Noodles from “The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American” cookbook.  It’s a lovely, comforting soup with thyme and sage.  Like a lot of old-fashioned, good recipes, this one will take a lot of time to prepapre and cook.  If you have the energy, make a double batch of noodles and keep it in the freezer.  It will take almost as much time to make half a batch or double the batch.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Noodles:

2 c. all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. water

Place the flour in a bowl and add salt and eggs.  Work the eggs into the flour with your fingers. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Add the water and start kneading. This will be sticky but be patient and just keep your hands and board well-floured.  Knead until the dough is smooth.  Put back in your bowl, cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 2 equal balls.  Roll each out to about 12 inches.  These noodles become thick and robust when cooked so roll it as thin as you can.  Dust with flour all throughout the rolling process.  Don’t worry if the dough is still sticky at this point, just use some amount of flour for dusting.  Leave on the counter to dry for half an hour.  Turn it once to dry both sides.

Roll the dough like a jelly roll and cut to make strips of about a quarter inch in width.  Unroll strips and allow to dry for about an hour. Use half of the noodles for this recipe and the other half can be stored in a plastic bag in the freezer.

Stock

3 pcs. skinless chicken thighs (white meat is fine, but dark meat has more flavor)

1 small chopped onion

2 chopped celery stalks

2 small carrots, chopped

1/4 tsp. sage

1/4 tsp. thyme

1 bay leaf

3-5 peppercorns

1/2 tsp. salt

chopped parsley

Boil all ingredients in a stockpot with 2 quarts of water.  Bring down to a simmer.  After 30 minutes, remove chicken and shred meat.  Put back bones into stock.  Simmer for another 30 minutes.  Strain all vegetables from stock and add enough water to make about 2 quarts.  Bring this to a boil and add noodles.  Cook for about 12 minutes.  Adjust seasonings, add chopped parsley and bring to one last boil.

It does take some work to make chicken and noodles from scratch but sometimes it just makes a great treat for the family.

 

 

The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American
The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American