Chicken Noodle Stew
Serves 4
As happy as I am with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, when we get to the bottom of the pot, and much of the liquid is gone, leaving just noodles, chicken, and vegetables with spoonfuls of intense liquid, I'm even happier. That's where chicken noodle stew comes in. You intentionally keep the liquid to a minimum so the broth in the finished pot is stronger and heartier. Start the recipe by giving bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts a quick blanch in boiling water. Just put the breasts in a heatproof bowl, add boiling water to cover them, and leave for 10 minutes. This quick step will remove impurities in the chicken and give you a clear broth.
When the chicken goes into the pot, as the cooking liquid comes to a boil, you'll still see scum rising to the surface, but there's far less of it than usual. The liquid in the pot is water and chicken stock (your own homemade or commercial). The stew is simmered with carrots, onion, celery, and a little canned tomato. When the chicken is done, let it cool, then use two forks to shred the meat. Return it to the pot with fine egg noodles cooked separately. Now you have to decide how stewy you want your bowls. Have extra chicken stock on hand to add to the pot. If you let the stew sit with the noodles in the liquid, the noodles will absorb the liquid and you'll have to add a lot more stock. Nothing wrong with that; the cooking broth will flavor the noodles. Add lots of chopped parsley to each bowl. You can also add hot sauce or sriracha, chunky croutons, or best of all, a poached egg.
4 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2½ pounds total)
3 medium carrots, cut into 2inch pieces, thick ends halved lengthwise
1 quart water
1 quart chicken stock, or more if needed
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery plus the leaves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt, and more to taste
3 whole peppercorns
1 cup diced canned tomatoes
4 ounces fine egg soup noodles or angel hair pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
1. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. In a large heatproof bowl, set the chicken breasts. Pour enough boiling water into the bowl to cover the chicken by 1-inch. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Lift the breasts from the bowl of water and set them in a soup pot. Discard the soaking water.
3. To the pot, add the carrots, 1 quart water, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and skim the surface thoroughly for several minutes until there is no more scum. Add the onion, celery, salt, peppercorns, and tomatoes to the pot. Return the liquid to a boil, lower the heat, and set on the cover askew. Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breasts registers 165 degrees.
4. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and leave until cool enough to handle. Let the soup barely simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. If using angel hair, break it over a large bowl into 2-inch lengths; the soup noodles will already be broken up. Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is tender but still has some bite. Drain into a colander but do not rinse.
6. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the breasts. Using 2 forks pulling apart in opposite directions, shred the chicken. Return it to the pot.
7. Add the chicken and noodles to the soup. Return the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if you like. If you see the peppercorns when you stir the pot, pull them out and discard them (they can be hard to find; warn diners that they might get a peppercorn in their bowl). There should be enough broth in the pot to make a stewy bowl. Add more if necessary, 1 cup at a time.
8. Ladle the stew into bowls and sprinkle generously with parsley.