There are a few things that will always remind me of Leo Coller. One of them is homemade chicken noodle soup. My husband has always raved about his dad's homemade chicken and noodles and it doesn't matter how many variations I come up with, I never have made it, "just like Dad's". Still, this recipe gets lots of compliments around our table, even from Jamie, so I suppose I'll have to just let his Dad be the chicken noodle king and I'll live happily in his shadow!
Before I give you my recipe, here are a few tips concerning the preparation of this delicious comfort food:
The process of making this homemade soup is actually very simple, but the fact that it's all homemade makes me feel all Ma Ingalls-ish. It's a great low-cost recipe that feeds a large family. I suggest grabbing several of these whole chickens when you find them on sale and just storing them in the freezer. Sometimes you can get them for as low as .60 a pound---which would make your whole meal cost less than $5 for about 12-15 servings.
Do you have a pastry blender? I suggest purchasing one. I use mine all the time for biscuits and other easy bread recipes. Any time a recipe says "cut in butter using two knives", use a pastry blender instead. You'll save time and serious annoyance. {I'd love to hear from someone who has successfully turned this mixture to "pea-sized crumbs" using two knives. I've got to know your trick!}
I never worry about cutting uniform noodles. I just roll out the dough to about 1/4" and cut through it quickly with a pizza cutter. Super easy!
De-boning the whole chicken will give you enough meat for 12-15 servings. Some people only use white meat in their chicken noodle soup, but I say, "bring on the dark meat!" If you really must only use white meat, stick the rest of the bird in a large freezer bag and store it for making homemade chicken stock or broth later on.
Homemade Chicken & Noodles
1 whole chicken
3 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
6 TB butter
3 TB chicken bouillon
2 c. milk
salt and pepper, to taste
Put the chicken in a large stock pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil, then continue cooking chicken for one hour, or until cooked through. I like to turn it over now and then, and poke it with a fork to make sure it's getting done all the way through. When cooked, remove the chicken to a platter to cool.
While chicken is cooking, make the noodles. Start with 2 c. of flour in the bowl. Add 2 tsp. salt and 4 TB of butter. Use a pastry blender to mix it up until it's the size of small peas. Add 1 cup HOT water and and 1 1/4 c. of flour to the mixture. Stir and work the mixture until a soft dough ball forms then break off about a third and roll it out to about 1/4" on a floured surface. Cut the dough into strips using a pizza cutter. If the chicken is done at this point, remove the chicken and begin adding the noodles, one at a time, to the still boiling water. If the chicken is still cooking, layer the noodles on wax paper and continue rolling them out. They'll be fine on the counter for awhile until the chicken is done.
Before adding the noodles to the pot, add the bouillon and salt and pepper to taste. Then, drop the noodles, one at a time, into the boiling water. Add 2 TB butter and continue cooking. Whenever the chicken is done, add it in, too. Continue cooking until noodles have been boiling for at least 15 minutes. Then, add the milk, turn off the burner, cover the pot, and let it sit for about 1 hour. {Don't forget to taste the broth before serving to make sure it's just right!}
