Chicken and Noodles
This is Midwestern comfort in a pot: tender shredded chicken thighs and wide egg noodles simmered together in a thick, silky, gravy-like broth. Cooking the noodles directly in the roux-thickened broth means they drink up chicken flavor while their starch tightens the sauce into something you can almost stand a spoon in. Searing the thighs first builds a browned, savory backbone that a plain poached version never gets.
Season 700 g (1 1/2 lb) boneless chicken thighs with salt and pepper, sear them in 42 g (3 tbsp) butter in a Dutch oven until golden, then set aside and soften diced onion, carrots, and celery in the drippings. Stir in 3 minced garlic cloves and 30 g (1/4 cup) flour, cook 1 minute, then whisk in 1.4 L (6 cups) chicken broth with thyme and a bay leaf. Return the chicken and simmer gently, covered, about 25 minutes until it shreds easily; pull the meat apart with two forks. Bring the broth back to a lively simmer, add 340 g (12 oz) wide egg noodles, and cook uncovered 8 minutes, stirring often, until the noodles are tender and the broth has thickened to a loose gravy. Stir in 120 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream and the shredded chicken, rest 5 minutes off the heat, and finish with parsley.
- Sear the thighs hard before simmering — the browned fond in the pot is where most of the flavor comes from.
- Cook the noodles in the broth, not separate water; their starch is what turns thin broth into that classic spoon-coating gravy.
- It will look too soupy when the noodles finish — the 5-minute off-heat rest is when it thickens to the right consistency.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or heavy 5-6 quart pot with lid
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Whisk
- Tongs
- Two forks (for shredding)
- Ladle
Ингредиенты
Chicken and Broth
- 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 42 g unsalted butter
- yellow onion, diced
- carrots, sliced into coins
- celery stalks, sliced
- garlic cloves, minced
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 1.4 L low-sodium chicken broth, homemade or good-quality boxed
- 0.5 g dried thyme
- bay leaf
- 6 g kosher salt, plus more to taste at the end
- 1 g freshly ground black pepper
Noodles and Finish
- 340 g wide egg noodles, or frozen homestyle egg noodles, added straight from frozen
- 120 ml heavy cream, or whole milk for a lighter finish
- 8 g fresh parsley, chopped
Приготовление
- ШАГ01
Pat the chicken thighs dry and season all over with the salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the thighs in a single layer and sear until deeply golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side — they don't need to be cooked through yet. Move them to a plate.
- ШАГ02
Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, and celery to the buttery drippings. Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until the onion turns translucent and the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- ШАГ03
Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 minute so it coats everything and loses its raw taste. Whisk in the broth in a steady stream, then add the thyme and bay leaf.
- ШАГ04
Nestle the seared thighs and any juices back into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork, about 25 minutes.
- ШАГ05
Lift the thighs onto a cutting board with tongs and pull them into bite-size shreds with two forks. Discard the bay leaf. Leave the pot uncovered on the heat while you work.
- ШАГ06
Raise the heat and bring the broth to a lively simmer. Stir in the egg noodles and cook uncovered, stirring every couple of minutes so they don't stick, until tender and the broth has visibly thickened, about 8 minutes (frozen homestyle noodles need closer to 20).
- ШАГ07
Reduce the heat to low, stir in the cream and shredded chicken, and warm through for about 2 minutes — don't let it boil hard once the cream is in. Turn off the heat, cover, and rest 5 minutes; the sauce will tighten to a gravy consistency. Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and serve topped with parsley.
Make ahead
Up to 2 days ahead, complete the recipe through shredding the chicken (step 5) and refrigerate the broth and meat together. At dinnertime, bring the pot back to a simmer, cook the noodles directly in the broth, and finish with the cream — the noodles are freshest when cooked just before serving. The vegetables can also be diced a day ahead and stored covered in the fridge.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The noodles keep absorbing liquid as they sit, so reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of chicken broth or milk to loosen it back to a saucy consistency. Freezing is not ideal — cooked egg noodles turn mushy when thawed — but the shredded chicken and thickened broth (made through step 5) freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw, bring to a simmer, and cook fresh noodles in it.
Variations
Hoosier-Style Over Mashed Potatoes
Do it the Indiana way: ladle the finished chicken and noodles over a mound of buttery mashed potatoes. Carbs on carbs sounds excessive until you try it — make the broth slightly looser (add an extra 240 ml / 1 cup of broth with the noodles) so there's plenty of gravy for the potatoes.
Dairy-Free
Sear the chicken in 3 tablespoons of olive oil instead of butter and skip the cream, whisking an extra 15 g (2 tbsp) flour into the vegetables so the broth still thickens to a gravy. Check your noodle label — most egg noodles are dairy-free, but the dish still contains gluten and egg.
Rotisserie Shortcut
Skip the searing and simmering: sauté the vegetables in butter, build the roux and broth, simmer 10 minutes, then cook the noodles in the broth and stir in 450 g (about 3 cups) shredded rotisserie chicken with the cream at the end. Dinner lands in about 30 minutes, though the broth is a little less rich.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Частые вопросы
What's the difference between chicken and noodles and chicken noodle soup?
Consistency. Chicken noodle soup is brothy and eaten with a spoon as a starter; chicken and noodles is a main course with a thick, gravy-like sauce that coats the noodles. This chicken and noodles recipe gets that texture from a flour roux plus the starch the egg noodles release as they cook directly in the broth.
Can I use rotisserie or leftover chicken in this chicken and noodles recipe?
Yes — it's a great shortcut. Sauté the vegetables in butter, make the roux, add the broth, and simmer about 10 minutes before cooking the noodles. Stir in 450 g (about 3 cups) of shredded cooked chicken during the last few minutes, just long enough to heat through. You'll trade a little depth for speed since you skip the sear, so a splash of extra broth concentrate or bouillon helps.
What kind of noodles work best?
Wide egg noodles are traditional — their soft, slightly chewy texture and the way they shed starch into the broth are what define the dish. Frozen homestyle egg noodles (thick, doughy strips) are the old-fashioned choice and make it even heartier; add them straight from frozen and simmer about 20 minutes. Regular pasta like fettuccine works in a pinch but releases less starch, so the sauce stays thinner.
Why is my broth too thin (or too thick)?
If it's thin, keep simmering uncovered for a few extra minutes and remember it thickens noticeably during the 5-minute rest — the noodle starch and roux both set up as it cools slightly. Still soupy? Whisk 1 tablespoon of flour into 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir it in at a simmer for 2 minutes. If it's too thick, especially on day two, just loosen it with warm chicken broth or milk, a splash at a time.
Can I make chicken and noodles in a slow cooker?
Yes. Put the seasoned thighs, vegetables, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and broth in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, then shred the chicken. Whisk the flour with the cream, stir it in with the noodles, and cook on HIGH for 20-30 minutes until the noodles are tender and the broth thickens. You lose the seared-chicken depth, so browning the thighs in a skillet first is worth the extra pan if you have time.
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