The 24/7 Chicken Noodle Soup
Sides, Soups & Salads
Three a.m. on the graveyard shift. The stainless-steel soup well rolls. A cook yelling "let the chicken wade through it!" over the crash of plates signals an order. This isn't a precious consommé; it is a heavy ceramic bowl sitting under fluorescent lights. The secret is a heavy hand of commercial chicken base and a brutal scrape of the cast-iron pot. A short-order veteran never cooks the noodles in the broth, a fatal error that turns tomorrow's soup into wallpaper paste. Wide egg noodles slip off the spoon, the broth shimmers with yellow fat, and the diner hums along.
Ingredients
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs2 lb
- yellow onion1 large
- carrots3 large
- celery stalks3 med
- garlic cloves4 med
- chicken broth8 cup
- Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base1 tbsp
- dried thyme1 tsp
- dried parsley1 tsp
- bay leaf1 med
- soy sauce1 tsp
- extra-wide egg noodles8 oz
- neutral oil1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- saltine crackers2 oz
Method
- 01
Render the chicken fat in a heavy cast-iron pot.
Heat a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of the neutral oil. Once shimmering, place the chicken thighs skin-side down and let them sizzle undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes until deeply browned, flipping for 2 more minutes before transferring to a plate and discarding the skin.
- 02
Sweat the vegetables and aggressively scrape the fond.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, and toss in the onions, carrots, and celery. As the vegetables release their water, use a flat wooden spoon to violently scrape the sticky, browned chicken crust from the bottom of the pot, mimicking the well-seasoned flavor of a commercial flat-top.
- 03
Fortify the broth and simmer the chicken until tender.
Stir in the minced garlic, thyme, and parsley for 60 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the broth, bouillon paste, soy sauce, and bay leaf. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, bring to a rolling boil, then drop the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer lazily for 30 to 40 minutes until the meat falls off the bone.
- 04
Boil the egg noodles in a separate pot and hold them aside.
While the soup simmers, cook the extra-wide egg noodles in heavily salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain them thoroughly, toss with a teaspoon of neutral oil to prevent sticking, and hold them in a separate container so they don't disintegrate into mush during storage.
- 05
Shred the chicken and boldly correct the seasoning.
Remove the cooked thighs, shred the dark meat into bite-sized, rustic chunks with two forks, and discard the bones before returning the meat to the pot. Taste the liquid and adjust with salt and a heavy dose of cracked black pepper until it tastes fiercely comforting.
- 06
Marry the cold noodles and boiling broth directly in the serving bowl.
Place a generous handful of the room-temperature noodles into a heavy ceramic bowl and ladle a massive portion of the boiling hot, golden broth directly over the top to instantly reheat the pasta. Serve immediately with extra black pepper and a plastic-wrapped sleeve of saltines right on the table.
Notes
The Protein Swap.
If you are pressed for time, substitute the raw chicken thighs with shredded, store-bought rotisserie chicken. Skip the searing step entirely, sweat the mirepoix, add the liquids and bouillon, simmer for 15 minutes, and fold in the rotisserie meat at the very end just to warm through.
The 24/7 Lifestyle Storage.
Store the cooled broth and chicken mixture in one airtight container in the refrigerator, and the cooked egg noodles in a zip-top bag. When ready to eat, simply heat the broth on the stove until bubbling, place the cold noodles in a bowl, and pour the hot broth over them.
From Cook Diner Food at Home.