Chicken Noodle Stew

I came back from a long vacation, and after a long flight on a smelly airplane I was feeling a tiny bit sick. As hokey as it sounds, I was craving some chicken noodle soup. So out I went to the store to buy some chicken, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, garlic, pasta, and chard. The soup was rich and filling, and I'm happy to say I never got sick.



HOW TO:
To prepare the chicken for stock, wash and dry the chicken and remove the meat from the legs and breasts leaving all the skin and bones attached. Cut the chicken meat into small pieces and set aside. (There will be leftover meat. A later post will provide a potential use.) Add the chicken to boiling water and bring back to a boil. Dump the water and rinse the chicken and pot from any residue. (This is a Chinese tactic to keep the stock clear and clean tasting.) Add enough cold water to cover the chicken and bring the pot back to boil. Add a couple of carrots, celery, chunks of onion, garlic cloves, and a bay leaf. Simmer for hours and hours and hours.

Marinate the diced chicken in a little flour, salt, pepper, a little sugar, white pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and set aside. Finely dice a carrot, a celery stalk, a few cloves of garlic, and one small onion. Also chop a couple of carrots and potatoes into 1/2 to 1 inch size pieces and set aside. In a large pot, sauté the chicken until mostly cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the finely diced vegetables to the pot, scraping up any chicken pieces. Cook until soft and fragrant. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the chopped carrots and potatoes and simmer until just cooked. Turn up the heat and add some bite-sized pasta and chopped chard. Cook until pasta is al dente, and serve hot.