Chicken Soup with Handmade Egg Noodles

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large stockpot (10-quart minimum)
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Rolling pin
• •Large cutting board or clean work surface for rolling noodles
• •Sheet pan for drying noodles

Instructions

1. 1

   Start with good stock

   Place the whole chicken in your largest stockpot. Cover with cold water by at least three inches. Cold water is not negotiable here. It coaxes proteins from the bones slowly, building body and depth. Hot water shocks the meat and clouds the broth before it has a chance to become something worth eating.

   A pasture-raised chicken from a farmer you trust will give you a stock that tastes like the land it came from. This is where your soup either begins with soul or begins with compromise.
2. 2

   Skim and tend

   Set the pot over medium-high heat. As the water warms, gray foam will rise to the surface. This is protein and impurity, and you want it gone. Skim patiently with a large spoon until the foam turns pale and wispy, about fifteen minutes. Never let the pot reach a rolling boil. A gentle simmer keeps everything clear.

3. 3

   Add the aromatics

   Nestle in the quartered onions, celery pieces, carrots, halved garlic, thyme, parsley stems, bay leaves, peppercorns, and one tablespoon of salt. Reduce heat until you see only lazy bubbles rising every few seconds. This is the pace of good stock. It cannot be rushed. Walk away if you must, but do not turn up the heat.

4. 4

   Simmer until the chicken gives

   Let the stock murmur for two to two and a half hours. The chicken is ready when a leg pulls away easily and the meat slides from the bone without resistance. The skin will look spent, the breast meat exposed where it has pulled back. This is exactly right. The bird has given everything to the broth.

5. 5

   Make the noodle dough

   While the stock simmers, mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a wide well in the center. Drop in the egg yolks, whole egg, and fine sea salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs gently while gradually pulling flour from the inner walls of the well. When the mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands.

   The eggs should be at room temperature. Cold eggs resist the flour and make the dough harder to bring together.
6. 6

   Knead until smooth

   Gather the shaggy mass and begin kneading. Press the heel of your hand into the dough, fold it over, turn it slightly, and repeat. The dough will feel dry and stubborn at first. Keep going. After eight to ten minutes, it will become silky, smooth, and spring back when pressed. If it refuses to come together, add cold water one teaspoon at a time. Wrap tightly in plastic and rest at room temperature for thirty minutes.

7. 7

   Roll and cut the noodles

   Divide the rested dough into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep the rest covered), roll it as thin as you can manage on a floured surface, turning the dough often to prevent sticking. You want it thin enough to see your hand through, or nearly so. Roll each sheet loosely into a cylinder and cut crosswise into strips about a quarter inch wide. Unravel the noodles, toss with a little flour, and spread on a sheet pan. They can dry while you finish the soup.

   Imperfect noodles are honest noodles. Varying widths and slightly ragged edges are the mark of a hand at work. Do not fuss.
8. 8

   Strain and separate

   Carefully lift the chicken from the pot and transfer to a large bowl. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing gently on the spent vegetables to extract their last gift. Discard the solids. You should have about four quarts of golden, fragrant stock. Let the chicken cool until you can handle it, then remove the skin and shred the meat into generous pieces.

9. 9

   Build the soup

   Bring the strained stock to a gentle simmer. Add the sliced carrots and cook for five minutes. Add the celery and diced onion and continue simmering until the vegetables are tender but still have presence, another eight to ten minutes. Taste the broth now and adjust the salt. It should taste alive, not flat.

10. 10

    Cook the noodles

    Drop the handmade noodles into the simmering soup. Stir gently to separate them. Fresh noodles cook quickly, three to five minutes depending on thickness. Taste one. It should be tender with the slightest resistance, silky on the tongue. Return the shredded chicken to warm through.

11. 11

    Finish and serve

    Remove the pot from heat and stir in the chopped dill and parsley. Ladle generously into warmed bowls, making sure each serving has a fair share of noodles, vegetables, and chicken swimming in that golden broth. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper. This soup is best eaten immediately, in good company, with bread nearby.

    Add a squeeze of fresh lemon to your own bowl just before eating. The brightness is transformative, but add it to the pot and you risk overpowering the delicate broth for others.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out a stewing hen if you can find one. Older birds have more collagen in their bones and deeper flavor than young fryers. Ask at the farmers market or call ahead to your butcher.
• •The stock can be made a day ahead. Refrigerate it overnight and the fat will rise and solidify on top, forming a protective seal. Lift it off before reheating, or leave a little for richness.
• •If your noodles seem too thick or chewy, roll the dough thinner next time. The dough forgives. Pay attention to what it teaches you.
• •Save the chicken fat that rises to the top of your stock. Called schmaltz, it is pure gold for sautéing vegetables or enriching other soups.
• •In winter, when local herbs are scarce, a handful of dried herbs tied in cheesecloth will work for the stock. But fresh dill and parsley at the end are worth seeking out. They bring aliveness.

Advance Preparation

• •The stock can be made up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. The solidified fat on top acts as a seal.
• •Noodle dough can be made and refrigerated up to 24 hours ahead. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• •Rolled and cut noodles can dry at room temperature for up to 4 hours before cooking, or freeze on a sheet pan then transfer to a bag for up to 2 months. Cook frozen noodles directly in the simmering soup, adding a minute or two to the cooking time.
• •Complete soup (without noodles) freezes beautifully for 3 months. Cook fresh noodles when you reheat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)