Grandma’s Chicken and Noodles

My Grandma has always brought chicken and noodles to Thanksgiving and Christmas; we would pour it on top of our mashed potatoes and turkey. Growing up I would request this for every Birthday dinner. This is by far my most favorite meal, if I had to live off one food for the rest of my life this would be it!

Since I’ve had my own family I’ve been making it for them. Whenever I make it the aroma fills our house with smiles and thoughts of holiday break. During the winter I make chicken and noodles all the time; with homemade strawberry preserves and rolls, twinkle lights, and snow! Life doesn’t get any better!

Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes (make ‘em however you like ‘em)
1 chicken breast
3 (14 oz) cans of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken
2 cups flour
3 egg yokes
1 egg (yoke and white)

Directions
In a baking dish salt and pepper your chicken, cover with foil, and bake until it is cooked through. Depending on how long your mashed potatoes take, you may need to start them while the chicken is cooking.

In a large pot, pour the 3 cans of chicken broth and cook on medium. When the chicken is done dice it and add to the chicken broth pot. Don’t let the pot boil or your liquid will evaporate, you just want it to simmer and stay warm for you while you make the noodles.

Put 2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl, make a well in your flour and add the 3 egg yokes and 1 egg. Add about a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 – 1/2 cup of cool water. I start stirring with a spoon but once the dry ingredients are sufficiently moistened I press it by hand. Once you have the dough formed into a ball you will cut it into quarters.

Sprinkle flour on your counter (or a cutting board) and roll a quarter of the dough out with a rolling pin. As you flip and roll the dough sprinkle more flour on it. You don’t ever want sticky dough; it needs to be dry and dusted with flour. When it is thin, start at one end of the dough and roll it up to a cylinder shape. Slice the dough (in the opposite direction you rolled it) into circular pinwheels. Unravel each of the pinwheels and you will have a long skinny noodle. Cut the noodle into smaller portions. My little noodles will sit on the counter and dry for 5-10 minutes, but I have cooked them right away before and I don’t notice much difference.

When all the noodles are cut and ready add them to the chicken broth and chicken. If you’ve turned your heat down you need to make sure and turn it back up to medium. Let the noodles cook for 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. After approximately 10 minutes my mom will thicken the broth with corn starch, but I don’t like the gelatinous texture it gives leftovers. I prefer to use 1 can of cream of chicken soup to thicken. Add the cream of chicken and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir regularly, it will be thick enough that the bottom will burn if left unattended for longer than a minute. (I have burned it several times while mashing my potatoes).

Season the mashed potatoes and chicken and noodles with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the chicken and noodles over a dollop of mashed potatoes and enjoy!