Carnivore Dreams — Chicken and Noodles??

Chicken and Noodles.  I know.  Not on Carnivore. I have to make my dad stuff he likes and try to eat my way on the side.  This sauce isn’t quite like what he and mom made when I was a kid, but it smacks of it all.  It was really fabulous (the noodles aren’t quite done and plumped up so you can’t see them as well here in the picture and those are oranges, not lemons).  All in all, I loved the seasoning and sauce.  I’m going to give Shawn Syphus (I Wash, You Dry) credit for the basic seasoning, though I departed from the recipe a lot.  Check her out–cute girl and possibly a very great cook.  Here is hers:

• 6 bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs (I had eight)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
• 1 red onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 orange, sliced
• Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, for serving

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
2. Add chicken to the skillet and cook over medium heat approximately 8-10 minutes per side or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F and skin is crispy. Transfer to a plate to rest.
3. Return skillet to the stove and add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, sage, thyme and rosemary and sauté for 1-2 minutes more.
4. Turn heat to medium high and stir in the dry white wine. Allow the wine to cook off for one minute before adding the chicken broth and orange slices.
5. Return chicken thighs to the skillet and simmer everything together for 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is heated through.
6. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes, rice or buttered noodles.

What I did different:  I cut back a bit on the thyme and rosemary and I didn’t have any sage.  Next time, I wouldn’t because I can see it would have been great, but wanted my dad to think this was closer to his old version.  I doubt I’d use much sage and certainly not that much, though a full teaspoon or a bit more of all those three–sage, rosemary and thyme (as Simon and Garfunkel would sing)– would probably be great. While the chicken was out of the pan (and you might finish it a bit in the oven), I added egg noodles right into the pan.  This meant I had to keep adding more chicken stock (and I used unsalted), until they finally plumped up.  Which took almost a half hour since they were those thicker noodles, then I added the chicken back in when noodles were close and let it go ten minutes or so. I probably ended up using at least a cup and a half of stock.  The wine I kept to 1/3 of a cup or so.

 

Oh and I don’t think she ever says what to do with the other two tablespoons of butter–they went into the sauce.

This sauce is definitely worth the effort.  The orange and wine added some finesse and subtlety that is really nice.   And it’s a beautiful dish–I served it in a huge pasta bowl. But if you’ve never done chicken and noodles the old fashioned way, adding them directly to a skillet or electric frying pan, you should try it.  Presuming you are on a carb re-feed or that you eat carbs at all.  (I had just at taste).  Great stuff.

Dreams:  I had them, I know.  They escape me now since my father woke me up thumping around and I didn’t have time to record them.