One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Think of this warming dish as a relay race, each ingredient handing its flavor to the next. During the (almost!) hands-off cooking, a head of garlic and a whole chicken stuffed with a Parmesan rind roast, then give themselves to salted water, which in turn flavors the egg noodles that soften around the bird. Salt and water are your best tools here: Season the chicken, season the water and season both again. Don’t hesitate to add more water as the noodles are cooking to make sure they’re submerged. Every brand will absorb a slightly different amount of liquid, and you want a result that’s splashy enough to take on all the Parmesan you will grate at the table. Use your largest pot so everything fits. A 7- to 9-quart Dutch oven has ideal proportions with its wide base and chicken-height sides. You can substitute any short, quick-cooking pasta for egg noodles, and introduce sautéed mushrooms, spinach or herbs at the end, if that’s your mood.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 1whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1Parmesan rind, plus grated Parmesan for serving
- 1head garlic, cloves segmented, kept in their sheaths
- 1pound wide egg noodles
- 1sprig rosemary
- 3tablespoons sour cream or crème fraîche
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove the chicken and the butter from the refrigerator to lose their chill while the oven heats.Step 2
Pat the chicken dry, then rub the chicken all over with the butter (dot if it’s not smearable). Generously sprinkle salt into the cavity and all over the skin, then follow with pepper. Stuff the Parmesan rind into the cavity of the chicken and place the chicken in a large Dutch oven. Scatter the garlic cloves around the chicken. Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes.Step 3
When the chicken is golden and a chestnut-colored caramel has formed around the base of the bird, transfer the pot to the stovetop. Squash the garlic cloves with the tines of a fork to squeeze out their roasted flesh. Discard the sheaths if you’d like.Step 4
Pour in enough water to come up mid-thigh around the bird (5 to 8 cups), avoiding the crisp breast skin. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and return the pot to the oven without its lid. Cook for another 60 minutes.Step 5
When the chicken looks like it’s giving up the will to hold itself together, remove the pot from the oven and place it on a burner over a high flame. Taste the liquid and season with salt.Step 6
Press the noodles into the broth and poke them down as they soften to make sure they’re all submerged. Add another 2 to 4 cups of water if necessary to keep the noodles just covered. Boil over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring the noodles occasionally, until they’re cooked through.Step 7
Turn off the flame and bury the rosemary sprig among the noodles. Let sit for 5 minutes for the rosemary to infuse and for the broth to thicken. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sour cream, taste and season the broth. Finish with a generous grind of black pepper and the final tablespoon of sour cream. Take the pot to the table and pull apart the chicken, serving it with a tangle of noodles, and lots of grated Parmesan on top.