North Dakota Chicken Noodle
This is my take on chicken noodle. It’s not fantastically different than other people’s recipes but everyone whose tried it thinks it is fabulous. I ate it (literally) every winter week in North Dakota for the three years I lived there; three very cold ass years.
Feel free to omit the bay leaves and cloves if you choose, but don’t omit the fresh dill. It’s what makes it so different. Using the entire chicken provides plenty of flavors in itself, however spices add something deeper.
This is crazy good served with poppy seed knots (recipe on this website)…and bibs.
North Dakota Chicken Noodle
Serves 4
1 whole fresh raw chicken
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
2 dried bay leaves
1 box chicken stock (4 cups worth)
6 stalks fresh dill; separated
3 carrots, skinned
2 onions
2 stalks celery
Thin spaghetti; one medium hand-full broken into three equal parts
2 medium sized russet potatoes, peeled
Place first 4 ingredients in a large deep pot. Cover chicken with 2 inches of water (at least 6-8 cups) and bring to a boil. Add 3 stalks of dill, 1 carrot cut into three parts, 1 onion quartered and one celery stalk broken in half. Lower heat to medium and simmer chicken until the meat begins falling off the bone, approximately 1 1/2 hours – 1 3/4 hours. To be sure it’s done you should turn the chicken legs up in the pot and try to remove the leg. If leg easily pulls out the chicken is done.
Drain contents of the pot into a colander set inside another large deep pot or bowl, to catch the broth. Rinse the hot pot with cold water to remove any left over solids, and return to heat with strained chicken stock. Bring soup to a boil and add box stock, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, and two potatoes chopped into small, bite-sized pieces. Boil vegetables in chicken stock for 5 minutes.
Let the chicken cool until you can separate the chicken from the bones and skin. Shred the chicken by hand and discard the other colander contents. Lower heat to medium and add thin spaghetti and simmer until pasta is cooked through and potatoes are tender, approx 10 minutes. Chop 3 stalks of dill (fronds only), and add to soup with shredded chicken just before serving. Taste to be sure no additional salt or pepper is needed. Serve soup piping hot.