Chicken and Noodles

Tupperware is giving away $1 for every purchase of selected items to Boys and Girls Club. In celebration/to bring attention to this, What's Cooking? is hosting a cooking challenge. The challenge was to make something that you loved from your childhood or that your kids love.

The first thing I thought of was chicken and noodles. It was my favorite meal growing up. Somehow, I don't seem to have any special memories to share about it. Unfortunately, my mother used boxed Lipton butter noodles and canned chicken to make it. My foodie sensibilities just will not allow me to make it that way. (Yes, I am a snob.) So, what you see below is my interpretation of a childhood classic in my house. I tried more to imitate the looks of it than the taste. I chose to use a bechamel(milk sauce) for the creamy sauce, though a combination of chicken stock or vegetable stock and milk would work just as well. A chicken stock would be especially nice since it would make the dish taste more chicken-y. I mostly chose the herbs to mimic the green speckled look of the sauce that I remember, but they still go quite well with garlic. I would suggest using leftover chicken for this, mostly because otherwise, you need three pots/pans to make it.


Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c milk (for a less rich version, try 3/4 c stock and 1/4 c milk)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 handfuls (about 1 cup, I think) of bow tie pasta or egg noodles
1 pinch each of dried parsley, thyme, and oregano
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c frozen peas

Method:
1) Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until it just starts to brown. I would suggest using a whisk to stir since you will need to do so later. No need to dirty up more than you have to.
2) Stir in the flour to make a roux. It should be about the consistency of peanut butter. Stir it around for about 2 minutes. You're just trying to get rid of the taste of raw flour in the final sauce.
3) Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper, and add the chicken. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4) While the sauce and chicken are simmering, cook the noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water. (Bring the water to a boil and add salt before you put in the pasta.)
5) Once the pasta is done, strain it and add it to the saucepan. Add the herbs, cheese, and peas at this time as well. Simmer until the peas are heated through.