Stewed Chicken
Instructions:
- Time was, we were addicted to this dish at New York’s Second Avenue Deli. The restaurant’s gone now, but we continue to make this simple comfort food at home: a whole chicken, stewed with vegetables, served with noodles and the broth. Makes 4 to 6 servings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- One 4- to 5-pound whole chicken, giblets and neck removed, trussed with butcher’s twine
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, split lengthwise, the inner layers washed carefully of any sand, then sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 parsnip, peeled, cut into 2-inch sections, and each cut into lengthwise quarters
- 1 bay leaf
- About 6 cups chicken broth, or enough just to cover the bird in the pot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1â„2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces dried egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill fronds
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the trussed chicken breast side down. Brown well for about 2 minutes, shaking and nudging to make sure the skin isn’t sticking. Turn the chicken breast side up and continue cooking until golden, turning on all sides and basting often with the pan juices, about 8 more minutes.
- Transfer to a Dutch oven that will hold the bird snugly; it must not swim around. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, parsnip, and bay leaf, sticking the vegetables down around the chicken. Pour in the broth; add the salt and pepper. Set over medium- high heat and bring to a simmer.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook at a very slow bubble until the vegetables are tender and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165°F (our preference) or 180°F (the USDA recommendation), 50 to 65 minutes. Using large tongs to pick up the chicken and a spatula to support it from underneath, transfer to a cutting or carving board for 10 minutes before carving. If desired, skim the fat off the broth.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid in the pot to a full simmer. Add the noodles and dill, stir well, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. Serve in large bowls with the broth, noodles, and vegetables ladled over the cut-up pieces of chicken.
- Slow cooker method:
- Follow step 1. Once the chicken has been browned, place it and the remaining ingredients except for the noodles and dill in a slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 31 â„2 to 4 hours. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker (the bird may fall apart), pour the cooking liquid and vegetables into a large saucepan, then bring to a simmer over high heat. Add the noodles and dill, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.
- If you use a larger stewer (7 to 8 pounds), truss it and brown as directed in steps 1 and 2 in a very large skillet. Transfer it to a very large Dutch oven and then add the broth (without the vegetables); you may need to use up to 10 cups broth.
- Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes. Then add the vegetables, salt, and pepper and continue with the recipe from step 4.