Homemade "Reames" Egg Noodles and "Bob Evans" Style Chicken and Noodles

Have you ever eaten at Bob Evan’s Restaurants?  I used to eat there all the time as a kid in Ohio.  I ALWAYS got the very same thing each time: Chicken-N-Noodles!  A crock of thick home-style egg noodles with slow-roasted chicken and vegetables in a rich and creamy broth.

Bob Evan's Chicken-N-Noodles (served over mashed potatoes)

Yum.  A perfect autumn meal, especially on the weekend when you can just let the soup simmer on the stove and fill your home with such an amazing aroma.

Homemade “Reames Style” Egg Noodles (I found this recipe from the Taste of Home community, the recipe is 8 posts down the page)

3 Eggs, beaten

Dash Salt (I used 1/8 tsp.)

2 cups Flour (I used Tom Sawyers All-Purpose GF Flour)

4 Tbs. Milk (I used Skim)

• Mix all ingredients together.

• Roll out on floured surface to desired thickness (this dough was very easy to roll out, not like the common GF batter based doughs).

• Put a generous amount of flour on top and roll longways.

• Cut with knife (I used a pizza cutter) about 1/8-inch wide.

• Dry for about 2 hours on a rack or cookie sheet.

• Drop into boiling broth. (You will obviously need to have the soup ready at this point.  I am going to make some more today and just freeze them before cooking to see how they turn out).

• Boil about 10 minutes (I cooked mine for about 20 – 25 minutes. At 10 minutes cooking time, they were still a bit too al dente for my liking). Let stand another 10 minutes before serving.

Cutting Strips Lengthwise

Cutting Strips Crosswise

Drying Egg Noddles on a Cooling Rack

Chicken Soup (I found this recipe on Recipezaar and just made a few of my own tweaks)

9 cups Hot Water (I just used 3 cartons of pre-made chicken broth in the aseptic carton)

3/4 cup Carrot, chopped

3/4 cup Celery, chopped

1 cup Onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons Chicken Bouillon (or soup base) (I omitted this step since I used pre-made chicken broth)

3/4 cup Butter, melted (I used Smart Balance)

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Salt (I used Kosher salt)

1 lb cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, torn into large pieces (I roasted a whole fryer chicken, removed the skin, then shredded the chicken)

1 (16 ounce) bag Reame’s Frozen Noodles (I obviously used my own GF egg noodles)

This is how I made the soup:

• In a large, heavy pot (I used a large enameled cast iron pot), Sauté carrots, celery and onions in a little olive oil and about 1/4 cup Smart Balance until translucent.

• Add salt and pepper.

• Add chicken broth.

• Add chicken.

• Bring to a boil, turn to low heat and simmer for about an hour. I decided to add a couple of bay leaves at this point, just make sure you do not forget to remove them before eating!

• Add noodles and simmer on medium-low heat for an additional 20 minutes or until the noodles are cooked to your liking.

My Homemade GF Chicken-N--Noodles!

** I wanted my broth a little thicker, so I removed some of the broth from the pot and put into a bowl. I then added 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to make a slurry then added back to the soup pot and allowed to thicken slightly.

Sam ate, actually wolfed down, 3 bowls of this soup!

Next time, I am going to try this in a crock-pot. I am also going to freeze some to keep on hand for the flu season!