Homemade Egg Noodles in Chicken Broth

Homemade Egg Noodles in Chicken Broth are a rich and flavorful holiday side or special treat any time.

Homemade egg noodles in chicken broth

The holidays are coming.  And they’re a special time for remembering, then making more memories.

So is there a better time for nostalgic recipes? 

Of course there are always a lot of contenders for space on the table.  Besides the ubiquitous turkey and mashed potatoes, you might consider Sweet potato pie, Christmas Drinking Custard and today’s Homemade Egg Noodles in Chicken Broth. 

Egg noodles in Chicken Broth is rich enough for a special treat but has a homespun goodness that is perfect for the holidays.  And this classic recipe came right from my grandmother!

Homemade egg noodles in chicken broth

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty.  The noodles are rich, eggy and flavorful, infused with a tasty superfatted broth.  This creates an amazingly rich side dish.  You weren’t going to get your cholesterol checked after the holidays anyway, were you?

Nostalgic.  This is a true classic, right from the files of my grandmother. 

Family Friendly.  This is a great recipe to get your kids involved in cooking and holiday prep.  My grandmother used to save the “pinwheels” for her grandkids to unroll before every Thanksgiving meal and we were so proud to help!

Homemade egg noodles in chicken broth

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

  • All-purpose flour.  This is the main ingredient in the noodles.
  • Salt. This enhances the flavor of both the noodles and the broth.
  • Eggs.  This adds richness and flavor and helps the noodles hold together.
  • Milk.  This thins the noodle mixture.
  • Butter.  This adds richness and flavor to the broth.
  • Chicken broth.  The noodles cook in chicken broth and pick up its flavor.  A flavorful broth is important.
  • Chicken fat.  This adds richness and flavor to the broth.  In a pinch you can substitute butter.

Special Tools

  • These noodles date from long before there were fancy kitchen tools like food processors and pasta machines. So no special tools are needed!

Step by Step Directions (Video at End)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and pinch of salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Mix until mostly blended, then drop mixture onto floured surface. 

mix dough

Finish blending by hand, then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Knead dough

On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. When done, flour both sides of the dough lightly so it isn’t sticky.

roll out dough

Starting on one end, roll up the dough into a long cylinder.

roll into cylinder

Cut “wheels” all the way down the length of the cylinder.

cut wheels

Unroll the “wheels” and allow noodles to air dry before cooking (at least 15 minutes).

unroll and let dry

Heat broth, salt and chicken fat in a large pot and add noodles when boiling.  Cook until done, approximately 5 minutes.

cook noodles

The Movie

And just in case you want to see the process in video format, here’s a quick demo!

 

How to Create the Richest Chicken Broth

Early Attempts

The first time I made egg noodles in chicken broth, I was seriously disappointed.  Especially since I had boiled a whole chicken to create a homemade stock just like my grandmother did.  My mother commented that I’d used an ordinary supermarket chicken and should try a stewing hen.

For my next attempt, I ordered a stewing chicken from the butcher and it made a much better broth.  But the real answer came when I found kosher chicken fat at the grocery store and added it to a free range farm chicken.  That broth was amazing! 

Homemade Broth

The Winner

But I’ve never been that fond of boiled chicken meat so I ended up changing my approach. 

Now I start with good broth that I create separately, using my Chicken Bone Broth recipe. (Be sure to use your Thanksgiving turkey carcass for broth!)  And truthfully, in a pinch I’ll use a good commercial chicken broth.

The second component is the chicken fat that is created whenever I make my bone broth.  The fat collects on top of the broth as it cools and I scrape it off to freeze it separately.  I keep a jar (or more) of chicken fat in the freezer and add to it when I have more. 

And together, this has the great flavor as my grandmother’s!

Plus whenever the time comes to make noodles, I have what I need!

Homemade egg noodles in chicken broth

How to Serve

I serve this as a side. It’s especially nice with a roast chicken or turkey.  But it would be great alongside other “old world” entrees like a baked ham or pork roast.

Variations

I usually serve the noodles very simply, scooping them from the pot with a very small amount of broth.  Since so much of the richness has been absorbed as they cook, you don’t need anything else to make them delicious.    

But my grandmother used to boil a chicken (or perhaps more than one) and chicken meat floated in the broth with the noodles.  And she included the chicken gizzards and hearts, which we all considered a delicacy.  Feel free to go that route if you’d like.  Though I do think my kids might faint if they saw a chicken heart in their noodle bowl.   

You can also make the egg noodles and cook them in water for a basic pasta.

Homemade egg noodles in chicken broth

Preparation and Leftovers

You can make these ahead of time and let them sit in the broth refrigerated.  The noodles will soak up additional broth and be even more tender and flavorful. 

Try to use any leftovers within a few days.  I’m pretty sure this won’t be hard!

Tips & FAQs

The salt is important for the flavor, so if it tastes flat, be sure to adjust.

The recipe is small so it can be made even if you aren’t hosting a party.  Consider doubling (or tripling) it for a larger group.

And for more delicious sides, check out these Holiday Side Dish Week 2022 recipes hosted by Heather from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks  to help you plan your holiday meals.

Friday Holiday Side Dish Recipes:

Displaying Homemade Noodles In Chicken Broth

Homemade Egg Noodles in Chicken Broth

Homemade Egg Noodles in Chicken Broth are a rich andflavorful holiday side or special treat any time.
Author: Inger
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Drying 15 mins
Course Side Dish
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 quart rich chicken broth preferably homemade from free-range roasting or stewing chicken
  • 4 oz added chicken fat for richness
  • 1 T salt or to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, stir together the flour and pinch of salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Mix until mostly blended, then drop mixture onto floured surface.
  • Finish blending by hand, then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
  • On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. When done, flour both sides of the dough lightly so it isn’t sticky.
  • Starting on one end, roll up the dough into a long cylinder.
  • Cut “wheels” all the way down the length of the cylinder.
  • Unroll the “wheels” and allow noodles to air dry before cooking (at least 15 minutes).
  • Heat broth, salt and chicken fat in a large pot and add noodles when boiling. Cook until done, approximately 5 minutes.
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on Jan 9, 2011

30 thoughts on “Homemade Egg Noodles in Chicken Broth

  1. Rick Darby

    I have been making these for yrs. I learned from my mother when I was a pup. I have eaten them my whole life. My family grew up and grew old on them, I’m 70 now. I e made them with chicken, ham and turkey. I make my own broth with a ham bone(with some meat, chicken or turkey carcus, meat). I use alot of egg noodles to broth. It will make its own gravy and put over mashed potatoes. And eat with your favorite veggie. I’ve never had a fail.

  2. Sheila

    Are these noodles really tender. A buffet we used to go to had the most tender noodles made in house that were the main draw. I’ve tried making different recipes. But they are always too chewy. Your thoughts?

    1. Inger Post author

      They have somewhat of a tendency to be chewy Sheila, but I don’t think that’s inherent in the noodle. Instead I think it’s due to the fact that hand-rolled noodles are often thicker. If you would manage to roll them very thin, I think they would be tender. I base this on the fact that the noodles are usually a bit different in thickness and the thicker ones (or parts) are chewier than the ends or thinnest noodles. Hope this helps!

    2. Adrianne

      Try using semolina flour instead of all purpose, or a mix of 50% semolina and 50% all purpose. Semolina makes a far superior noodle, one that is much less chewy.

      1. Inger Post author

        I don’t know how much this will change the homespun nature of this noodle but it doesn’t sound like that’s what she is after anyway. So worth a try! Someday I’m going to do more types of pasta…

  3. Marcelle

    Inger, I honestly can’t wait to make these for myself! We love buttered noodles, it’s one of my children’s favorite simple sides. I can’t wait to make them with homemade egg noodles next time! Delicious, thank you!

  4. Dianna

    I was surprised to read that you found kosher chicken fat at the grocery store. I have never seen anything like that but it would sure make life easier when making this dish. Was it canned or in the frozen section? Where should I try to find it? I can’t wait to make this!!

    1. Inger Post author

      It was in the meat section with the poultry. The store was a higher end grocer–the same one I special order meat from (they got me a goose last year). If you don’t find it, you might see if someone can get it for you. And if push comes to shove you can use butter.

    1. Inger Post author

      I might have been intimidated if we hadn’t grown up helping make them. But considering the fact that they are “homespun,” any imperfection is part of their character! The hardest part is finding the chicken fat buried in my freezer 🙂

  5. David Scott Allen

    I definitely need to try my hand at homemade egg noodles. I come from the area in Pennsylvania where the Amish make them fresh — there is nothing like fresh egg noodles!

    1. Inger Post author

      I think you’ll have fun if you do, David! I’ve been known to add Amish noodles to soups myself, though I don’t have a source of fresh.

    1. Inger Post author

      Yup. My brother does Thanksgiving but I still buy a turkey that I cut up. And you know where the carcass goes!

  6. Cindy Reynolds

    my Grandpa liked his noodles smaller…so from the strip stage….Grandma would take the scissors and cut them up small….they were so good!!! I always throw in real butter when cooking them also…instead of the chicken fat…makes them just a touch on the creamy side! while they were drying…I always snuck some and ate them…yes…raw…it was good but Grandma would say if you keep eating them there ain’t gonna be any to cook!!! lol!! I am thinking she sometimes only used the yolks also…I watched her do it a million times….wish I had wrote it all down now!!!

    1. Inger Post author

      I have actually tossed in some butter myself sometimes when I didn’t feel I had enough chicken fat, Cindy! Thanks so much for sharing! I love hearing other peoples traditions!

  7. irene gillan

    thank you so much for the recipe………. my mother made this when i was a little child . when she died , i could not find her recipe irene gillan

    1. Inger Wilkerson

      I am so happy to be able to help here. I think it is truly sad to lose a family recipe (as we have as well…).

      1. irene gillan

        what a nice surprise to hear from you….thank you ……i am a depression baby of 1931 and both my parents are from the province of quebec,canada. my mother’s mother was a canadian also and my mother watch her make chicken with homemade noodles.it is such a tasty recipe and i remember in the late 40’s after the big depression. the recipe is just the way my mother made it

        1. Inger Wilkerson

          My parents were born in 1930 and my grandmother made this, so the timeframe is just the same. I don’t think there is anything available that is quite like this. The whole family was happy when I revived the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

  8. Mary

    need to make a lot of noodles for the veterans of foreign wars club. So need to know how much of each ingredient for 40-50 people

    1. Inger Wilkerson

      Wow sounds like a big (and wonderful) project. Amounts would depend on what else you are serving, but you might need 4-5 times the amounts listed here. If you do go that large, I would recommend doing it in more than one batch. You may wish to consider trying a single batch as a trial run–you’ll get peace of mind and an early treat yourself!

    2. Rick Darby

      It depends on the eaters and portion size. I think you should use 1 to 1.5 eggs per person. The rest of the ingredients will fall into place. I don’t use milk, so if you do, it will take less eggs to make a larger amount. Just have to use more flour with added milk. Just keep adding flour till you can roll them out without sticking to everything. Good luck.

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