Ingredients
Method
- Add thighs, onion, big-cut carrot and celery, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a cold pot with 10 cups (2.4 L) water.
- Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, about 12 minutes.
- Skim foam off the surface every few minutes for the first 10 minutes.
- Simmer uncovered 35 minutes total, until chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Remove chicken, rest 5 minutes, then shred and discard skin and bones.
- Strain broth, discarding solids.
- Melt butter in the pot and cook diced carrots and celery 6 to 7 minutes.
- Boil egg noodles separately in salted water for 7 minutes; drain and toss with a little oil.
- Return strained broth and shredded chicken to the pot with the vegetables; simmer 5 minutes and season with salt.
- Stir in dill, pepper, and lemon juice off heat.
- Divide noodles into bowls and ladle broth and chicken over top to serve.
Notes
Bone-in, skin-on thighs build a broth with real body; boneless, skinless meat gives a noticeably thinner result.
Salt only at the end. Salting the poaching liquid early concentrates as it reduces and oversalts the finished pot.
A rotisserie chicken shortcut works: shred about 3 cups of meat and stir it in during the last 5 minutes instead of poaching raw thighs.
Storage Notes:
Refrigerate broth, chicken, and vegetables together up to 4 days; keep noodles in a separate container the whole time.
Freeze the broth mixture up to 2 months in a flat freezer bag; cook noodles fresh instead of freezing them.
Reheat broth over medium low heat 8 to 10 minutes from cold, adding noodles in the last minute or two just to warm through.