Did They Eat It: Simple Chicken & Noodles

This meal wasn't exactly meant to challenge my three children's tastebuds. If they didn't eat this, I would have made them wear it for sure. And not just for a couple of hours or something. No I'd make them wear it for days so they could really think about how picky they've become and is it worth it now that you're wearing a hat of chicken breasts and noodles.....

We grab lunch at Noodles quite a bit, it's right up the street from us (yay!) and across from the bookstore and since, as a family, we all enjoy eating lunch out and browsing the bookstore we do this quite a bit.

Here's the order, as I've messed it up about 429 times, I now have it tattooed on my forehead.

Maddie: buttered noodles, no parmesan, with seasoning and grilled chicken breast

Max: buttered noodles, with parmesan, seasoning and parmesan crusted chicken breast

Maddie loves the chicken so I decided to try and recreate it at home.

I saw the method for cooking the chicken at Not Martha, who found it at The Kitchn.

The method calls for some flour, salt & pepper, plus chopped fresh herbs (optional). I used dried because that's what I had.

This was all very experimental so I put a tablespoon of parsley in.

This is either basil or oregano.

This is also either basil or oregano.

Coarse salt.

And pepper.

Mix it all up. Here are my chicken breasts. Somehow I'm always repulsed by touching chicken when I see a picture of my hand on the chicken. But when I'm doing it, it doesn't seem that gross. Kind of like picking your kids nose I guess.

Logan sliced the chicken breasts in half because they were really thick. Also because we're trying to eat 10% less to go with our keen ability to drop income left and right!

Dredge the chicken in your flour. Lightly.

And the other side too.

Add olive oil to the pan.

And some butter. Hide the butter from Logan because he freaks out if you use butter in your cooking. He has a spontaneous heart attack just from looking at butter.

Put all the chicken in the pan in a single layer and let each side get golden.

Here's why I'm not great about cooking. This flour spilled on the oven, and it made me feel kind of annoyed for the rest of the meal prep.

Now both sides of the chicken are browned.

Cover the pan and turn the heat down very low.

Don't open the lid. Don't let Logan lift the lid. Tell him this is a trust exercise. Set the timer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.

Set the timer for 10 more minutes and threaten Logan's life if he lifts the lid.

To make this meal more like the one the kids get at Noodles, we served our chicken on egg noodles.

Did They Eat It?

Oh, you bet your ass they did.

Logan: Bland! Perfect!

Maddie: Well, it's not exactly like Noodles, but I'm not going to say that out loud. Okay I'll say it once. But I'll eat it rather than wear it.

Max: I smothered this in parmesan but I liked it.

Melissa: The chicken was really good, moist and reasonably flavorful for a boneless skinless chicken breast, I'd use this method again. However, over all the meal just doesn't appeal to my more adventurous palate. It's the kind of thing I'd eat while browsing Tastespotting.

Comments

[Kristen]

This is just the kind of thing I could feed my boyfriend. Boring and bland, his two favorites!

[Sherry]

You need a sauce. Make a little something spice to add to yours.

[Sherry]

Spicy. sheesh

[Lisame]

VERY bland. When you do it again, sprinkle red pepper flakes and garlic powder on the piece that is yours. OR just mix black beans and salsa and serve as a sauce.

[heidi]

That Mediterranean sauce for your would rock this!

[Karla]

Hey Commenters, is this your first time reading her blog? Don't you know how her kids feel about sauce and spices? Fuggedaboudit!

[Kait]

Tastespotting must be like porn to you.

[Carey]

I do know how her kids react to sauce/spice (and I suspect the others did too), which is why I'm suggesting this only for Mom's chicken in a separate pan... add some apple cider vinegar right before you put the lid on. It gives it a yummy tangy flavor.

[Heather]

I say in a small pan on another burner saute some oONIONS! spinach, mushrooms and some diced/seeded tomatoes at the end and throw that in the mix. My kids are way sick of spinach, but they don't have veto power (yet.) I would be afraid of overcooking the chicken, but I'm going to have to try that. Cooking chicken is right up there with canned cat food in things I can't stand the sight/smell of.

[jennifer]

You've got a great first step to chicken marsala here. Next time consider sauteing some mushrooms and shallot before you panfry the chicken, and then deglaze your chicken pan with marsala wine, cream, and a bit of chicken stock. Once you have a nice sauce of that going, add your previously sauteed mushrooms, correct for salt and pepper, and squeeze a bit of lemon over it. And then you can sit there smugly enjoying something delicious while the rest of them eat something comparatively a step above bread and water.

[Bobbiejjj@aol.com]

For Max's chicken, dredge the chicken in a mixture of bread crumbs (I use panko) and grated parmesan.

[Kelsey]

I have to admit, I am of the bland and unadventurous eater variety and this looked really good to me so we tried it for dinner tonight.

I used an Italian spice blend, garlic powder, salt and pepper in the flour. We at it with green beans and rice and my husband said it was the best chicken I've ever cooked. It was delicious and so tender/juicy that I felt okay feeding some small pieces to the baby (well, he's one). Even my four-year-old ate it.

We eat a lot of chicken breast in various recipes/forms and I'm so glad to add another that we really liked.

I know it didn't knock your socks off, but I'm so glad you shared this one!

[Kelsey]

Also? It was really, really difficult for me not to sneak a glance at the cooking chicken.

[Carolyn]

You should try this fabulous, really easy chicken recipe from Jamie Oliver. Even though it was a lot of meat, and no artichoke hearts or black beans (yum), I couldn't believe how good it was. And altho you have to spring for the pricey prosciutto, you only need a tiny bit. My kids, by the way, did not eat it, but it was easy enough to make them bland boring chicken at the same time.

http://www.jamiesministryoffood.com/content/jo/recipes/parmesan-chicken-breasts-with-crispy-posh-ham/recipe/0/file/parmesanchcickenbreasts.pdf

[jackie]

okay, two things. one yesterday i fought with amazing control my impulse to lift the crockpot lid while i was making pulled pork. all because it said not to lift the lid. two. i just kept staring at your stove. i love it.

[amy]

My kids would love that. Thank you!

To spice yours up how about in a seperate pan cook yours with salsa slathered on it, grated cheese and some cumin. Easy peasy and yummy.

[kma]

Do you love people who delurk with advice you didn't ask for?! Deglaze the pan with some chicken broth, throw in a bit of lemon juice and some cream at the end and serve it just over your portion. Bland for them, delicious for you!

[Ina]

Okay-before you do this again, take the dried herbs and deposit in trash can. (They just add dust flavor, ie, none, to the finished product.)
Garlic powder is junk. Don't go there.

[Quyen]

I think it looks delish. I know my kids (4 yrs, 16 mo.) and hubby would love it!
I love to cook and reading recipes of all kinds, I always learn something. Your photos are so great and helpful.

[CinAA]

Your kids get the seasoning at Noodles? They allow them to SPRINKLE GREEN STUFF on their noodles?? Whoa.

[Maia]

Sometimes "Did They Eat It?" makes me afraid for the future. My boyfriend doesn't eat ANYTHING and I'm sure our children won't, either, and I read these posts and I know I'm going to spend two decades with someone or other leaning over my shoulder and freaking out because I put ONIONS! or SOMETHING GREEN! in their dinner.

Then I think, maybe it will be an adventure. Yes! Maybe it will be like living on "Iron Chef"! That's what it's like, right? Right?

[md]

Suggestion from someone else delurking and giving you unsolicited advice: because the chicken was sliced so thinly, you could get away without putting a lid on the pan, which results in steam building up and compromising the crisp coating you're trying to obtain. If you're worried about making sure it's cooked through, leave the lid off and throw the pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

[Katherine]

I'm sure you know this, but just in case, Noodles will send you all sorts of coupons if you tell them your email and birthday.

[sumo]

You have nice measuring spoons. Mine are shinier versions of the ones my mom has used for at least 43 years. Also: nice pots/pans.

[Amy]

I am back here yet again for this recipe. My husband loves this chicken beyond sane reason. I am about to tell him we need a new roof, so it's chicken and noodles tonight!