As a kid I loved a pot noodle. I thought they were so tasty and they literally took minutes to make. These pot noodles take a bit longer to prepare but what you can do is make them on a Sunday evening and they will last you throughout the working week. One chicken will yield at least eight pot noodles so they’d be perfect for a working couple to take into work as a packed lunch. If you’re cooking for one you can freeze half of the chicken and stock and use it another time to make another batch. They are healthy and nutritious and very convenient. A game changer! I have been making them for the crew to eat on weekends.
I bought the pots in France at the wholesalers’ but I’m sure you could find something similar on Amazon. They are dishwasher safe and re-useable. Just add boiling water and you’re good to go.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 carrots
3 spring onions
2 celery sticks
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in halves
2 thumb sized pieces of ginger, sliced
Pinch of chilli flakes
6 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
80ml soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves and stalks (stalks for the stock)
400g noodles of your choice
Some finely diced vegetables: carrot, peppers, baby corn, broccoli, courgette, spinach leaves for example
Method
Place all of the ingredients in the biggest pot you have. If you can’t fit a whole chicken into a pot, cut the legs off the chicken then place in the pot separately. Fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil, skimming and discarding any froth off the top of the stock with a large spoon. Simmer for at least an hour, the longer you simmer the broth the better.
Remove the chicken and allow to cool on a baking tray. Sieve the stock, removing the whole spices and vegetables.
Once the chicken has cooled, shred the chicken with two forks, removing the bones and skin. Set the chicken meat aside.
Reduce the stock to about a fifth of its original volume by returning it to the stove. The stock will be extremely strong and salty which is good because you will dilute the stock with boiling water when you come to eat the pot noodle later on.
Boil the noodles as per their cooking instructions. Drain, cool under the cold water tap and then set aside. Drizzle some oil on the noodles to stop them from sticking together.
Assemble your pot noodles by dividing the chicken into the eight pots along with the stock concentrate. Next add a layer of cooked noodles and then the chopped coriander and diced vegetables. Add some dried chilli flakes if you like your pot noodle spicy. Seal the pot noodles and store in the fridge.
To serve your pot noodle boil a kettle, pour hot water over the top, wait two minutes for the chicken to heat up and the vegetables to cook, stir then enjoy.
