Back to chicken noodle...

Having roasted a chicken the other night (using my favorite recipe from the NYT -  Mark Bittman's "30 minute" high-heat version), I've come full circle to chicken noodle. Normally (as in, before last month) I would have just made plain old chicken noodle, but the pressure/pleasure of sharing the results in a blog got me thinking about other variations. Also, I had a very satisfying bowl of wonton soup at Thaiku (in Ballard) yesterday, which made me think about Asian noodle soups, which led me to concoct the following variation on a theme:

1/2 med onion, sliced thinly
1/2 Tbs. butter or vegetable oil
3-4 slices of fresh ginger, peeled
1 bunch black kale (or any green, really), thinly sliced
2/3 of a leftover chicken, bones used for stock, sliced
1 1/2 qts (or so) chicken stock
1/3 lb. (or so) udon noodles or fettucine, cooked according to package instructions, drained and rinsed with cold water
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
Salt to taste

In a large pot, saute onion in the butter until it's slightly carmelized. Add ginger and kale, saute for a few minutes, then fill pot about 1/2 full with stock. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for about 10 minutes (time this step to coincide with cooking the noodles). Add chicken and let soup come back to a simmer. Add noodles, cook for a few minutes to re-warm, then stir in sesame oil. Check for salt. Serve in a big bowl with chopsticks to slurp up the noodles with!