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This chicken and noodles recipe is a time-saving family meal that’s made all in one pot in just 30 minutes! It has tender chicken and buttery egg noodles all smothered in a creamy sauce.
You may also like my Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole or Chicken Tortellini Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
Everyone loves an inexpensive yet cozy dinner, and there’s definitely no shame in opening up a can of soup every so often as a shortcut to help a recipe along. This homestyle creamy chicken and noodles is a stovetop classic that feeds hungry mouths with minimal effort.
This has the ultimate savory sauce that takes all the best flavors from Chicken Noodle Soup and basically concentrates them into one saucy, creamy noodle dish. Just a handful of pantry ingredients combine in this comforting meal, and using leftover or rotisserie chicken makes it that much more convenient!
What you’ll need
- Butter – for sautéing
- Onion – you can use whichever variety you have on hand, but our kitchen likes sweet (Vidalia) onions best
- Garlic – for savory goodness. Use even more if you’re a big fan
- Chicken broth – to add depth and richness to the sauce
- Heavy cream – it adds texture and luxuriousness
- Cream of mushroom soup – condensed soup is a tried and true shortcut
- Egg noodles – use extra wide (broad) egg noodles for best results. You’ll find them in the dry pasta aisle at the grocery store.
- Chicken – use any leftover cooked chicken you have, like from a Roast Chicken, or buy rotisserie
Helpful tips
- As with any one pot meal, use recipe timing as a guideline and adjust as needed since pots and stoves can vary. If liquid levels are getting low before the pasta is cooked, add a little more chicken broth or cream and/or reduce the heat, and if there’s too much liquid, simply cook it for a bit longer.
- Sensitive to salt? You may want to use reduced sodium versions of chicken broth and the condensed soup.
- I have not tested swapping the cream for something else. It adds richness and helps the sauce have a thicker texture, so I’d use caution against using something lower fat like half-and-half or milk.
How to make chicken and noodles
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the butter until softened. Stir in the garlic. Add in the broth, heavy cream, and can of condensed soup. Stir until incorporated, and increase the heat.
Once boiling, add in the egg noodles. Give it the occasional stir as it simmers and cooks the noodles while reducing the sauce. Add in the chicken and warm it through. Season with salt & pepper, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like to use this garlic press to quickly mince it since you don’t even need to peel the cloves.
- Here is the Le Creuset Dutch oven I use, and this budget-friendly Lodge Dutch oven is also a great option.
- Butter is super easy to measure out with this butter dish that has measurement markings right on it.
Substitutions and variations
- You could add some finely chopped veggies for some color. Try frozen peas and carrots and/or corn, or throw in a couple handfuls of fresh spinach towards the end of cooking time.
- If you’re not a fan of cream of mushroom soup, swap with cream of chicken or cream of celery or even condensed cheddar soup.
- Want it to be cheesy? Add in a cup or so of grated cheddar or some freshly grated parmesan!
- If using a different kind of pasta, be mindful that cooking time and/or liquids may need to be adjusted.
What to serve with chicken and noodles
- It’s a great complete meal in itself, but I wouldn’t say no to pairing it with a slice of Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread for all-out comfort food. A dinner roll works too.
- For something lighter, try a side salad with mixed greens, your favorite veggies, and my Olive Garden Salad Dressing or Homemade Ranch Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftover chicken and noodles will last 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, but keep in mind the pasta will soften up and soak up the sauce over time.
- Reheat leftovers on low heat. Either the stove or microwave works.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers. Creamy sauces and pasta usually don’t hold up well after thawing.
If you want to leave a review, talk to me in the comments below! You can always tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram as well with your S&L creations.
Easy One Pot Chicken and Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 (10.5) ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 3 cups uncooked egg noodles extra wide size
- 2 cups cooked chicken I used rotisserie
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley optional, to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or pot, sauté the onion in the butter for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the chicken broth, heavy cream, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir until combined and increase the heat to high.
- Once it's boiling, add in the egg noodles. Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. Turn the heat down (to medium or even medium-low) to maintain a rapid simmer (not a furious boil). You don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked. See notes below for troubleshooting tips.
- Stir in the chicken and let it warm through, then season with salt & pepper as needed and top with fresh parsley if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Pots and stoves can vary so timing may need to be adjusted. If the noodles aren’t yet cooked and the liquid level is getting too low (like they’re in danger of sticking and burning), turn the heat down and/or add a splash more broth or cream. If there’s too much liquid, cook for a little longer.
- You may want to use low-sodium versions of the cream of mushroom soup and the chicken broth if you’re sensitive to salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I was looking for a quicker, passable version of my mom’s homemade chicken and dumplings for a weeknight cold weather dinner and ran across this recipe. This looked like something my picky tween might eat (despite her disappointment that it wasn’t her grandma’s dumplings)! I had all the ingredients except heavy cream on hand and threw this together in no time, following the recipe fairly closely. I had no pre-cooked chicken, so I put chicken breast pieces in to cook after the onion and garlic and (I added) carrots, before the soup and broth and, in my case, whole milk. Otherwise I changed nothing. The milk did not curdle – very slowly bringing it to a boil (like you would for cooking the canned soup by itself) maybe helped? The sauce thickened beautifully as the egg noodles simmered. My daughter devoured it and said it was very yummy! Glad to have this recipe as a delicious, very easy weeknight option, when I just don’t have time to spend 2 hours making chicken and dumplings!
So glad it worked out!! 😀 Thank you!
Can I use light whipping cream in place of heavy?
You could try.
The flavor was nice but the consistency was too thick for me. I prefer mine a bit soupy when serving over mashed potatoes.
My family loved this as did I. I will be making this again!
Yay!! I’m so glad!
This was so yummy! Will definitely be making it again. Thank you!
Glad to hear it, Brandi!! 😀 You’re very welcome!
This is a very awesome & filling dish. We had no leftovers. It will definitely be in our dinner rotation.
Thank you so much, Cynthia!
I made this tonight for dinner. I served it with garlic bread. I was easy and pretty good! I will make it again.
Great! Thanks, Cathy!
My go to recipe! (w/ slight adjustments just because we are a seasonings household) We love to eat this over a bed of mashed potatoes (I get the 2 pack from Costco to make it easier) just for the added carb-overload xD
Sounds good to me!! 😀
Excellent recipe! I have three picky eaters and they all chowed down on this!
So glad to hear it! 😀 Thanks, Tia!
This is my new go to weeknight meal. We are making it all of the time. All 5 of us love it! Great recipe!
Wonderful!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know!
This was an absolute hit. Easy, fast and full of flavor. Had to double it for family of 5. Thanks for posting such a great time saving recipe.
I’m thrilled to hear it!