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This One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles recipe is a classic childhood favorite made easy. Full of tender noodles, chicken and veggies in a creamy sauce and cooked in one pan for easy clean-up. Ready in about 45 minutes, this comforting meal is a savior on a busy weeknight.
Be sure to try out other favorite weeknight meals, like One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta and One Pot Chicken Alfredo.
One Pot Meals have become a staple in our home that we especially enjoy. I love the easy clean up and my kids love them because they taste really good! Cooking the pasta IN the sauce creates a delicious, rich flavor for my One Pot Chicken and Noodles recipe that you just can’t get any other way.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for One Pot Chicken and Noodles
- Chicken Breast – I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast in this recipe but if you like you can use chicken thighs instead. If you’re in a hurry, you could use pre cooked chicken, like from a rotisserie.
- Onions, Carrots, Celery – The base veggies for any good casserole or soup recipe.
- Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup – A small can of this creamy soup.
- Milk
- Fettuccine Noodles – I like long, thick noodles in this but you can alter to what you have on hand .
- Cheddar Cheese – Freshly grated off the block. Some for mixing into the noodles and a little for topping.
- Herbs & Spices – Thyme, parsley, and garlic.
How to Make One Pot Chicken and Noodles
- Heat a large, deep skillet or large pot over medium heat. Saute the vegetables until they’re tender, then add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is mostly cooked through. A little pink is ok; it will continue cooking later.
- Add the cream of chicken soup, milk, chicken broth, dry pasta and seasonings. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 20 minutes until the pasta is tender. Make sure to stir a few times to keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom.
- Stir in shredded cheddar. You can omit the cheese if you prefer, but we love it.
- Sprinkle with more cheese and cover for 5 minutes to melt. You could also broil it for a couple of minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.
FAQs
With one pot meals like this one, the starch from the pasta is actually the main thickener. This recipe includes one can of cream of chicken soup, which also helps to thicken the sauce.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are my recommendation. However, if you want you could use shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken and just omit the browning step. Chicken thighs would work too.
When your leftovers are cool, place them in an airtight container and into the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Yes, you can freeze your leftovers. Cool them completely before placing into a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating. I will note that pasta and cream based sauces do have a tendency to break down and become mushy if frozen too long, so keep that in mind.
Recipe Variations
This is the kind of comfort food dreams are made of. Seriously, so many yummy flavors melting together to create a rich, savory meal that the whole family will love. There are a few ways you could customize this recipe:
The Pasta: Swap out the fettuccine noodles for spaghetti or linguine, or a smaller pasta like rotini or farfalle. Using a smaller pasta would cut your cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
The Cheese: You could also swap out the sharp cheddar for something a little more mild like jack cheese or mozzarella. Adding some parmesan cheese would be fantastic! Or you could even leave out the cheese altogether.
The Vegetables: Stir in some peas or steamed broccoli during the last couple of minutes, before adding the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
This is a complete meal packed with protein, veggies, and starch, so you’re totally fine serving this as a complete meal.
If you want to stretch it a little further, just add a crisp Caesar Salad and some crusty bread. You could also prepare some quick and healthy Sauteed Asparagus or Roasted Broccolini.
- Cut the chicken into large, bite-sized pieces, and keep them as even as possible.
- Don’t worry about actually “browning” the chicken (in color). We just need to outer layer to be cooked – the middle can still be pink because it will cook with the sauce.
- Use dry, uncooked noodles. If the long noodles don’t fit in the pot, you can break them in half.
More One Pot Meals to Discover
- One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
- One Pot Chicken Spaghetti
- One Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- One Pot Beef Stroganoff
One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow or white onion diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 10 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 1/4 cup nonfat milk (fill the chicken soup can)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces dry fettuccine pasta about ½ of a regular box
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 5 quart pot or deep saute pan. Add chopped vegetables and minced garlic. Saute over medium-high heat for about five minutes, or until vegetables are just becoming tender.
- Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink on the outside. It does not have to be cooked through since it will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Stir in cream of chicken soup, milk (fill the chicken soup can), chicken broth, pasta and dry seasonings.
- Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring every five minutes to keep pasta from sticking together.
- Once pasta is cooked to al dente, remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese until melted. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover pot and let rest for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
We are at the camper and it is chilly and grey weather. This recipe seems like the perfect thing for supper! Thanks for sharing🌻
Hi Janice, you are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
Just came across this recipe and will make it today, do I just add pasta without boiling it first? Duh I read that it is made in one skillet…..thanks for clearing this up for me??
Hi Janice, yes that it correct. The pasta will cook as the liquid boils, and the starchy, cheesy liquid will become the sauce.
I have been making this recipe for a few years now. We love it! I would love to know if anyone has tried this in the instant pot and what the cook times would be?
Yes can pressure cook, high 4 min.. can add all ingred..
Quick release or natural release? If natural release, how long? Thanks!
SO GOOD! I added a little bit of chicken stock as I was cooking my veggies and chicken so I could use less salt. Also used chicken thighs instead of breast because they are extra juicy! It is so easy to make and I love the one pot so there isn’t a ton of dishes after. Seriously. Try this!!! After giving some to my boyfriend he asked if that was going to be a go to dish! (Of course it is) Thanks so much for sharing this!
You are so welcome Blake! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
Love this easy recipe!!!! Mahalo!
Hello Wendy, thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your honest feedback.
Do to food allergies, we can not use cream of ___ soup. Instead, I used 2 pounds chicken cut into about 1 inch square chunks, 2 TBS olive oil, 1 cup mire poix, 1 TBS fresh parsley, 2 TBS mire poix puree, 8 ounces cream cheese 1 cup chicken broth, 3 cups water, s&p. After it cooked on high for about 4 hours on high, I gave it a stir, added 8 ounces of spaghetti noodles broken in half, and cooked another hour or so. Creamy yummy sauciness
Glad you were able to make it work for your family, Lisa!
This was quick, easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Beth!
Do I leave the chicken breasts whole? Or do I diced them up?
Cut them into chunks – I can see the recipe needs updating!
How..I repeat HOW does this recipe not get 5 stars?! I’m sorry I never left a comment, but This recipe has been in my arsenal for a good 3 years now and I’ve made it countless times. It’s amazing on its own, but sometimes I like to jazz it up with some marscapone cheese, sour cream, or even cream cheese with or without the cheddar! I also add a bit of dill in the end and BOY..it’s so tasty I can’t even. My hats off to you Kristin! Can’t wait to try your other one pot recipes! -Tia:)
Thank you so much for the rating and the kind words!!
Cannot wait to make this for my family.
Simply good comfort food. I used egg noodles as they were all I had. LIke a chicken noodle casserole. Very quick and easy. I found the thyme to be too much at 1 tsp. Very overwhelming to me. I would cut back next time to 1/2 tsp. Mushrooms would add a nice flavor if you like them.
I’m making this right now, it smells fabulous!
I made this exactly as written and it was a hit! Our guests had car trouble so dinner was postponed 20 minutes; I just added 2 cups of water and let it keep cooking on low and no damage was done. Everyone had seconds. This will definitely become a regular addition to our dinner menu.
This is fun to make and a delicious, reliable cold weather meal that my family loves. Thank you! I made it tonight for the second time, accompanied by sweet potato biscuits and steamed broccoli. I’m glad we have just a little bit left to enjoy for lunch tomorrow 🙂
My son loves the leftovers from this meal So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Even my picky eater said it was a “make again” meal. I will definitely be making it again. 🙂
I made this today I didnt add the cheese but this is a great recipe! Thank you for sharing. Will make again and again!
This was definitely yummy!!! It cooked up very nicely and I followed the recipe to a “t”. Keep in mind it is VERY rich! Next time I may cut back on the cheese and try a homemade version of a condensed soup to make it healthier. I also recommend breaking up the pasta otherwise it kind if clumps together while trying to cook. Next time I might also try a different shape pasta like shells. My whole family loved it– I don’t usually cook this “naughty” so it was a real treat for them. I will make it again for sure — was super quick and fool proof. Thank you!!
For anyone whose curious about WW points… I plugged the ingredients into their recipe calculator, and it came up as 10 points per serving. Not bad for all that cheesy, creamy goodness! P.S. Made this tonight–sooooo amasing. My Pickles even said I knocked it for six. Which in English speak is super good.
Thanks for coming back and sharing! So glad you liked the recipe.
This is DELICIOUS! I threw it together for lunch before I went to my evening shift. Talk about a food hug. So creamy and warm and comforting! It’s joining my regular recipe rotation! 🙂