Old Fashioned Chicken and Noodles Recipe (on the Stove) - Restless Chipotle (2024)

Classic comfort food made quick and easy! Perfect for those busy weeknights.

Love this old-fashioned recipe? Try this slow cooker chicken and noodles, too.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• This easy recipe only takes about 30 minutes. The creamy sauce and tender chicken make it the ultimate comfort food.
• Creamy chicken casseroles are a must on chilly, blustery days!
• This simple recipe is done on top of the stove to save time on those busy weeknights.

Gone are the days when mom had to spend 3-4 hours sweating in the kitchen just to get dinner on the table.

This old-fashioned chicken and noodles recipe has the great flavor you crave, without any of the hard work.

Love noodles as much as we do? Try this classic tuna noodle casserole!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

Check out this article on the various ways to cook chicken for a casserole. It will give you a head start.

📖Variations

Forgot to pick up something at the grocery store? Dealing with allergies or picky eaters? Don't worry! There are a few ways to alter the recipe if you need to.

Let's start with the protein:

• Instead of chicken breasts, use chicken thighs or meat from other parts.
• You can use bone-in chicken (or a whole chicken, like those cheap and quick rotisseries from your fave bulk food store!) Just pick the cooked chicken meat from the bones and stir it into the skillet.
• Extra ham or turkey from Thanksgiving dinner? It's great in this recipe.
• Use your favorite pork, veal, or game instead of chicken.
• Need a vegetarian-friendly dish? You can use white beans, tofu, or tempeh.

Now, about the noodles:

• You can use pretty much any kind of pasta or macaroni you want—it is an easy dinner recipe after all.
• Sub the noodles for rice, quinoa, or couscous.
• The creamy chicken and veggie mixture is also delicious over grits, polenta, or mashed potatoes.
• Make creamy chicken and "dumplings" instead of noodles by rolling out biscuit dough thinly and cutting it into squares. Then, drop the raw dough into the simmering chicken broth for about 3 minutes, or until done.

Finally, the fun stuff:

• Stir in cooked cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, or asparagus.
• Add some mushrooms or minced cloves of garlic to the saute mixture.
• Dump a little bit of frozen corn in place of (or in addition to) the peas.
• If you don't have the cream of celery or cream of chicken soup, any "cream of" variety will work, but it'll alter the flavor slightly. Cream of mushroom and asparagus are good substitutes.
• You can swap the half-and-half with milk or a non-dairy cream alternative if you need to, but you definitely lose some richness!
• Make a homemade cream sauce instead of canned.
• Use your favorite gravy as the creamy base instead of soup.
• You can use either store-bought or homemade chicken broth.
• I like to add a bay leaf to the chicken stock and about half a teaspoon of herbes de Provence or a thyme sprig to the sauce for some more great flavor. It's not exactly traditional, but it's really good!
• Try this crispy, copycat French's Fried Onions as a topping!

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Saute the carrots, onion, and celery.
2. Add in the chopped/shredded chicken, soups, half and half, and peas.
3. Stir in the cooked noodles.
4. Combine to warm noodles, and top with breadcrumbs. Broil 'til toasted.

🥫 How to store leftover chicken and noodles

Easy recipe? Check. Feed the whole family in less than a half hour with leftovers for tomorrow? Double check.

Refrigerate

Homemade noodles and chicken stores pretty well. Simply put the leftovers into an airtight container (or a storage bowl covered with plastic wrap) and refrigerate for three or four days.

Freeze

You can also freeze chicken and noodles for up to three months as long as you make it with the condensed soups. A homemade sauce won't freeze as well.

Reheat

To reheat the leftover chicken and noodles, let it thaw in the refrigerator if frozen. Then, microwave smaller portions until warmed through, or heat in a large pot on the stove.

Just know that the noodles will continue to soak up some of the sauce as the dish sits. For best results, I recommend stirring in a little more milk or cream when reheating to loosen everything up and make it perfectly creamy again.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: Use good chicken stock and a piece of celery to flavor the chicken better than any other method. With simple ingredients like stock, quality makes a difference!

• Set a bowl or large stock pot under your strainer before you start cooking so you don't accidentally strain the broth right down the drain!
• Use the leftover stock in this homemade chicken noodle soup recipe.
• Feel free to dice or shred the chicken breast depending on the texture you prefer. I like shredding it because it soaks up more sauce!
• Follow the package directions when cooking your dry noodles. I prefer to cook them slightly past al dente, then simmer them in the sauce for a few minutes to make them even more tender and soft.
• Wide egg noodles have more surface area than medium or thin ones so they grab onto the yummy sauce better.
• Frozen peas work best in this easy chicken recipe. Canned peas will get mushy.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked egg noodles straight from their boiling water into the creamy chicken base. It's okay if they're a little wet—the starchy water will help the sauce stick to the noodles.
• If you don't have a large skillet, or if you want to double the recipe, you can use a Dutch oven.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

• Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta has all the best parts of a noodle casserole, but with a delicious Southern twist—a new take on a cravable classic!
• Looking for a dish to take you down memory lane? This comforting Cheesy Ham and Noodles Casserole tastes as good as you remember!
• With a tangy, creamy, cheesy sauce and tender egg noodles, Mom's Noodles Romanoff is a vintage classic that still delivers on flavor!
• Unstuffed cabbage/ lazy cabbage rolls are an easy and budget friendly family dinner.
• Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese is a budget friendly casserole that's been around a long time.

🍽️ Serve with...

This simple Italian Green Bean Salad is full of crisp crunch and tangy flavor. It complements the creamy chicken and noodles perfectly.

Easy Buttermilk Biscuits are a classic Southern side dish! Stack a big, steaming bowlful of biscuits on the table and watch 'em disappear.

If ever there was a perfect fall dessert this Pumpkin Cheesecake is it! Creamy, rich, and amazing.

🫶 Restless Chipotle recommends

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I love my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet!! It's perfect for this dish because you can add the topping and throw it under the broiler - quick quick!!

📞 The last word

You'll also like this 30 minute chicken pot pie skillet with biscuits.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published January 4, 2018. Last updated October 26, 2023, to improve readability and add tips and information.

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