Hearty Chicken and Noodles
An easy, filling family dinner, these Hearty Chicken and Noodles are made with simple ingredients and are 100% comforting!
A CREAMY AND COMFORTING MEAL
Now that the cooler weather has set in, all I can think of is comfort food. This Hearty Chicken and Noodles is a thick and flavorful meal. It’s not a soup (but it can be made into one), it’s more like a comforting creamy mix of cooked egg noodles, chicken and veggies. It really is a whole meal in one. It’s one of my favorite one pot meals to make and is super easy to put together. You just can’t go wrong with this one.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This is not a soup. So if you are expecting a lot of liquid or broth, this is not that recipe or I would’ve called it ‘Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup’ right? Ha! You can certainly add more broth to make this more soup-like but chicken and noodles is not the same as chicken noodle soup so please do not mistake this for a soup or you will be disappointed. This is literally chicken and noodles. It cooks like a stew but it thickens quite a bit.
Depending on the type of noodles you use, some may absorb more liquid than others. I would just add a bit more broth until you get it to the consistency you want.
They are egg noodles but instead of curly they are straight. Sometimes they might be called “Amish Noodles” or “Homestyle Noodles”. They are usually found near the other egg noodles at your grocery store. If you can’t find them, just go with regular egg noodles.
If you want to be quick, then you can use a rotisserie chicken. Just pull off the meat and shred it or cut it up into chunks. Otherwise you can bake, boil or grill some chicken breasts and shred them.
No. It is not necessary. However, if you want your chicken and noodles to be more “soupy” rather than thick, then you could cook them separately then add them to the pot.
Chicken and noodles will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. You can also freeze it. Let the chicken and noodles cool and place in a freezer container. This will keep for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove to the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- shredded or diced chicken – this is going to be easiest with a rotisserie chicken but you can always roast or boil a couple of chicken breasts. Also, you can dice up the chicken or shred it. Either way works and depends on the texture you prefer.
- chicken broth – if you are sensitive or need to keep the salt low, I would suggest low or no sodium chicken broth. You can even use your own Homemade Chicken Broth. You can always add in additional salt to taste if you prefer.
- carrots – you could use frozen diced carrots if you prefer. Some stores sell celery, onion and carrots already pre-diced (also called mirepoix.) You can use that to save some time.
- bay leaf – I know some people think that adding a bay leaf doesn’t add much flavor but it really does add a wonderful background note that isn’t a strong taste but it gives depth of flavor. However, having said that, if you don’t have any on hand, you can still make this – don’t worry.
- thyme – I use fresh thyme here because it adds a light thyme flavor. You can certainly use dried, you just don’t need much since dried thyme is stronger than fresh. I put the amount in the recipe card below.
- salt and pepper – I give measured amounts for salt and pepper in the recipe card but salt and pepper is very subjective when it comes to taste so I always encourage you to start with a little and add more as you prefer. Just taste it and see if you want more.
- celery
- onion
- garlic – generally I love fresh garlic but I have used both the fresh and jarred garlic worked well in this recipe. I tend to need a bit more of the jarred garlic to get that stronger garlic flavor but please go by your tastebuds here. You measure garlic with your heart – ha!
- dry wide noodles – I discuss this a bit more above in the Frequently Asked Questions section. Refer to my ingredient image below to see the type that I use.
- milk
- all-purpose flour – we use this as a thickening agent. If you do not want this thicker, then do not use it.
- frozen peas – you could also use frozen peas and carrots or if you don’t like pease, just leave it out.
HOW TO MAKE HEARTY CHICKEN AND NOODLES:
In a large pot over medium high heat, cook carrots with 1 ½ cups broth, 1 bay leaf, salt, pepper, and thyme until carrots are tender. Add into the pot the remaining chicken broth, celery, onion and garlic and let come to a boil.
Next add the dry wide noodles to the pot and cook for 5 minutes uncovered. Then after 5 minutes stir in 1 cup of milk and the frozen peas.
In a separate pan mix the remaining milk with the all purpose flour over medium heat and slowly whisk the milk and flour together to remove the lumps. Do this for about 3-4 minutes. This is going to be used to thicken the chicken and noodles. Add this milk and flour mixture to the pot with the noodles, vegetables and broth. Finally add the cooked shredded chicken.
Let the soup simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and serve hot topped with fresh chopped parsley (optional). Serve and enjoy!
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
originally published: January 2022
Hearty Chicken and Noodles
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken (rotisserie)
- 2 ⅓ cups chicken broth (divided use, plus more if you need to thin it out)
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 fresh sprig thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 pound dry wide noodles
- 2 cups milk, (divided use)
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat, cook carrots with 1 ½ cup broth, 1 bay leaf, salt, pepper, and dried or fresh thyme until carrots are tender.
- Add into the pot the remaining chicken broth, celery, onion and garlic and let come to a boil.
- Next add the dry wide noodles to the pot and cook for 5 minutes uncovered.
- Then after 5 minutes stir in 1 cup of milk and the frozen peas.
- In a separate pan mix the remaining milk with the all purpose flour over medium heat and slowly whisk the milk and flour together to remove the lumps. Do this for about 3-4 minutes. This is going to be used to thicken the chicken and noodles.
- Add this milk and flour mixture to the pot with the noodles, vegetables and broth.
- Finally add the cooked shredded chicken and let the soup simmer until thickened. Note: if your type of egg noddles soaked up a lot of the liquid, you can add a a bit more chicken broth if you find it is too thick or the noodles didn't have enough liquid to cook in and get soft enough.
- Remove from heat and serve hot topped with fresh chopped parsley (optional).
Notes
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- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Would this recipe work with beef and beef broth instead of chicken ?
Great question! I personally haven’t tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it goes for you!
can I use frozen egg noodles?
I have not tested this with frozen egg noodles. I never want anyone to waste ingredients and it doesn’t turn out if I have not personally tried it myself.
I added a little extra chicken broth to make a it a tad more soupy but other than that – it was absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much! I appreciate you coming back to comment. I always love hearing when someone has enjoyed a recipe!
We absolutely loved this!! Warm, creamy and comforting – thank you!