One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles Recipe (Quick & Easy)

Name: One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
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 1/2 of a regular box); 1 1/2 cups Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided)

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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.

An overhead shot of a bowl filled with a serving of creamy one pot chicken and noodles

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.

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.

how to make chicken and noodles photo collage

FAQs

How do you thicken the sauce?

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.

What kind of chicken should I use?

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.

How do I store leftover chicken and noodles?

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.

Can I freeze this dish?

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.

One Pot creamy chicken and noodles served into two white bowls

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.

A fork taking a bit of chicken and noodles from the bowl; a blue pot in the background.

More One Pot Meals to Discover

Recipe

One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles

4.50 from 24 votes

Kristin Maxwell

Classic chicken and noodles with vegetables in a creamy, cheesy sauce, all cooked in one pot for easy clean up.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

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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.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheating: Heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Keyword chicken and noodles

Nutrition

Calories: 686kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 59gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 195mgSodium: 924mgPotassium: 1228mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 6835IUVitamin C: 7.4mgCalcium: 387mgIron: 2.9mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.