Creamy Chicken and Noodles
A deliciously creamy combination of elements from chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie. So comforting and easy to make!
In developing this recipe, I was thinking about my daughter and her love of soup. She loves chicken noodle soup, and she loves chicken pot pie. So I combined the two and made Creamy Chicken and Noodles. I have made Pot Pie Soup before which is similar, but without the noodles. When my daughter tried the Creamy Chicken and Noodles she said that it was so good! She likes it even better than Pot Pie Soup. It is “souper” easy and really good.
This recipe is also inspired by my grandmother. She would frequently make homemade chicken and noodles, and she would make the noodles from scratch. As a kid, I loved watching her make her homemade noodles that she would roll out on the counter and cut by hand into strips. Her version was similar to chicken and dumplings which is really good as well. I think my grandmother would like my version too, but I don’t make homemade noodles.
Creamy Chicken Soup has some of the traditional elements of chicken noodle soup like the broth and noodles, but also has a creamy element like chicken pot pie or chicken and dumplings. It can be made more like chicken and dumplings without any vegetables. My grandmother’s chicken and noodles didn’t include vegetables. But in my version, I included mixed vegetables and diced onions.
Creamy Chicken Soup can be an economical meal to prepare as well. But to keep the cost down, it helps to buy chicken breasts in a family pack when it is on sale. Then the other ingredients are very budget friendly. I buy broth when it is sale, and the onion, cream of chicken soup, and chicken gravy mix were low cost ingredients even when not on sale. So now that we have explored how this recipe came together, let’s get cookin!
Tips:
Add a dash of hot sauce in you want the soup to have a bit of a kick. I do this when making chowders as well
You can use leftover rotisserie chicken for this recipe or store bought shredded chicken which is more expensive, but convenient.
Homemade egg noodles would be delicious and more authentic to my grandmother’s original recipe. Or store bought fresh pasta could be used, but would be more expensive.
Diced celery can be added.
Ingredients:
White meat shredded chicken: I use boneless chicken that I boil and shred my chicken breasts for this recipe. Leftover rotisserie chicken would be a great option as well. Or, I can sometimes find packaged already cooked shredded chicken at the store, but that is a more expensive option.
Chicken broth: I always used low sodium or no salt brother for my recipes. That way I have more control over the amount of salt in the recipe.
Wide egg noodles: I use store bought wide or medium egg noodles, or homemade noodles can also be used.
Onion: I used half of a medium onion, diced. If you are using a larger onion, just reduce the amount of onion that you dice.
Chicken Gravy: I use a packet of chicken gravy mix which adds flavor and acts as a thickening agent. Cornstarch and chicken bouillon can be used as a substitute.
Cream of Chicken Soup: I used reduced sodium cream of chicken soup to help reduce the overall salt content in the recipe. The addition of the soup adds to the flavor and creamy consistency of the soup.
Mixed Vegetables: I use frozen mixed vegetables, but canned can also be used. If used canned mixed vegetables, I would drain them.
Seasoning: I keep the seasoning pretty simple. I just season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and I always add a little poultry seasoning.
Heavy Cream: Cream can added which adds additional richness and creaminess, but in this recipe it is optional.
Instructions:
I slice my fresh chicken into strips in order for the chicken to cook faster. The chicken breasts can be cooked whole
in the broth, but allow for more cooking time. Set aside until needed.
In Dutch oven or soup pot, add butter and onions and sauté until softened.
Add first 2 cups of broth to the pot and bring up to light boil and add the cut up chicken pieces to the pot. Stir to incorporate the ingredients in the pot. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking on medium low until chicken is pull apart tender.
Remove chicken from the pot and onto a cutting board to shred. Using two forks pull apart the chicken pieces into shreds. Set shredded chicken aside.
Add another 2 cups of broth to the pot, chicken gravy mix, and 1 can of cream of chicken soup to the pot and stir to combine. Allow the additional ingredients to come up to temperature stirring occasionally on medium low heat.
Add shredded chicken to the pot and stir. Add 2 cups uncooked egg noodles, 1 cup mixed vegetables, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or more if desired), and pepper to taste (salt should not be needed because there is salt in the gravy mix) and cook until noodles and vegetables are done, stirring occasionally on medium low heat.
Cook until noodles and vegetables are done, stirring occasionally.
Add cream at this point if using cream (optional), and the lower temperature and do not allow it to boil. If the soup is allowed to boil after the cream (if using cream) is added, it can cause the soup to curdle.
Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed and serve. Add chopped parsley to each bowl after serving, but this is optional.
This soup would be good with some crusty bread to soak up the creamy broth. Enjoy y’all!
Serving Suggestions:
This rich and creamy soup would be great served with biscuits, buttery flaky croissants, or crusty bread like a bagette.
Soup is also good served with a green salad for a “soup and salad” lunch or dinner like you might get eating out at a sandwich place.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
½ medium onion, diced
1 box (4 c) Chicken broth (used 2 cups at a time)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg chicken gravy mix
1 cup mixed vegetables
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 t poultry seasoning (use more if desired)
Salt
Pepper
Chopped parsley(Optional)
¼ to ½ c heavy cream (optional)
Directions:
Slice fresh chicken breasts into strips like tenders and set aside
In Dutch oven or soup pot, add butter and onions and saute until softened
Add 2 cups of broth and add chicken to the pot. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook on medium low heat until chicken is able to be shredded with a fork, stirring occasionally.
Remove chicken from the pot and shred and set aside
Add cream of chicken soup, the other 2 cups of broth, and chicken gravy and stir to combine.
Add shredded chicken back to the pot along with the egg noodles. Add pepper to taste (salt should not be needed because the gravy mix has salt), add poultry seasoning, and add vegetables and cook until noodles and vegetables are done.
Add cream at this point if using cream, lower temperature and do not allow it to boil. Stir and taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve and sprinkle with chopped parsley
Notes:
Leftover soup with cream added can last up to 3 days according to Martha Stewart.com, and without the cream maybe a little longer. I don’t usually use any leftovers over 3 days, but that is my preference.
This soup can be frozen in a freezer safe container, but it is better to not add cream to the soup if you plan to freeze the leftovers according to The Kitchn.com .
Feel free to add whatever vegetables you prefer and different pasta or even rice can be used as a substitute for the noodles.
You can also leave out the chicken and have a vegetable based soup with vegetable broth and vegetable bullion as substitutes for the cream of chicken soup and chicken gravy mix with a thickening agent like cornstarch or flour being needed.
Conclusion:
I hope you enjoy my Creamy Chicken and Noodles. This is a recipe that you can make your own by adding whatever vegetables you choose or even by adding a kick with a dash of hot sauce! This recipe was brought to you by Lisa Ward, the Cowtown Deal Hunter, born and raised in Fort Worth where I live today with my kids. Bye y’all!
