Best Old Fashioned Chicken and Noodles Recipe

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If you're looking for an amazing recipe that will wow your family and friends, you need to make this old fashioned chicken and noodles recipe.

This recipe is easy to make and so delicious! It's also pretty versatile. I've made this with a whole chicken, with chicken breasts, with chicken thighs and with chicken legs and it's turned out great every time.

It's one of our favorite recipes and it's the ultimate comfort food.

Chicken and Noodles Ingredients

Chicken
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Seasoning Salt
2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
1/2 pound Egg Noodles

How To Make Old Fashioned Chicken and Noodles

Add 6-8 cups of cold water to a large pot. I like to use a stock pot for this as I often double the recipe.

Add Italian seasoning to the water and bring to a boil.

Season your chicken pieces with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt and paprika and add the chicken to the pot.

Add your Better Than Bouillon to the pot and stir well.

Allow your chicken to cook for 15 to 18 minutes on high until your chicken is cooked through. I like to use a meat thermometer to check to make sure the chicken is at least 165 degrees.

If you're using a whole chicken, chicken legs, or chicken thighs, you'll want to use a slotted spoon to take the chicken out of the water so you can remove the bones. If you're using boneless chicken breasts, skip forward to adding the noodles.

DO NOT DUMP THE WATER!!!

Once you discard bones, you can shred the chicken, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, or just put the chicken meat back in the pot. Some people like shredded chicken or smaller pieces of chicken in their chicken and noodles and some people like heartier pieces of chicken.

Once the chicken has been added back into the pot, you'll want to add the egg noodles and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the noodles are done.

Serve over mashed potatoes, biscuits, or serve with veggies.

FAQs {Frequently Asked Questions}

What's the difference between homemade chicken and noodles and homemade chicken noodle soup?

Homemade chicken noodle soup typically has veggies in it as well as the chicken, noodles and broth.

You can easily turn this into a chicken noodle soup by adding more chicken stock or chicken broth and adding veggies like celery, carrots, corn, and potatoes. Feel free to use frozen veggies, but be aware that your cooking time may increase.

I like a creamy sauce for my chicken and noodles. Is there a way to make this recipe creamier?

Sure. There are a few ways to do this. You can add some heavy whipping cream 5 minutes before your recipe is done. You could also use some cream cheese to make this creamier. You can even add a can of cream of chicken soup if you want.

Can I make this with homemade noodles?

Yes. You sure can. I've only made homemade egg noodles once and it was super time-consuming, so I personally wouldn't, but if you like making noodles, go for it.

If you like the taste of homemade noodles without the work, head to the freezer section of your local grocery store and look for Reames Homestyle Egg Noodles. They are delicious and really up the flavor profile of this recipe.

I've had a hard time finding frozen egg noodles lately, so I've just been using dry egg noodles. If you can find the wide egg noodles, those are my favorite dry noodles since I prefer thick noodles.

Can I use homemade chicken broth instead of water?

Yes, you can, but you'll want to omit the bouillon base if you do this.

Can I make this in my slow cooker?

Yep. Sure can. I love crock pot chicken and think it's some of the most tender chicken you can cook. You'll want to add a little extra water as some of the water will cook off and you'll want to cook your chicken for 3-4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. You'll also want to allow about an hour for your noodles to cook if you're using dry noodles and about 30 minutes if you're using frozen noodles or homemade noodles.

Can I use leftover chicken for this?

Yes. One of my favorite meal prep hacks is to buy a rotisserie chicken or two every week and to use the meat in simple chicken recipes. When I make this recipe with already cooked chicken, I like to cook my noodles in boiling water that has had all the seasoning added to it. I then add my chicken 5-10 minutes before the noodles are done. That way you'll get some of the flavor of the chicken without having rubbery overcooked chicken.

What else can I add to this recipe?

My kids like it when I add ranch seasoning to this recipe. You can also add cloves of garlic and bay leaves to the water while it's boiling. I've also added veggies and extra broth to make it taste more like an old-fashioned chicken noodle soup. And I've added cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, cream cheese, or heavy whipping cream to make the sauce creamier.

This is a super versatile dish so you can add a variety of things to it and it will still be quite tasty! I may experiment and add some taco seasoning to this to make chicken and noodles with a Mexican flare.

What's the best way to store chicken and noodles?

Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I think this recipe is even better the next day because the starch from the noodles thickens the sauce.

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