This easy chicken and noodles recipe is classic homemade comfort food made with simple ingredients. Juicy pieces of chicken, vegetables and savory herbs served over buttery egg noodles; make on the stove top or in your instant pot!
When you're craving easy comfort food, this homemade chicken and noodles hits the spot every time.
Made with whole chicken thighs, carrots, onions, celery and savory herbs like thyme and rosemary, it's full of flavor and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside ;).
The secret to this instant pot chicken and noodles recipe is to use bone-in chicken for added flavor.
Whether you make this recipe for chicken noodles in the instant pot or on the stove top, you'll end up with a tasty, easy homecooked dinner the family will love!
I swear we make this at least every two weeks. It's something so simple, yet so delicious that everyone loves.
Shortly after moving in with John, I quickly realized he had a typical Italian mother who would often drop off home-cooked dinners for him.
Usually she would bring a big container of his favorite, "Chicken and Noodles".
At first I couldn’t believe that out of all the delicious Italian food (lasagna, stuffed shells, meatballs, etc.) this chicken and noodles” was his favorite.
Me, being a foodie, though it was the most boring thing…plain chicken over egg noodles...why on earth would he crave that so much?
Well, I had my first bowl and knew exactly why: it is the most simple, yet comforting dish!
The juices from the chicken along with the onions are put over egg noodles with some grated cheese and fresh ground pepper and voila there you have it...Johnny's chicken and noodles by mama Lang.
Now, this is not your typical chicken and noodles in soup form. It's much, much better...
I decided to try my own spin on it and while it was definitely not Mama Lang’s good old Chicken and Noodles, it's our own version :).
Chicken and Noodles Ingredients:
- bone-in chicken thighs
- butter
- salt & pepper
- carrots
- onion
- celery
- garlic
- bay leaf, thyme & rosemary
- white wine
- chicken broth
- egg noodles
Let's talk chicken...
I HIGHLY recommend using bone-in chicken for this recipe and I'll tell you why:
FLAVOR, FLAVOR, FLAVOR.
The bones and skin give that depth of rich flavor you can't get from chicken breasts.
After the chicken cooks, we de-bone it so all you're left with is chunks of juicy, tender, chicken.
I save all my bones and make a quick homemade chicken broth afterwards.
I like to keep my celery, onion and carrots rather chunky, but if you want to dice them smaller, you can certainly do so.
If you have fresh herbs available, by all means use them instead of dried.
How to make easy chicken and noodles in the Instant Pot:
- Set instant pot to "SAUTE" function. Add butter and melt.
- Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Add to instant pot and cook 5-7 per side until golden brown.
- Stir in white wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, then add carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Stir in chicken broth, then add rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.
- Set instant pot to PRESSURE COOK HIGH for 10 minutes, then naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes.
- Quick release remaining pressure until valve pops up. Discard the bay leaf. Remove chicken thighs and once slightly cooled, debone and remove the skin.
- Add meat back to the instant pot (I like to keep the chicken on the chunkier side).
- Cook egg noodles according to package. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the best chicken and noodles:
- As mentioned before, use bone-in chicken thighs for a much flavorful chicken noodle dish.
- I like using the white wine to deglaze the pan which adds more delicious flavor. If you don't have white wine, you can substitute with chicken broth or white wine vinegar diluted in some water (see recipe notes).
- If you plan on having leftovers, I recommend keeping your egg noodles separate so they don't overcook and become mushy.
- Don't throw away the chicken bones after you de-bone them! They'll make a simple homemade chicken stock. Just add them to a pan with some water, herbs, carrots, onion and celery and let simmer on the stove for about an hour or so.
For more comfort food dinner recipes try:
- Ground Turkey & Broccoli Noodle Casserole
- Stuffed Pork Chops with Spinach & Cheese
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
Don't forget if you give this recipe a try to leave me a comment or star rating below! I love to hear your feedback.
Easy Chicken and Noodles (Stove Top or instant Pot)
This easy chicken and noodles recipe is classic homemade comfort food made with simple ingredients. Juicy pieces of chicken, vegetables and savory herbs served over buttery egg noodles; make on the stove top or in your instant pot!
Ingredients
- 4 TBS butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4-5 Chicken thighs, skin on bone in
- 2 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1-2" pieces
- 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-2" pieces
- 2 yellow onions, quartered
- 3 garlic gloves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup white wine *see recipe notes for substitutes
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1, 12 oz package of egg noodles
Instructions
Stove Top:
- In a Dutch oven or large 6 qt stock pan melt butter over medium-high heat. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add white wine to the pan and let cook 2 minutes, while you use a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits off the bottom.
- Add in chopped carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add in herbs and chicken stock. Stir.
- Add back the chicken thighs, turn heat down to medium-low. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for 1-2 hours.
- Remove chicken and set aside to cool slightly. Discard stems from herbs and bay leaf.
- Using your hands, debone your chicken thighs, discarding bones, skin and any fatty or unwanted pieces. I like to keep the chicken pieces chunky. Add back to pan, remove from heat.
- Bring large salted pot of water to boil. Cook egg noodles according to package.
- Spoon chicken and veggies over noodles, serve warm and enjoy!
Instant Pot:
- Set instant pot to "SAUTE" function. Add butter and melt.
- Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Add to instant pot and cook 5-7 per side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Add white wine (or chicken stock) and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add carrots, onions, celery and garlic, stir.
- Stir in chicken broth, then add rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.
- Set instant pot to PRESSURE COOK HIGH for 10 minutes. Let the instant pot naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure before carefully opening the lid.
- Discard the bay leaf. Transfer chicken thighs to cutting board. Let cool slightly. Once cooled enough to handle, debone the meat and discard any skin or fatty pieces and add clean meat back to the instant pot (I like to keep the chicken on the chunkier side).
- Cook egg noodles according to package. Spoon chicken, veggies and juice over the egg noodles and enjoy!
Notes
*To store leftovers, I recommend keeping your cooked noodles separate from your chicken. Sometimes the noodles get too soggy if you mix everything together.
*If you don't have white wine you can use chicken stock or 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar diluted with ⅓ cup water.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
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