Chicken and Noodles is a comforting family favorite pioneer recipe. It’s made with homemade egg noodles, a few simple ingredients, and served over mashed potatoes.
I’m posting this Chicken and Noodles recipe in honor of my Grandpa Nip who passed away two weeks ago. This was one of his favorite meals. Ever since my grandma passed, my mom has been making it for him for special occasions like Father’s Day and his birthday.
Food has a way of helping us remember people, feelings, and/or events. This Chicken and Noodles will forever remind me of this hard working, ice cream loving, skiing, smart, patriotic, devout Christian man who would stick me up on top of the fridge every time he came to visit when I was little. I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful grandfather and for all the good memories with him.
Chicken and Noodles
As a kid, my mom made this dish frequently for our family and I always loved helping her make the Homemade Egg Noodles for it. My siblings and I would always say it was so weird to eat soup over mashed potatoes but we did it anyway because it was actually amazingly good. I mean really, when are creamy mashed potatoes ever a bad thing?! It’s so so yummy!
What is Chicken and Noodles?
Chicken and Noodles is an old pioneer recipe. It’s made with just a few ingredients- egg noodles, chicken, onion, and salt. This dish is very similar to chicken noodle soup but contains fewer vegetables and it is served over mashed potatoes.
The ingredients in this recipe are ones you probably always have on hand because they are inexpensive, versatile, and last awhile.
Ingredients Needed:
- Egg Noodles– Homemade are the best and are super easy to make (just flour, egg, and salt). Amish style egg noodles are the next best thing.
- Chicken– Bone-in and skin-on is best. This will give your broth the most flavor and it helps keep the chicken nice and tender. My mom and grandma always used chicken breasts but you can use thighs, legs, or wings. (I used legs and thighs because we’re in quarantine due to Covid-19 and that’s all I had that had in my freezer.)
- Onion– You only need 1/4 onion. Just peel off the skin and throw in the whole piece. The broth is strained so frozen chopped onions will work too.
- Water– You need just enough water to cover the chicken when simmering. You can add more if you’d like to stretch your broth.
- Mashed Potatoes– This is a great meal for using up leftover mashed potatoes but I usually make them fresh.
How to Make Chicken & Noodles:
- Place chicken, onion, and salt in a 4-5 quart dutch oven and cover with water (about 8 cups).
- Bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Take pot off stove. Remove chicken and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Discard skin & bones and shred into bite size pieces.
- Strain the broth into another large dutch oven or bowl.
- Place broth back in dutch oven (add 2-3 cups water or broth if needed for cooking the noodles). Add more salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until almost al dente, about 3-5 minutes for fresh noodles and 8-12 for dried (they will continue to soften in the hot liquid). Remove from heat.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Serve over mashed potatoes (leftover or fresh).
TOOLS USED TO MAKE CHICKEN AND NOODLES:
- Pot & Skillet Set– These are the skillets and pots I use. They have a heavy bottom making them sturdy and cook evenly. I use these multiple times a day.
- Electric Hand Mixer– This is one of my most used kitchen gadgets. It’s great for frosting, whipping egg whites, cookie dough, mashed potatoes…
LOOKING FOR MORE COMFORTING CLASSICS? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Mini Meatloaf
- French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Meat Sauce
- Baked Ziti
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Chicken & Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts with skin, (or about 2-3 pounds of any cut of chicken)
- ¼ onion
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 recipe Homemade Egg Noodles, (or ~10 ounces Amish egg noodles)
For the Mashed Potatoes:
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, cleaned, peeled, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
- 1 cup milk, warm
Instructions
For the Chicken and Noodles:
- Place chicken, onion, and salt in a 4-5 quart dutch oven and cover with water (about 8 cups).
- Bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Take pot off stove. Remove chicken and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Discard skin and bones and shred into bite size pieces.
- Strain the broth into another large dutch oven or bowl.
- Place broth back in dutch oven (add 2-3 cups water or broth if needed for cooking the noodles). Add more salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until almost al dente, about 3-5 minutes for fresh noodles and 8-12 for dried (they will continue to soften in the hot liquid). Remove from heat.
- Add the chicken back to the pot.
- Serve over mashed potatoes.
For the Mashed Potatoes:
- Place potatoes in a 3 quart pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil, add salt, and reduce heat to a low boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes until fork tender. Drain and let sit for a few minutes to allow excess water to evaporate.
- Add butter and milk to the potatoes and mash with a hand masher or electric hand mixer. Add more milk if needed to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste.
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