Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day (or night) for a perfectly planned out menu. I call those days Tuesdays. When Michael and I were dating, he used to cook up some chicken breasts and some white rice, and then make a sauce with cream of chicken soup. It was a very filling, quick, easy, and cheap date night meal that we enjoyed while watching rented DVD's and studying. This recipe is a homemade version of what we enjoyed back then. We may have "grown up" and gotten married, bought a house or two, and have full-time jobs, but we still love watching movies together while we eat a late dinner. Maybe Tuesdays aren't so bad after all...
There aren't a lot of strict rules in our house, but one that we have stuck by for the last few years is absolutely no canned soup. The sauce in this Creamy Chicken and Noodles is basically a from-scratch version of cream of chicken soup, and it is super easy to prepare. Knowing how to whip up a simple sauce is a lifesaver on days when you're shopping from the pantry. Plus it is SO much more tasty than anything from a can!
Creamy Chicken and Noodles
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste or 1 chicken bouillon cube
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 16 ounces broad noodle pasta, cooked and drained (egg noodles are great)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces and then cooked
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel and add to hot pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden on all sides. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce: In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook a minute longer. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour has cooked but is not quite browned.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Add bouillon paste and continue stirring. Stir in milk and bring to a simmer.
- Add oregano, parsley, and thyme. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until sauce has reduced a bit and has thickened slightly. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and continue simmering until chicken is heated through. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
- Drain pasta and divide among serving plates. Top with chicken and sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Tip: If the sauce thickens more than you would like, just drizzle in a little bit of the pasta cooking water until your desired consistency is reached.
Christine
Made this tonight after stumbling upon your blog last week (was looking for homemade Ritz). This turned out so well and was very easy to prepare. To save a pan, I browned the chicken first then used that pan for the sauce. Otherwise, followed the recipe. Thank you for a great meal :) and I see you are pregnant - I hope all is going well and you are feeling great!
Laura Smith
This Creamy Chicken and Noodles dish was wonderful! Followed the recipe , it turned out delicious! Thumbs Up!
Mandy
So glad you liked it!
Dawn
Just made this for dinner and my whole family just loved it.
Kari
This is a family favorite! I like to purchase a Rotissery chicken and shred that up instead of chicken breasts. It is delicious!
Mandy
Yes!! Rotisserie chicken is perfect for this!