One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Have a hectic commute like we do? Or just have kids on lots of after-school activities? Then you need this One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles. It’s super quick and the perfect comfort food for any night of the week.
It’s the holiday season. Which I love, by the way. I love it because it’s just us two. There’s not a huge family. Sometimes we get gifts for the ‘rents sometimes not. Last year, we didn’t even give each other pressies for the holidays because we were trying to save money for this gorgeous house that we now own. Well, the bank owns it, but we’re paying it back. You know what I mean.
I was definitely pinching pennies on the food category to make sure we had enough for the down payment and all the other added expenses when you go to closing. There was lots of tacos, meatloaf, pasta, rice; all those foods that can really stretch a penny when you’re trying to save money. Oh. And lots of tuna casserole. Tuna casserole is the quintessential budget meal.
Until now.
Tune casserole has not met its match. This One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles is the new tuna casserole. Chicken has been cheaper than even ground beef lately. I can purchase one package of chicken breasts that will give us at least 4 if not 5 meals depending on the size of the breasts for around $10. One pound of lean ground beef? $5. Yeah. Who knew?
I can’t justify purchasing even the higher fat content ground beef; you lose way too much in volume. Have you noticed that? You pound is not a pound once you’re finished cooking out the fat in the less lean varieties. Cooking Light did some analysis on the fat content of some popular high fat foods. I was surprised when I read, too. I was also surprised to find out that roasting chicken with the skin on then removing the skin before eating boasts lower fat than skinless breasts. Shocker, I know!
So, we eat more chicken than even ground beef these days. I’m always trying to think of interesting, delicious, and budget friendly ways to cook said chicken that doesn’t bore the hubs. I thought of chicken divan, then I wanted to make a one pot something, then I thought of tuna casserole, then I saw a pin for a creamy chicken something, and then I just had this idea. Why not sort of combine all of them into one? And that’s exactly what I did!
Since you probably have most if not all of these ingredients in your pantry, then not only is this a budget friendly dish, but it’s one that you can easily throw together any time. Add that to the bonus that his is on the table in less than thirty and you’ve got some happy campers at your table. That’s what I love about these one pot meals that I’ve been making.
This recipe is VERY budget friendly. The chicken breast was about $2. The bag of pasta was about $1, can of veggies $1.25, cream cheese and broth less than $1, and chicken broth is pennies. You can feed 6 easily with this meal that’s less than $6 for the whole pot. That’s like $1 a serving? You can’t get any more budget friendly than that. Add a dollar loaf of bread and an iceberg wedge and it’s like $3 a serving? You really can’t beat that.
What’s your favorite budget friendly meal?

One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Have a hectic commute like we do? Or just have kids on lots of after-school activities? Then you need this One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles. It’s super quick and the perfect comfort food for any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 14 ounces canned mixed vegetables
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Stir in the garlic salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and egg noodles.
- Pour the chicken broth over the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low boil and cook until the noodles are tender; about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the half and half and the cream cheese until the cream cheese has melted.
- Stir in the vegetables and continue to cook until the vegetables are heated through. Serve with dinner rolls to dip into the creamy sauce.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 316Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 107mgSodium 860mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 30g
Save-Your-Pennies Soups:
- Bean and Bacon Soup by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Turkey and Dumpling Soup by Palatable Pastime
Budget-Savvy Bread and Salads:
- Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Money-Saving Mains:
- Black Bean and Bell Pepper Quesadillas by My San Francisco Kitchen
- Chicken Enchiladas by The Freshman Cook
- Chicken Piccata by Monica’s Table
- Chimichurri Chicken Thighs by Life Tastes Good
- Egyptian Rice and Lentils by Wholistic Woman
- French Onion Soup Twice Baked Potato by Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Italian Baked Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Turkey Sausage and Pasta by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Don’t-break-the-bank Desserts:
- Marshmallow Popcorn Balls by Pies and Plots
We love chicken and noodles around here and your recipe sounds delicious
Thank you, Wendy. It was so comforting and delicious. And quick! Win win win!
I love an easy one pot meal like this! Yum!
Thanks, Cindy!
I’ve noticed the expense of ground beef lately, too. I don’t remember it being so pricey before…
I like your tuna casserole competitor! 🙂
Thank you! I honestly don’t remember it being that expensive. It used to be the other way around.
I bet the cream cheese gives this so much yummy flavor!
It really does add to the creaminess of the dish.
I’m not a huge fan of tuna noodle casserole so that can move over anytime for me! 🙂 Your dish looks yummy!
Thanks! It’s really not Dad’s fave either. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat it. He was forced to consume too much of it growing up.