Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles, also known as comforting chicken noodles, is a delicious one pot meal. Ready in a little over an hour using fresh or frozen chicken breasts. This pressure cooker chicken and noodles recipe has received rave reviews!
Originally published on Aug 29, 2017
Instant Pot Chicken Noodles
I find that the family and I are drawn towards those most comforting of foods. I have been making this Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles for a long time, though it started out on the stove, then the slow cooker. I much prefer making it in my Instant Pot these days!
One time, I decided to make this dish for a Christmas party with the whole family. It was something different. The best part was not having to babysit it. I just had to shred the chicken after it was done and throw it back in the pot with the noodles to finish.
That gave me time to get other things done for the party. It was a huge hit! We ran out, so note to self to make a larger batch next time!
Making Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles is easy. Just a few simple steps to a hearty and delicious meal:
1) Add everything to the pot except for the noodles.
2) Pressure cook it.
3) Remove the chicken and add the noodles.
4) Pressure cook it.
5) Shred the chicken and add back in.
6) Add frozen veggies if you want to, and let them heat through.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
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Instant Pot Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
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Watch me make Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles
Let me tell you about the noodles I like to use. These are frozen egg noodles, and they are near the frozen bread at the grocery store.
They are very thick, but not too wide, and they have a dumpling like consistency. If these are not what you want to use, or you can’t find them at your store, I have instructions for using egg noodles on the recipe card.
This pressure cooker chicken and noodles recipe makes a delicious soup, too. Just add more broth, and some veggies, if you want!
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Comforting Chicken Noodles that you make in your Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker. The whole family will love this dish! Using frozen chicken breasts and frozen egg noodles, this is an easy meal ready in a little over an hour!
- 2 large Chicken Breasts (skinless/boneless, fresh or frozen)
- 2 (10.75 oz) cans Cream of Chicken Soup
- 2 (14.5 oz) Cans of Chicken Broth (or 3 ¾ cups)
- 1 Stick of Butter, unsalted (use 1/2 stick if you are trying to cut down on fat content)
- 1 Garlic Clove, pressed (or 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder)
- 1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt, divided (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- (2) 12 oz Packages Frozen Egg Noodles**, (1) 24oz bag. (I use the Reames brand)
- 1-2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables (optional)
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode (just to get things warming up and start melting the butter, not to actually saute anything).
Add the butter, broth, cream soup, 1/2 tsp of the salt, pepper, garlic, and poultry seasoning. Stir until combined.
- Add the chicken breasts.
- Cancel sauté mode.
Put the lid on your pot, set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Manual, or Pressure Cook button (or dial), and the + or - button to set time for 12 mins (If your chicken is frozen, do 18 minutes). High Pressure. Larger pieces of chicken will need more cook time.
After cooking cycle ends, let the pot sit undisturbed and do a 10 minute Natural Release, then manually release the remaining pressure, and when the pin drops, open the lid.
Remove the chicken and set on a plate. Turn off the pot (Cancel).
Add the frozen egg noodles to the pot. Make sure they are submerged in the broth.
Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Then press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and set for 6 minutes.
While noodles are cooking, shred the chicken using 2 forks. It should shred very easily. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
When cooking cycle ends, let it do a 5 minute Natural Release, then do a Controlled Quick Release* of the remaining pressure, and when the pin drops, open the lid.
*A controlled quick release means you release the steam in short bursts, then longer bursts, until you can be sure none of the sauce spews out of the vent with the steam from the intense pressure. Then fully open the vent and let it go.
Add the frozen mixed vegetables, if using, and stir.
Add the shredded chicken back into the pot. Stir. Let sit covered for a few minutes. If you added the frozen mixed vegetables, they will heat through. Stir and serve.
After removing the cooked chicken, turn on the Sauté function and add the noodles. Cook as you would on a stove top until they are done (add a little more broth if needed), then add the shredded chicken back in.
*The noodles will be al dente, with a dumpling-like consistency.
**If you use regular dried egg noodles, use 12 0z, and reduce the broth to 3 cups (for a thicker result. Use 4 cups for a soup like result).
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Chicken Noodles recipe and more
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Looks great! Could you please tell me how many servings this makes? Thank you!
Approx. 8. It will depend on how large the chicken breasts are.
I made tonight soooo good i added about 1/3 cup cream cheese and 1/2 c heavy whiping cream. But the rest of your recipe is like a crockpot recipe i have. I also added chopped celery. This is so delicious and soo fast in the instant pot!!
That’s great, Sheila! I’m happy you like this! Thank you for your review!
I kept the butter out and added celery and some celery leaves and onion a bit more cream of chicken and i used part boneless skinless chicken breast and part chicken thighs bone in. I usually cook this recipe on the stove in a stock pot but it turned out really well in instant pot. I also used chicken boullion and a little Broth Base with water added a little chicken broth at the end. My noodles stuck to bottom a bit during their cooking time but it was still really good . Next time Im going to use homemade noodles instead but will have to adjust time. I cooked it a little longer at end on saute to make sure noodles were a little more done. Thank you!
I have made this a few times and we love it! But I am wondering if I can add more broth to make it more soupy like, or would that ruin it?
Hi Maggie, I think you could add more. It would make a great soup!
I’ve made this recipe in the crock pot before and was excited to see it transferred to the instant pot. I love this recipe on a cold rainy fall night! Perfect comfort food especially over biscuits!
Hi Amanda! I used to make it that way, too! I have never tried it over biscuits, though! What a great idea! Thank you for commenting.
I’m making this right now. However my Instant Pot doesn’t have a manual setting. I have the new 8 quart. What setting other than manual should I use?
Hi Jefri, I’m sorry I didn’t see this in time. ‘Pressure Cook’ has replaced ‘Manual’ on the new IP models. For this recipe I have you use the ‘Poultry’ setting. There are multiple ways to get to the same result with the IP. As long as you use High Pressure, and the correct amount of time, it doesn’t matter what the button is labeled as. I hope the Chicken and Noodles turned out good for you!
I would like to cut this in half for two people. Is the cooking time the same?
Hi, yes, the cooking time is the same. If this had been one large piece of meat, then you would cut the time down as the meat would be a smaller piece. But since these are 2 separate chicken breasts, the time is the same. Enjoy!
How can I make the noodles softer?
Hi there! The frozen egg noodles, as you have experienced, are more al dente than regular, thinner, dry pasta. What you can do is add about 1/4 cup of water when you add the noodles in (make sure the noodles are submerged in the liquid), and cook for 2 minutes longer under pressure, and continue with the natural release. They won’t be as soft as an egg noodle, but it helps them soften.
Have you ever tried it w/dry egg noodles?
Hi Steph. No I haven’t, but if you do, cook for half the time the package directions say. Make sure the pasta is covered with liquid as they will be crunchy otherwise! It’s fine to add a little more liquid if you need to. Do a very controlled quick release of the pressure so you don’t get soup spewing through the steam vent! Feather the bursts at first, and then longer bursts, then let it go fully. Hope this helps!
Wonderful recipe! The flavor is great. Thanks so much for the great instructions.
Hi Caitlin! So I take it the noddles were soft enough? I’m happy that you enjoyed this recipe, it’s a favorite at our house! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Can you add frozen peas and carrots to this/
Yes, I think that would be really good!
Will it change cooking time if I use the Reames Golden Ribbon noodles instead? I think it is fine – husband would still like thinner noodles (sigh). Thanks!
Hi Catlin, I have never used that variety, but now I want to! Those would be great in soup. If you liked how the regular egg noodles turned out, then compare the thickness, and if they are much thinner, reduce the time by maybe 2 minutes. If they are not done enough, you can just put the lid on (vented) and let them set for a few minutes while you get the table set, and everything else ready. Sometimes you just have to try it once, then you will know how to do it for future batches!
I just finished making and eating this! It’s so yummy! I used a can of cream of chicken and a can of cream of chicken & mushroom, and I did cut the butter to half a stick, but otherwise made it exactly as written.
I’d never heard of Reames noodles before, and I am in love! The texture is great; they’re like a dumpling.
Thanks for a quick, super-easy, and delicious recipe. 🙂
Hi Vilya! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Those noodles are amazing for sure! Thank you for the review!
Hi. Is this recipe for the 3 or 6 quart Instant Pot? Doing the math it kinda looks like 6, so I assume I just cut everything in half?
Hi Dee! This is for the 6 quart. Yes, cut in half for the 3 quart.
Do I have took to double if I have an 8 quart
Hi Michele, no you won’t have to double this for the 8 qt.
I can’t find frozen egg noodles, could I use the frozen Frozen Flat dumplings. The brand is Anne’s and the package says Thin Pastry strips
Yes, I think those would work! I’ve never used them, but the Reames noodles are very dumpling-like. Give it a try! Make sure they are submerged in the liquid. If you like it more soupy, just add a little more broth.
We have an egg allergy in the family. What could I replace the egg noodles with? Regular noodles? How would that change the cook time for the noodles? Thanks!!
Hi Christy! There are egg free noodles out there. At the point in the instructions where you would add the frozen noodles, just add the ones you have and set the pot to Sauté and cook the noodles as you would on the stove top. When they are done, add the chicken back in and stir. If you don’t want to use noodles, you could add cooked rice, or serve it over mashed potatoes. Yum!
Just made this tonight and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing!
Very good….I make this often….easier than stove top!
Hi Helene, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! I’m happy you like this recipe!
Hello.
I would like to prepare his dish for my family too, but I’m stuck on 2 of your ingredients.
I’m out of US, actually I’m from Europe (Bucharest, Romania) and here we don’t sell (or at least, I haven’t seen yet) cream of chicken soup & cans of chicken broth.
So I was wondering: have you ever tried to boil the chicken breast in a normal pan and use the remaining broth for the rest of the recipe and use sour cream instead of cream of chicken soup.
Kind regards and thanks for answering.
Georgiana
Hi Georgiana, that sounds like a good substitution. You may want to thicken it a little at the end with a flour/butter mixture, and let that heat up as you stir it so it is less soupy. Some celery or celery salt would also be nice as there is some in the cream of soup. You can also search the Internet for how to make condensed cream of chicken soup and there are many recipes. I hope this helps!
This was soooo good! The chicken was so tender and I loved the consistency of the broth and cream of chicken soup. We used regular egg noodles and added celery and carrots. Perfect for this cold winters night! Thank you!
Hi Holly! I’m so glad you liked this recipe! This was my first official IP recipe almost 2 years ago! It’s been popular because it is easy, and so tasty! Comfort food! Thank you for taking the time to review this, I appreciate it!
How long did you cook it with the reg egg noodles?
I didn’t bring it to pressure, just used the sauté setting. I think it took 5 to 8 minutes.
Okay thank you! It’s in the IP with the frozen egg noodles now. 🙂
Great!
It tasted great. Only thing that worried me no juice left after noodles cooled.
I think if you add frozen vegetables (corn, peas, or mix vegies)
But otherwise i will make tnis again
Thanks
Paul
San francisco
Hi Paul, thank you for your review. Yes, frozen mixed veggies are great in this. You can add another cup or so of broth if you would like it to be more soup like, or just not as thick. I’m happy that you like this recipe! Love San Francisco, it’s time for another visit!
I cannot find the frozen egg noodles. What sort of adjustments would you make if using dry egg noodles? I just got my Instant Pot and am very excited to give it a try!
Hi Julie, at the end of the instructions, on the recipe card, I have a tip on using regular noodles. Hope that helps!
Hi. Is new to the IP and would like to know if there is additional cook time if the chicken breast is frozen. Thank you in advance.
Terri
Hi Terri, I always use frozen, and do not adjust the time.
Could you use the frozen dumplings instead?
I think so. I would definitely try it!
Question I only have one can of cream of chicken, but I have a can of cream of celery. Can I use that in place of the 2nd can of cream of chicken??
Hi Mike, I would try it. If you enjoy those flavors, I think it would be good!
Hi- question.. I would like to dbl this recipe, would the cook times change? Also do you think not would be ok to dbl in 6 quart or too much substance? Thanks
Hi Megan, if you double the recipe, it will take longer to come to pressure, and you will want to do a natural release as it will be very full. Just be careful. Maybe try making half again as much and see how it goes, if you are able to make a test batch!
I had company for dinner who was on a bland diet so decided to try making a double batch in my 6-quart IP. Immediately after I put the first ingredients in I knew it was not a good idea as the contents were already at max level and there was no room for the noodles. I cooked it according to the recipe up to the point where you remove the chicken. I put 2 breasts in a slow cooker on warm with a little broth and shredded the other two. Then I removed half of the liquid in the IP, added the noodles and finished the recipe as usual. I poured this batch into the slow cooker with the chicken and continued to make a second batch. Phew, not the best idea I ever had but it worked just fine.
Made it and it is so good! Substituted one can of the cream of chicken with cream of mushroom. Used fresh carrots and dry egg noodles. Added those in at the same time as everything else. 15 minute, quick release, shredded the chicken and added fresh chopped broccoli. Cooked another 5 minutes (probably could have done with 2-3), quick release and voila!
Hi Esther, those are great adaptations, that don’t change the essence of the recipe, but make it fresher! Thank you for your review!
Have you ever tried homemade noodles instead of frozen?
Hi Gloria, no I haven’t, but I would add them and not bring to pressure, just turn on sauté and then add chicken when done. Sounds yummy!
This was good, but I had a problem with the quick release after the natural release. After I put the noodles in I cooked for 6 min and then let the cooker natural release for 5 min. When I quick released the remainder of the pressure I ended up with chicken broth sprayed everywhere. This was my first attempt at a starchy dish. I should have stopped the release when I saw something other than water spraying out and then tried the quick release 5 min later. Will try again.
Hi Joseph, sorry you experienced that. It’s one of those things that happens sometimes, and other times it doesn’t. I think increasing the amount of natural release time by 5 minutes, then doing a controlled quick release in short bursts until you are sure only steam is coming out will help.
Looks delicious. How do I adjust for defrosted chicken breasts?
Hi Jill, cook for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how large the chicken breasts are.
Sandy, how would you adjust recipe, if at all, when using pre-cooked chicken? Thanks
I would dump everything in except the chicken and cream soup, stir. Add the cream soup last, on top of the noodles, and don’t stir it. Cook for 6 minutes. When cooking cycle ends, let it do a 5 minute Natural Release, then do a controlled Quick Release of the remaining pressure, and when the pin drops, open the lid. Add the cooked shredded chicken, and frozen mixed vegetables, if using, and stir. Place the lid back on, vented, and let sit for a few minutes to heat the chicken through.
Loved this recipe. My husband said it reminds him of the chicken and noodles his mom made . He even took seconds
Followed this to a “T”. However after adding noodles and after the 5 min natural release I did a quick release and it made a mess everywhere. The juice and such was coming out of the steam vent. Why? What did I do wrong? Smells good though.
Sorry to hear that. You need to do a controlled quick release of the pressure. Releasing in shorter bursts until you are sure none of the sauce will spew out with the steam.
Delicious!! I followed recipe exactly and we loved it. Thanks!!
Help. My husband chopped the chicken I was planning on using. The pieces are fairly large but still bite size. Will this work? Should I adjust the cooking time? Also he chopped three pieces. Do I need to adjust any of the other ingredients? I have an 8 quart pot so I assume room won’t be a problem.
Reduce the initial cook time to about 9 minutes.
Hi! I made this exactly as directed and it was delicious! I would like to make a couple of large batches to feed approximately 30 people. Can I double the recipe for a 8 qt instant pot? If so, how does the cooking time change? Thank you!
Hi Julie, I’m so glad you liked this recipe! You won’t have to increase the cook time, however the increased amount of frozen noodles might make it take longer to get back up to pressure, so allow extra time for that.
Hello….I can’t wait to make this but I have a question. I would like to add fresh chopped up celery and carrots but can you please tell me when I would add them? Thanks for your help!
Hi Tracy, add the fresh veggies when you add the frozen noodles. Cut the veggies slightly larger so they don’t get too soft, unless you like them that way!
It’s delicious. Made this as my daughter was finding it hard to swallow food while suffering from fever/flu. I blended it up for her and she loves it and so did everyone else who had it as it was.
How can I adapt this for the crock pot or stove top? I love it in the Instant Pot, but I need to make a larger batch of this. Thank you!
Add everything except the noodles to the slow cooker and cook on Low for 6 hours. Then take out chicken and shred it. Add it back in and the noodles. Stir and cook another 2 hours.
I don’t have an instant pot but I have an off brand one. I don’t have Manuel but I have poultry would that work for the chicken? What setting would I put it on for the noodles?
If you have a way to manually input the time and use high pressure, do that. The poultry button is just a preset time. You want to be able to set your own time.
Thank you!! Just got it all done and it’s amazing . Just need to cook the noodles a little longer but my husband loves it. Thank you so much! 🙂 definitely make it again!
I made this in my Ninja Foodi. It came out amazing! This was so easy and tasted so good. I was able to make it with everything I had in kitchen already. I used dried egg noodles, using only about 1/2 the amount you have recommended. I used one 12 oz bag and only about 3/4 of the bag. The consistency was great. I think it would be way to thick if 2 bags were used. My granddaughter loved it so much that she asked me to pack it in her lunch for school tomorrow and the next day too!
For those who commented above about wanting to make half the recipe, just a tip, I usually freeze half of any recipe I make. This would work very well to cook the recipe as instructed up to the point you take the chicken out and shred it. What I would do is at this point take the chicken out, shred it and put it right back in. I would then freeze half of the chicken and broth without putting in the egg noodles. When you defrost put back in the pot to cook. Finish the cooking by putting 1/2 the amount of egg noodles and cook as instructed. This would give a perfect size meal for a small family and a 2nd meal without much fuss for another night.
Thanks for a great recipe!
t
By chance has anyone calculated Weight Watcher points for this yet? Sounds yummy but probably to good to be true for me!
I made this tonight and it was great. I already had a cooked chicken, so I sautéed all the liquids as suggested but then I just dumped the shredded chicken, frozen noodles and veggies in, stirred it up and put on manual for 8 minutes. It was perfect!
Just used this recipe for my “break in” of our new (and first) IP. Only substituted dried egg noodles and cooked per your instructions… outstanding and will definitely be doing it again!
That’s fantastic, Bill! Now you are all broken in! I’m so glad you liked this recipe!
Egg noodles are great, but I just realized (after starting the first half of this recipe)…I don’t have any!! Not a quick drive to store, do you have regular elbow pasta cook time? (Ha!)
Just add the pasta like you would the egg noodles, after all of the pressure cooking. Use the Sauté setting to cook them just like on the stove top. Stir occasionally and enjoy!
Hi Sandy,
I made this for dinner tonight as my husband loves noodles of any kind. He wolfed it down and even had seconds. I put mixed veggies in mine to make a full meal. This is a keeper that he wants twice a week! We bought a 6 qt IP when we had to evacuate from the camp fire. Now we are getting an 8 qt. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe.
Awesome! Thank you!
Delish. Thank you so much!
I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed this recipe. My grandma has used the Reames noodles in her chicken noodle soup for as long as I can remember. I have always loved them. I was worried that it would be a little bland, but it was actually very flavorful. I only used half a stick of butter. I used two cups of chicken stock and two cups of water with Better Than Bullion. I did one can of cream of chicken and cream of celery for the other. I added fresh celery and carrots. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy you liked it!
Is there a way to cook it all together at one time? I am a lazy cook, lol.
Lol! You can try it, but the mixture may be too thick. I haven’t tried it mysself.
This looks wonderful! I’m trying it tonight. BTW, you have the patience of Job with some of these comments. You’re always so helpful and polite.
Thank you! I know that many people are a little nervous about the IP, so I try to give them confidence.
Could you use a whole chicken in this recipe?
I think so, though the deboning may be a challenge with the cream soup in there. I haven’t tried it.
I am having shoulder surgery soon and will make this up to the point of adding in the noodles. Then I will freeze in portions in containers and add a baggie of frozen noodles to the container. At the time I will eat this, I plan to just heat in the microwave as I won’t have the use of one arm! Sounds great.
Great plan! Happy healing to you.
Are there any changes using gluten free noodles.
I think if you cook it for half the time on the package directions, it should be okay.
You don’t say low pressure or high pressure. Mine is on low I hope that works.
High pressure
This recipe is the first dish that I made in my Instapot Ultra. Prep could not have been easier, and it was absolutely delicious. Served over mashed potatoes. True comfort food and my daughter said she can’t wait for me to cook it again! Thank you so much!
If using chicken tenders just reduce time me to 8 or 9 minutes?
Maybe only 5 minutes unless they are frozen. Then try 7.
I have made this delicious recipe several times for my husband and I. We freeze the leftovers in glass containers and then heat it up in a saucepan on the stove top for quick dinner.
I followed this recipe exactly, using the egg noodles directions. While it was delicious and a hit with my family, it was runny like soup. Would’ve preferred a thicker sauce. But I will try again, I will reduce the amount of broth.
HI Monica, thank you for your comment. Though I mentioned in the post to use 12 oz egg noodles and reduce the broth, I see I wasn’t clear enough. My apologies. I have reworded this so it will be clearer.
I have made chicken and noodles (Reames) for years. Feeling pretty confident that they tasted pretty good…. until I made these. All I can say is that this chicken and noodle recipe is YUMMY!! Plus using the instant pot is always a big help. I wouldn’t change a thing!
I made this last night and let me tell you it was amazing! The only thing different I did was I used Cream Of Chicken Soup with herbs and it gave it all the flavor and then some. I will definitely be making this again!
What if you don’t have frozen Noodles can you use regular noodles?
Yes. See the recipe card for using regular egg noodles.
This recipe is delicious my husband loved it, reminded him of his Mom’s chicken and noodles. Your clam chowder is the best recipe ever. Thank you for all of your great recipes, haven’t found one I didn’t like yet.
Thank you so much for posting this delicious recipe and for including the instructions on how to make it with either frozen or dry egg noodles. I searched my local grocery stores, but none of them carried frozen noodles – so I made this recipe today using dry egg noodles, and it turned out perfectly. I will definitely be making it again and again.
Made this today with one can each of soup and broth, adding some water when I added dry egg noodles. I also added some colby jack cheese as my husband asked if I could add cheese. It was delicious! We both agree it reminds us of chicken pot pie and we will make biscuits or puff pastry to go with it next time. Thanks for the recipe!