Pour bottled Italian dressing and these 4 ingredients over chicken thighs into a slow cooker for the cozy kind of dinner you’ll want again next week

This slow cooker 5-ingredient Amish-style chicken and noodles is exactly the kind of cozy, no-fuss dinner I lean on during busy weeks. You literally pour bottled Italian dressing and just four more ingredients over raw chicken thighs in the slow cooker, walk away, and come back to tender, pull-apart chicken in a rich, homey broth with noodles. It has that simple, old-fashioned Amish chicken-and-noodles comfort, but with a modern shortcut thanks to the dressing doing the heavy lifting on flavor. Perfect for days when you want something that tastes like you fussed, but you absolutely did not.

Serve the chicken and noodles in wide bowls, spooning plenty of the brothy sauce over the top. I like to add a side of steamed green beans or roasted carrots to bring in some color and veggies. Buttery dinner rolls or a slice of crusty bread are great for soaking up extra sauce. If you want to stretch the meal, ladle the chicken and noodles over a scoop of mashed potatoes for that ultra-cozy, Amish-style comfort-food vibe.

Servings: 6

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Place the raw boneless, skinless chicken thighs in an even layer in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the bottled Italian dressing, chicken broth, and cream of chicken soup until mostly smooth. (A few small lumps of soup are fine.)

Pour the Italian dressing mixture evenly over the chicken thighs in the slow cooker, making sure the chicken is mostly submerged. This is your main flavor base, so don’t skip pouring it directly over the chicken.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easily shreds with a fork.

Once the chicken is cooked, use two forks to shred it directly in the slow cooker, stirring it into the brothy sauce.

Add the dry egg noodles to the slow cooker, stirring them into the chicken and sauce so they’re mostly covered by liquid. If the noodles aren’t covered, add a splash more broth or water, 1/4 cup at a time, just until they are.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the noodles are tender but not mushy.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed with a pinch of salt and black pepper, then serve the chicken and noodles hot, spooning extra sauce over each portion.

For extra richness, stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons of softened cream cheese or a splash of heavy cream after the noodles are cooked and let it melt into the sauce. If you like more of a classic Amish chicken-and-noodles feel, use plain Italian dressing (not creamy) and add a pinch of dried parsley or thyme with the broth and soup. To sneak in veggies, stir in 1 to 2 cups of frozen peas and carrots or mixed vegetables when you add the noodles; they’ll cook through in the same 20 to 30 minutes. You can swap boneless, skinless chicken breasts for thighs, but check them a bit earlier so they don’t dry out before shredding. For a thicker, stew-like texture, let the finished dish sit on WARM for 10 to 15 minutes with the lid off so the sauce can reduce slightly. Leftovers reheat well on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water to loosen the noodles back up, making this a great make-ahead lunch for the next day.