Author's Note: Keep chicken separated from other kitchen items and ingredients until boil to avoid any risk of cross-contamination.
Also, dark chicken meat with the bone in [like that of chicken thighs, etc,.] make for a more flavorful soup. Just pull meat from the bone once they're fully cooked. I used chicken breasts since that's what I had on hand.
Add everything together in a large pot except for your celery, carrots, noodles, 1 of your 4 boxes chicken broth and anything from the, "Optional Ingredients," category.
Turn on high and boil for 35 minutes.
Pull cooked breasts, quartered onions and Bay Leaves from broth. Discard onions and Bay Leaves. * Make certain your breasts are fully cooked and not pink in the middle. If they are, boil longer.
Place celery and carrots into broth and boil for 15 minutes.
Add egg noodles to your boiling broth. Boil 8 minutes longer, [or as per your noodle manufacturers recommendations] stirring regularly. There's no need for oil or salt even if recommended by the manufacturer. They're both already in your broth.
Add shredded chicken. Also, add your reserved box of chicken broth if some or most of your original broth has dissipated. Boil 5 more minutes longer.
If you find even more fluid is required, especially after refrigerating, just add tap water. There's plenty enough chicken flavor in this soup to add it and not alter the taste.
Authors Note: You can add croutons to the side or crisp your bread in the oven if anyone's suffering from a scratchy throat.
Serve soup in a bowl with a handle so it can be eaten while in bed. Also, serve with any absorbent bread of your choosing. Enjoy!
