Chicken Noodle Soup

My husband picked up Boston Market the other night and came home with not one, but two whole chickens. At $2.00 more, he couldn't pass it up. I got bored with the chicken and mashed potato leftovers, so I decided I would pull my homemade chicken stock out of the freezer (see recipe) and make some chicken noodle soup. And it is a great day for it since it has been rainy and gloomy all day! Thanks to jdsegarr (of thenest.com forums) for posting a great recipe compliments of Tyler Florence.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
I omitted the celery because I hate celery!
4 fresh thyme sprigs (unfortunately, I only had dried...)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock, recipe follows
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
I used thin egg noodles because I just like them better.
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (again, I only had dried... I really need to have my own herb garden, heh).

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.