Instructions

1. Place chicken pieces and veggies in a large pot and cover with water (about 6 cups). Add seasoning and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, 1 to 1.5 hours. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Set a mesh strainer over a large bowl or measuring cup and strain the veggies from the broth, reserving both. If desired, skim the fat from the broth. (I skim enough to use in the roux later on, but leave the rest since it’s just a few tablespoons and I think it adds flavor.) When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and discard the bones and skin.
2. Add half of the chicken stock back to the pot, reserving half in a freezer bag for another pot of soup. Add water and chicken base. (If you don’t want to freeze stock, just pour it all back in the pot and omit the additional water and chicken base.) Bring it to a boil and add egg noodles, cooking them a couple minutes less than the package requires (I did 6 minutes). Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan (or reserved chicken fat if using). Whisk in flour and cook for a minute to form a roux. Slowly pour in milk, whisking, then broth, whisking until it bubbles and thickens. Add it to the soup, then add half of the shredded chicken and all of the reserved vegetables (first sort through them to make sure there are no bits of bone, etc).
3. Let the soup heat together for a couple of minutes, taste and add salt and pepper if needed, and serve!