Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry medium egg noodles
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream 

Directions

• Prepare noodles according to directions listed on package (note that you want the noodles to finish about the same time the soup is nearly finished cooking) and drain.
• In a large pot, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 3 - 4 minutes, then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Add chicken broth, parsley, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken breasts and bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow soup to cook until chicken has cooked through, about 10 - 15 minutes longer (cook time will vary depending on thickness of chicken breasts). Remove chicken and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then shred into small bite size pieces.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking slowly add in milk and whisk vigorously to smooth lumps (it will take a lot of whisking to smooth since this is a lighter roux - lesser ratio of butter to flour). Whisk in cream and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour milk mixture into soup mixture and return chicken to soup along with cooked noodles and stir. Serve warm with fresh bread or crackers if desired. 

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