easy chicken noodle soup

jamie requested this for dinner tonight. he loves chicken noodle soup, so i delivered. why not? the weather is cool and it is beginning to feel a tad like fall, and well, truthfully it is so dang easy to make. i made it earlier in the day and let it sit on the stove till he got home. it was still nice and warm. he inhaled two big ole bowls. i don't really like "noodle" soups, so i opted for a tomato, avocado and cheddar panini (jamie had one of those too, mind you). the kids, travis ate pretty much nothing, a few fig bars and milk. caroline, she had chicken flavored cup o'noodles.

hey, what? wait. isn't that basically the same thing, minus the styrofoam cup? jeez. enjoy.

beth's easy chicken noodle soup

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large container of chicken broth(32 oz i think, i threw the container away)
1 cup of water to start, maybe more
2 chicken bouillon cubes
big pinch of sea or kosher salt
big pinch of course pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp of butter
2 stalks of celery-diced
3 carrots-diced
1/2 onion-diced
coupla big handfuls of extra wide egg noodles

in a large, lidded dutch oven place you chicken breasts, chicken broth, water, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and bay leaves. bring to a boil and cook until the chicken is done. remove the chicken to cool. turn the broth to low, to simmer. in a frying pan, melt your butter and add the celery, carrots and onion. cook 3-4 minutes till slightly tender. add all to your broth. now cube your cooked and cooled chicken breast, add to pot too. now let you soup simmer on low for about a half an hour. check your veggies often to make sure they are not cooking too quickly. when they are still slightly firm, add two big handfuls of egg noodles, more or less, your choice. here is where you might need to add some more water. you should have plenty of broth, but the noodles will soak up quite a bit while cooking. you might want to add another cup, just use your best judgment. simmer for another ten minutes, check veggies, noodles and broth. if it is not flavorful enough you can always add another bouillon cube, some poultry seasoning, whatever you would like. once done, just turn off heat, place on the lid and walk away. if the noodles are quite done, they will keep cooking a bit, so don't worry. i let mine sit maybe two hours before jamie got home. throw a pot together for your family today, or tomorrow, or next tuesday, or whenever.
p.s.-i actually think this tastes better the next day.