Chicken Noodle Soup

The headmaster of all soups!

1 sweet onion
2-3 stalks celery
2-3 carrots
6-8 chicken bouillon cubes
egg noodles
chopped chicken

Roux: (optional)
1 cube margarine
1/2 c flour
1 c canned milk

Add onion (skinned and sliced in four pieces), celery (each stalk cut in a few pieces), 1-2 cups carrots (chopped), and bouillon cubes to water (10-12 cups-ish) in large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove onion and celery. (I only boil the celery and the onion in the broth for the flavor and then remove them. If you wanted to add less onion and celery, chopped fine, and leave it in, that is another option.) Add noodles (my favorite brand is Country Pasta Homemade Style Egg Pasta) to broth and boil on medium heat for 30 minutes. Turn to low and add chopped chicken (I like to buy a whole rotisserie chicken and chop it up). Add salt and pepper to taste. This makes a clear broth soup. If you prefer a creamier, tastier chicken noodle soup, add roux (see below). Keep soup on low heat until ready to serve.

Roux:
Melt margarine. Whisk in flour. Stir until smooth. Add canned milk. Whisk again until smooth. Stir constantly on medium heat until mixture thickens. Add to soup after adding the chicken (while soup is on low). This adds a great flavor to the soup.