Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles

For the noodles:

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, stir together the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
2. In a small bowl beat the egg and milk together with a fork.
3. Add the liquid to the flour. Add a couple teaspoons of softened butter. (I just grabbed a spoonful from my butter dish on the counter, it doesn't have to be exact.)
4. Combine with a wooden spoon until it has come together, then switch to the dough hook. (Or turn it out onto a flour-dusted surface and knead with your hands.
5. Knead for about 5 minutes. 
6. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. 
7. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick. You want it to be pretty thin because the noodles puff up a bit in the soup. 
8. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into thin strips. You want them to be about 2-3 inches long and 1/4 or 1/2 inch wide. You can of course make them any shape you want! You want them to be uniform is size though, so that they cook evenly. 
9. Separate the noodles so they are not touching and can dry out. 
10. Let the noodles dry for anywhere between 1/2 hour and 2 hours.**  This really depends on how hungry you are. I waited about 30-45 minutes before losing patience and throwing them in the soup, though I'm sure some chef somewhere is reading this shaking his head.

For the soup:

1. In a large stock pot with a wide bottom, heat 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until melted. 
2. When it is hot, add the chopped onions, celery, and carrots. Season with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt.
3. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 more minute, until it becomes fragrant. At this point feel free to exit your home, wait a moment, and reenter. You will be so darn proud of the aroma that greets you. 
5. Add 10 cups of water and turn the heat up to high. Stir in 3 tablespoons of chicken base.
6. Add fresh thyme sprigs, or if you don't have any, dried thyme.
7. Add basil, oregano, and poultry seasoning. 
8. Add the chicken and chicken bones. The amount of chicken that you add is totally up to you, and the nice thing about precooked chicken is that you can add more later if it doesn't seem like enough. The bones are added for flavor. Don't skip this step! It's part of what gives this chicken soup so much flavor.
9. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook partially covered for 10 minutes or until the carrots are completely tender. 
10. Turn the heat to high again and bring up to a boil.
11. Add the homemade noodles. If you are using store bought pantry noodles, add 2 cups.
12. Lower to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are al dente. This will be in 6-8 minutes for homemade noodles, and more like 8-9 minutes for store bought noodles. 
13. Remove the thyme sprigs and chicken bones.
14. Season with additional salt and fresh cracked pepper.
15. Garnish each bowl with fresh parsley.