Pat chicken (1 pound) dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
In a large pot, heat oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches, skin side down; cook until dark golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a plate removing and discarding the skin. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot.
Saute the onions (1 1/2 cups) in the drippings over medium heat until soft and tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic (3 cloves) to the onions and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the water (10 cups), stirring to lift up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery (1 cup), carrots (1 cup), bay leaves (2), thyme (1 tablespoon), 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 heaping tablespoon Better Than Bouillon (chicken flavor), and the browned chicken. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender about 25-30 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove the soup from the heat and add the noodles (8 ounces). Let stand, covered until the noodles are tender 20-22 minutes.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into 1/2-inch chunks. Return to chicken to the pot and stir in the parsley. Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning. Serve
Notes
Pot: Since you’re making chicken noodle soup, you’re obviously going to use a pot. If you have one made from a heavier gauge material, it will be more effective and produce a better soup. I know it sounds crazy but using heavy-duty pots and pans helps distribute heat more evenly and prevents burning.
Veggies: Sautéing your veggies is very important so don’t skip this step. It helps reduce the bitterness of the onion and garlic while coaxing out their fragrant aromas and sweet flavors. It will also help build your fond which will bloom into layers of flavor like you won’t believe! (Fond is the brown bits left behind after sautéing meat and veggies)
I like to cube the veggies in my chicken noodle soup recipe so that they are all about the same size. This helps them cook evenly and ensures you can get a nice variety of flavors and textures in every bite
Deglazing: In the next step, you’ll be lifting up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with chicken broth. Don’t switch pans. This is known as deglazing, (more about it here ) and it is also crucial to the incredible flavor profile of your chicken noodle soup.