Steps

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Beat the eggs, milk and oil together. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until it comes together as a doughy mass. Remove to a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth.
2. Roll out the dough until it is very thin, then cut into strips 3/4-inch wide. Cut each strip into 2-inch pieces and spread out on clean kitchen towels to dry for about an hour.
3. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to boil. Drop in the noodles and cook until tender, around 5-8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss the noodles with a little oil to keep them from sticking and refrigerate while you prepare the soup.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread half of each of the chopped vegetables over the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and pour in 1 cup of chicken stock. Place the chicken into the preheated oven and roast for about 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken cool.
5. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Remove the meat from the bones and dice into bite-sized pieces. Strain the juices from the roasting pan. Discard the vegetables and then separate the fat from the roasting liquid. Reserve both the roasting liquid and the fat.
6. Heat 1/4 cup of the chicken fat in a large pot over medium flame. Add the remaining onions and carrots and sauté until lightly browned. Stir in the remaining celery and the flour and cook for another 3 minutes.
7. Pour in the chicken stock, reserved roasting juices and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the diced chicken meat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the reserved noodles, parsley, salt and pepper and bring back to a simmer for another 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve with crusty hot bread and butter.

Notes

Sometimes one can achieve great things by going backwards. A little over a hundred years ago, condensed soups were one of the early convenience food successes of the Industrial Revolution. Sadly, many of us have forsaken making soups at home. When you make soup from scratch, the difference in flavor is worth the effort. Walking into the kitchen on a winter’s day and smelling soup slowly simmering on the stovetop is simply sublime. Chicken noodle soup can be everyone’s favorite Sunday supper again.