creamy homemade chicken noodle soup

my mom used to make this soup for us all the time. she always added the vegetables near the end to keep their crunch. although the cream of mushroom is not traditional, it is an excellent creamy addition. if you would like to keep more broth, cook your noodles separate and add them to each individual bowl.
ingredients:
- 3 bone-in, skin on chicken breasts -
- 8 cups water -
- 4 bouillon cubes -
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme -
- 4 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 (10.7 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup -
- 1 onion - chopped
- 2 carrots - chopped
- 2 ribs of celery - chopped
- 8 ounces egg noodles or your favorite pasta -
instructions:
- place chicken breasts in the bottom of a large stockpot. pour water over the chicken breasts and bring to a boil. reduce heat to simmer, add chicken bouillon cubes, dried thyme, garlic and salt/pepper to taste. cover and let simmer for 30 - 40 minutes.
- remove chicken breasts from broth. while the chicken is out of the broth, stir the cream of mushroom into the chicken broth. remove chicken from bone and skin; shred. add the shredded chicken back to the broth.
- add the onion, carrots, and celery to the broth as well. continue to simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes. stir in the egg noodles or pasta of your choice; cook until the pasta is tender.