Hearty Homemade Chicken Soup

Place chicken breasts into a large cooking vessel; cover with water and add a handful of fresh celery leaves. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then gradually decrease the heat and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer it to a bowl, allowing it to cool down enough to handle safely.

Next, strain the cooking liquid from the pot and discard the used celery leaves. Return the liquid to the pot, then add sliced carrots, chopped onion, additional stalks of celery, a few cups of chicken broth, bouillon cubes, and the contents of the soup mix packet. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Add whole peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, poultry seasoning, dried basil, and chopped parsley to the pot.

Next, debone the chicken, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and add them to the pot. Let it simmer for another 90 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have melded together beautifully.

Stir in cooked pasta, then continue to cook until the noodles are tender yet still retain a slight firmness to the bite.

Serve the dish hot, garnished with additional herbs if desired.