Copycat Panera Chicken Noodle Soup

Stovetop
20 Cook egg noodles until barely tender, drain, and set aside. You can put a little butter on them to keep them from sticking together.
1 Heat the a little oil in a large, heavy stock pot over medium heat.
2 Add the carrots, onion, garlic, and celery.
3 Sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5-10 minutes.
4 Add the chicken and the chicken stock.
5 Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
6 Bring to a boil.
7 Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.
8 Simmer about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
9 Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks.
10 Return to soup the chicken back to the stock pot.
11 Add in the egg noodles.
12 Simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.
21 Add 2 tablespoons of butter if desired. I feel like this amps up the flavor but it's totally optional.
22 Garnish with chopped parsley.
Crockpot
14 Put everything except the noodles in the crockpot.
15 Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
16 Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks.
17 Put the shredded chicken back into the crock pot.
18 Add the egg noodles and cover.
19 Cook for 15 minutes more, or until egg noodles are tender.