Cathy's Best Creamy Chicken Soup

This soup is very good, worth the extra effort to make the home-made broth.

Ingredients:

1 - 3 to 4 pound chicken, (cook with ½ onion, 1 bay leaf, 6-8 peppercorns, 1 or 2 celery ribs, some fresh parsley)

1/4 cup butter (part olive oil if desired)
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sliced celery
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour

1 pint half and half (2 cups)
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 cups dry penne pasta, or bowtie pasta (or other favorite shape, not spaghetti though)
1/4 pound sugar snap peas, halved (or quartered) diagonally (about 1 cup)
( I use snow peas instead - remove strings)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: Cook chicken in 8 cups water with ½ onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, celery and a little fresh parsley (I use the stems) Simmer for about an hour; cool, remove chicken from bones, chop into bite size pieces. Strain broth, skim off fat. (For fat free, refrigerate broth several hours or overnight and lift off hardened fat) Reduce the broth by boiling on high, to 6 cups. Season with some concentrated chicken broth granules, about 4 teaspoons (or, just use salt) and a dash of celery salt, to taste.

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots and onion. Cook until celery and onion are tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually mix in room temperature or warm chicken stock. Brink soup to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add half and half and chopped parsley and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, simmer 5 minutes

(Chicken soup can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate)

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Bring chicken soup to a simmer. Mix in cooked pasta and peas, simmer 2 minutes. Mix in lemon juice, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.