Pioneer Woman's Chicken and Noodles

PERFECT dinner or lunch on a frigid day. This is my new favorite recipe.

3 lb whole chicken
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
16oz bag Homestyle noodles, as close to homemade looking as you can!
3 T flour
1/4 cup half and half
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
Cover chicken with water in large pot. Simmer 45 mins. Remove and take meat off the bones. Put bones back in water in pot and boil bones 20 mins. Remove bones and to broth add chicken meat, celery, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, thyme. Simmer 10 mins. Add noodles. Mix flour with half and half and add to pot. Add parsley. Simmer 15 mins till noodles are just tender. Serve with a slab of squishy bread or biscuits and butter.