Creamy Chicken and Noodles

I bought a collection of recipes several years ago and just love most of the recipes. They are all of the old school classics that are just good down home cooking. This is a nice twist on your regular chicken noodle soup, and it's really easy.
8 oz. wide egg noodles
2 medium onions (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
3 medium celery stalks (about 3/4 cup chopped)
4 cups water
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1 (10 0z.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup buttermilk

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain; set aside. Cover to keep warm.
Chop onions and celery stalks; set aside. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium to medium high heat.
Add chicken breasts, onions, celery, salt, thyme, bay leaf and pepper to sauce pan. Return to a boil.
Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 35 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from saucepan. Cut breasts into 1/2 inch pieces; cover and set aside.
Increase heat to high. Return liquid in saucepan to a boil. Continue cooking until liquid and vegetables have reduced to one cup.
Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Whisk in soup and buttermilk until thoroughly blended. Add chicken pieces and noodles; toss to blend. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Ashlee side note: That's a lot of onion for me. And, so my son doesn't have a heart attack when he sees little chunks of onion in his dinner, I usually just use the dry onion instead. Add as much as you like for taste. Just like chicken noodle soup, this is a meal in itself. So maybe a little salad and some garlic bread and you're good to go!