Chicken Noodle Soup ~ Two ways

Chicken noodle soup has something that just heals from the inside out. Maybe it is mental, but I truly believe it is an amazing healing food. We stayed in from church this morning, as a few of us just feel a bit .. well I can't honestly say "under the weather" because it has been lovely outside, but let's just say we are being blessed by our blessing of tree's! Allergies. If you suffer, you know how bad it can get. For me I have had a scratchy and raw throat for two days now, and this morning there is much pressure behind my eyes ~ not quite a headache. On the menu for dinner is chicken noodle soup.  And for dessert for my husband and children is of course Butterscotch Pie !

There are two ways I do this:

Crockpot method
3 chicken breasts (whole, and can be frozen)
1 box of chicken stock or broth
2 tbs butter
1 stalk of celery
1/2 yellow onion
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 box of speghetti noodles

Saute butter, onion, celery, about 1 tsp each of black pepper, salt and garlic powder (adjust to your family's tastes). Put all remaining ingredients into crockpot along with enough water to make sure that everything is covered. ( at this point you can also add sliced fresh carrots). Cook on low all day, or high 4 to 5 hours. Remove chicken, dice, and return to broth. About 30 minutes before dinner, prepare speghetti on top of stove, and add to pot when tender. Turn OFF crockpot. Enjoy!

Stovetop Method
(same ingredients as above)
Saute butter, and veggies togehter in a large stock pot. Add chicken, broth, and about 3 to 4 cups of water. AT this point you can also add a bit more seasoning if needed. (Some prefer using poultry seasoning, but it is not a seasoning my dh is a fan of.) Cook for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken, dice, then return to broth. Bring to a boil and add speghetti and cook until it is still a bit aldente.

You can use a whole chicken for this recipe as well. Boil on stove in place of chicken breasts. Remove chicken debone, and return to finish as listed above. Cook a whole chicken at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours to ensure it is done. By doing this, you may not need to add much broth because you made your own ~ but your chicken soup will have a bit more fat in it from the skin and such from the whole chicken.