chicken breasts

Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup

January 4, 2015 by Dana

This super silky milk based soup will have your family smiling ear to ear on cold winter days. Great for thermoses and leftovers!

This soup will hit your mouth like BAM! The perfect dreamy, creamy, comforting chicken soup + dumplings. Does it get any more comfort food then this? I think not. 🙂

While the Holiday cheer was wrapping up I was all like *Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup must happen now!* Parties are over, gatherings are over, and I don’t have to share with anyone! This soup = Not for sharing! That is, unless your trying to impress your hunky new man (or woman), or trying to prove to your kids that you are indeed the best cook ever and nobody will ever come close to Mama’s home cooking.

Speaking of Mama’s home cooking… I have an 8 year old that is determined to tell me about every single time in his life that he hated my food. Today in the car I heard something along the lines of:

“Remember that time that you made that lasagna with the broccoli and squash and you promised me that you were going to save a corner with no veggies for me, and then you didn’t, and then you actually burnt it and I hated it. Remember that time?”

Of course I remember that time honey, the time I actually tried to get you to eat broccoli and you acted like I was trying to kill you. How could I possibly forget that you don’t understand that cruciferous veggies are loaded with all the good stuff to keep your little body growing the right way? How could I possibly forget that I didn’t make enough béchamel to cover the noodles completely and ONE BITE got a little crispy on top? One….bite….!!!!! Kids, they don’t forget a thing!

Cooking Tips and Techniques

I used chicken breasts for this soup, however you could sub 2 cups of shredded chicken if you’d like.
I added 1/2 cup finely chopped kale for some extra nutrients. I added it very last so it didn’t get soggy and gross. I promise, you can’t even tell it is there! Oh Hi Kale! 🙂
I adapted this recipe for the dumplings. I used whole wheat white flour, which does yield a courser dumpling. I advise using whole wheat flour MOST of the time, but if your family isn’t used to whole grains you might want to sub 1/2 all purpose. I loved the dumplings, they had a great flavor, and the longer they sat in the broth the better they were!
The dumplings will get bigger after you drop them in your pot. Small dumplings = better dumplings because if you make them too big you will end up with a weird center.

Coconut Chicken Fried Rice

December 29, 2014 by Dana

Well Christmas just flew right by, didn’t it? Of course the last few days have been an absolute hurricane at my house, however today I managed to get a few things in order. My oldest son is home from school this week, so you know what that means, I’m officially a referee now! I think I heard the words “He hit me” more times today then I ever really wanted to hear them. Actually, I’d be totally fine if I never had to hear those words again! 🙂

Amongst all of the chaos I somehow managed to muster up the energy to put dinner together tonight and it was one of those Ohhhh-Soooo-Takeout inspired dishes that did the trick BUT was made with all real, healthier ingredients then you would typically find in takeout food. I was surprised how great the consistency of the sauce turned out because it reminded me of something JUST LIKE you would get from Panda Express. Three Cheers for creating a great sauce with a few simple ingredients that would surely rival Panda Express!

Speaking of Panda Express, I actually looked for their ingredients online and wasn’t able to find ANYTHING. Being tight-lipped about ingredients? Not cool Panda Express! Of course, I know their food is GMO-laden, and probably contains a lot of soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup, but I’d be curious to see what else is hiding in there. They do claim that they only use “natural forms” of MSG so that makes me think they use yeast extract or other flavor enhancers instead. Tricky, tricky! If anyone knows where to find their ingredients shoot me a comment! 🙂 Or better yet forget about them all together and make your own!

I put this delish Coconut Chicken over fried rice, but it would also go great with sticky white rice (GASP!) or brown rice. Ok, I know… the white rice. But there is just something about it that is so wonderful and amazing in every way that makes it perfect for a sticky sweet/spicy/salty sauce. Food heaven is that you???? I have to admit I can eat 100% whole wheat bread and pasta all day every day and never miss the bleached/refined stuff but the sticky rice with takeout-style food is my bleached grains pitfall. Just being honest! If you decide to forgo the extra fried rice steps I would recommend doubling the sauce recipe so that you have a little extra goodness for the rice.

Cooking Tips and Techniques

For best chicken results filet chicken (cut in half lengthwise) first, then cut into small chunks, and finally thin slightly with a meat tenderizer. This will ensure your chicken will cook through easily because it is thinner, and it will be nice and flat for a crispy finish. It sounds like a lot but I promise the extra few minutes of effort it takes will save you cooking time and yield a perfect bite of chicken!
Rinse pan after each batch of chicken is cooked (unless you are using a non-stick surface, then you can just wipe down with a paper towel, and add more olive oil). I used two chicken breasts, and only had to rinse pan one time. This ensures none of your chicken will end up stuck to your pan!
Heat your pan well in advance. I put my oil in the pan and allow it to heat up on low while I’m breading my chicken. When I’m about to cook my chicken I turn it up to medium. I don’t go any hotter then medium/medium low because I’m using olive oil.
Sauce can be cooked in the same pan as your chicken! Save yourself a dish, and use the flavor of the stuff on the bottom of your pan for a delicious sauce. Yumm!
Any veggies you have on hand can be used in the fried rice. Have a ball, throw in them all! I went broccoli heavy cause that’s just how we roll. Hello Cruciferous veggies!

Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken

October 12, 2014 by Dana

Dana Carvell (3BoysUnprocessed)

Remember when I said I hated crockpot meals, then kept making more crockpot meals? Seriously.

But you know how indecisive women can be so I’m totally blaming my gender on this one. In real non-food blogging life I’m actually pretty indecisive too. Like when my husband asks me a question and I say “I don’t care.” But somewhere inside I care, I do! I just can’t for the life of me make a decision! It is just too mind consuming to actually pony up and say what I want. No…clue…why!

But this CROCKPOT chicken though! It is so yummy and delish in all of it’s mustardy and honey-y glory. Yes, that’s two y’s because honey already ends in a Y. Yeah. So I hyphenated. And all the grammar people go nuts!

I hate to say this…but you know what else is really great about crockpots? The word *freeeedddoommm* singing in my head as I put the ingredients in the crockpot and walk away. Yeah, like knowing you totally have the next 4 hours to NOT spend in your kitchen piddling around over the stove and knocking over spices. Until I decided to make chicken stock.

Did you notice I said the words “knocking over spices?” Who else has a big pile of spices stored right beside their microwave in the most unorganized and clumsy fashion ever? You’d think being a food blogger and all I’d have a really nice spice organization system, like those little jars with magnets that hang right on the wall in the prettiest way ever. But no, I have this heaping mess of spices that is ever-growing and seems to get in the way all the time. Not to mention, try finding something in that mess! Where’s the pepper? Where’s the paprika? Heck, I can’t find it, so I’ll spend the next 15 minutes looking for it, only to find it right in front of me, on top of the microwave, where it was never supposed to be in the first place. Who put it there? Oh yeah.. I did yesterday. *sigh for all of those unorganized folks like myself* Just incase my husband is reading this… my birthday is next week *ah-hem* 🙂

So I’m using whole grain mustard in this chicken because my wonderful husband kept buying it, and I kept putting it into a bunch of random recipes and realized it’s kind of a big deal (are people still saying that?). Now if you aren’t keeping whole grain mustard stocked in your refrigerator at all times already, I’m suggesting you do so. You’ll find a ton of ways to use it, in recipes not just as a condiment, that will make you wonder where it has been all your life. I’ve been using it in pasta salads all summer, in chili, sauces, and now in crockpot meals. So yeah, you can’t go wrong with whole grain mustard!

In addition to the whole grain mustard I added raw honey, soy sauce, and chicken stock. How simple is that? Believe me, it doesn’t sound like much but this chicken is out of this world! The addition of the soy sauce kicks it up 10 notches and goes perfectly with the other ingredients.

*Just check ingredients before purchasing! I have seen some companies sneak random things like high fructose corn syrup and preservatives in mustards. A good mustard should not contain anything that you wouldn’t keep in your own home.

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

May 5, 2014 by Dana

We invited some of our friends from church over so I decided to make a nice big pot of chicken noodle soup. I love this soup and make it often. I always think I will make extra and we will have a lot leftover to eat throughout the week but somehow it always disappears quickly! One thing I do not use in a soup like this is boxed chicken stock or bullion cubes. Although these products can make a soup taste good, they all contain MSG or some form of it (yeast extract, autolyzed yeast). I have not found a boxed product that does not contain these ingredients. Even stocks that are labeled as containing “No MSG” still contain the yeast extract and autolyzed yeast. I would stay away from these products especially because these companies are being deceitful about what is in their products, which is not the type of company I want to support. Not only is MSG linked to obesity, depression, eye damage, and fatigue, it also over-excites your brain cells and tells you that you want more.

This recipe does take some time to make, but 95% of that time is spent just simmering to create a tasty broth. I can put this on the stove and do a number of things before I go back to the soup for the next step. It is a great soup to make on a weekend when you cleaning the house or playing with the kiddos. I also use half regular potatoes, half sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes give the broth a hint of sweetness that sets this soup apart from any other chicken noodle soup you have had!