chicken Archives - Pretty Little Apron

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!

Whole Grain Chicken Tenders

For some reason people classify chicken nuggets and tenders as food for kids. What irritates me about this is the fact that chicken nuggets are made from scraps and other parts of chickens that was otherwise unable to be used. Basically we are saying “Let’s feed our kids all the scraps” instead of saying “Let’s feed our kids the most nutritious food we can.” See how this doesn’t really make sense? If your wondering about chicken nuggets here is a great video to set the record straight about what is really in them. Chances are you have seen the “pink slime” but it is a great reminder to me of why my family stays away from this stuff!

The good news is you can make your own chicken tenders (or nuggets) with whole ingredients. I do have a few secrets when it comes to my chicken tenders and I’m going to share them with you today! The most important factors to making your own are seasoning them correctly and pounding your chicken. I use chicken tenderloins and pound them until they are thin. Thin chicken gives you the nice crunch kids love. Here is an example of how I do this. I simply place a plastic baggy over the chicken and pound lightly to flatten.