Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup,Homemade Chicken Tenders

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
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!
Homemade Chicken Tenders
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.
If you are not sure of the tool you would need to do this it
is just a simple meat hammer or tenderizer. Here is the link
to one.
For this recipe, you will also need my whole grain bread
crumbs. To learn how to make them click here.