Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Have you ever wondered where that phrase came from?
The legend is that back in the day a chicken dinner costs maybe a couple of dollars. And if you happened to be a gambler and won a bet worth two dollars, the dealer would call out “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” to note that you had been paid.
Whether you have won your chicken dinner, or are purchasing some chicken to prepare your own dinner, it’s important to know the chicken that’s on your plate.
Gone are the days of my great-grandmother who would wring the neck of a chicken in the backyard in the morning and feed it to the family in the evening.
Unfortunately, chickens are mass-produced just like every other consumer product. And all chicken is not the same.
How To Buy Chicken
It’s nice to have lots of choices at meat counter. But sometimes it can be overwhelming. Here are my Top 3 Tips for how to buy chicken that will give you the best bird for your money and your health.
- Look for a bird that has been minimally processed and produced. Organic chicken should always be your first choice if possible.
- If organic is too expensive or not available, choose a hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken. Remember you consume what your chicken has consumed.
- Choose “no salt added” and “no broth added”. For some reason, chicken processors like to salt their chickens for us, and additionally plump them up with broth. Injections of broth can account for up to 15% of a chicken’s weight. You pay for that broth with your dollars. And our bodies pay for the extra salt that’s truly not needed. Americans eat an average of 87 pounds of chicken each year. Imagine the amount of sodium you would consume when a 4 oz portion of an enhanced chicken breast contains 440 mg sodium.
Yikes.
So enjoy your chicken.
Learn how to buy chicken and choose to enjoy your chicken without the extra additives that just help tally up the total rather than simply fill up your belly.
Here are some of my favorite chicken recipes.
- Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
- Thai Green Curry Chicken
- Spicy Ramen-Style Chicken Soup
- Moroccan Barbecue Chicken
- Garlic, Rosemary, Lemon Chicken
Up your cooking game and learn How To Cook Chicken.
Top 10 Fruits and Vegetables for Weeknight Cooking
You can make a delicious meal any night of the week with a handful of fresh vegetables and fruits. Get Chef Sandra Lewis' Top 10 Vegetables and Fruits for Weeknight Cooking. Subscribe to our email list below or text COOK to 66866.
You have Successfully Subscribed!
We never, ever share your information.