Avoiding Onion Soup Packets
Avoiding onion soup packets CAN be done. This flavorful chicken dish has sweet and tangy taste and the leftovers were delicious too, as a matter of fact. It's a simple main dish chicken recipe is from our friends, Jim & Maureen. We had it at the dinner party that I showed you a few pictures of in this post. (We also had these Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts that night, yum!) Maureen's recipe called for onion soup mix, but this variation was just as easy. Unfortunately our picky kids didn't go for it, but what do they know? It has sweet and tangy taste that they didn't care for, but we thought it was awesome.
The best part is that you don't have to use any of the MSG and preservative-laden onion soup packets that most similar recipes call for.
Here's what's in the onion soup packet that I always used to buy:
Dehydrated Onions, Salt, Corn Flour, Hydrolyzed Soy and Wheat Protein, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Caramel Color, Maltodextrin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium Phosphate, Arabic Gum, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate.
YUCK. Soy, transfats, MSG, preservatives… all kinds of disgusting stuff! Ingredients in this recipe with a real food version of an “onion packet”:
Tangy Baked Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken about 6-8 chicken breasts OR you can use bone-in chicken as well
- Sea salt for sprinkling on the chicken
- 4 Tablespoons butter ghee (where to buy ghee), or coconut oil (where to buy coconut oil)
- 3 organic onions chopped
- 8 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt more to your taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder use more if you like a stronger taste
- 10 ounces apricot jam I found some with no icky ingredients or raspberry jam is good too.
- 1 cup mayonnaise Use homemade mayo if possible to avoid the soybean oil and preservatives in store-bought, OR if you just don't think you would make this mayo recipe, or sometimes need a quicker option, here's the only jar of mayo I buy in a pinch. You may have to keep checking back, they've been out of stock, sorry! I've also made it without the mayo and it was still really good!
Instructions
- Place the chicken into a buttered 11×14 baking dish. (Here's where to buy stainless steel bakeware to avoid the dangerous non-stick pans.) Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
- In a medium sized frying pan (we like cast iron), cook the onions in butter or coconut oiluntil they're caramelized and golden brown. Stir in the salt, garlic powder, mayo, and jam, then spoon the mixture over the chicken.
- Bake 30-45 minutes at *350 or 'til it's no longer pink in the middle of the thickest piece. Don't overcook or it'll be dry. It should be tender enough to cut with your fork. It gets a bit watery on the bottom, but just scoop it out with a slatted spatula.
- That's it! We usually serve it with herbed rice and a stir-fried veggie. Or try it with Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts! The recipe serves 6 adults, but if you're feeding kids, they can usually only eat about a half of a chicken breast each.
- Check out more side dish ideas
- Read this article to learn more about the dangers of CAFO-raised meat
- Learn the key to frying your foods–without the guilt!
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Liz says
Any ideas for a sub for the jam?
KitchenKop says
Liz, you could use any jam, is that what you’re asking? I really think it would be good with any type of jam, organic will be your best bet for avoiding the junk, though.
Kelly
Beth says
Sounds delicious; thanks for sharing!
Hanan says
Here is a recipe for your own onion soup base:
4 tsp organic better than bouillon beef base
8 tsp dehydrated onion flakes
1 tsp onion powder
pepper to taste
Use this instead of the packet and it taste great. This recipe can be substituted for one packet lipton’s onion soup mix. It works very well!
TMC says
Looks delish! I’d take real onions over onion soup mix any day!
Linda says
I would love to get boneless chicken breasts but too expensive and I’m not going to attempt to do it myself. I would mangle the bird but your recipe sounds delicious and the picture makes me wish I had some.
Gertrude says
Linda. Don’t worry about boneless chicken breasts. Use them bone-in and remove the skin or use chicken thighs with bone-in and remove the skin. Cooking with the bone in actually increases the flavour. I have been making a recipe similar to Kelly’s for my family for years. Many times I used a whole fryer cut into segments because everyone had a favorite part of the chicken. Good luck and enjoy!
KitchenKop says
Thanks for the reminder to go make that more clear in the post!
Kelly