Healthy Oven-Baked Chicken with Mushroom Cream Recipe

A healthy lifestyle is the "in thing" this 2021. If you haven't started your health journey yet, well, what's keeping you? It's high time to change your eating habits, include regular exercise in your daily routine, quit vices like smoking and drinking alcohol, and schedule an executive medical check-up so you'll know your current health condition.

The Wake-Up Call 

My family’s journey to a healthier lifestyle started two years ago, when my husband and I went for executive check-ups and found out that we both had plaque build-up in our arteries. We’re glad we caught it early. The doctor said it was primarily because of age, but we couldn’t rule out diet. 

This prompted a commitment to a healthier lifestyle—not just for my husband and I, but for the whole family. I thought it was a great idea! Since the boys would start learning healthy habits at a young age, they will be fit and healthy when they’re older. 

Healthy habits start at home—and the kitchen

I always say that good health starts at home. As a mom, I always see to it that the food I serve is nourishing and healthy. If I buy chips, my boys can’t go crazy and finish it all in one sitting. I only get fast food deliveries for special occasions, when I'm up to my neck with deadlines, or when I'm sick or have to go out early for errands.

Healthy cooking doesn’t have to be more difficult or more expensive. I researched recipes with ingredients that are affordable and can be easily found in the palengke or supermarkets. I also started baking again—a hobby from the days when I was single—since it reduces the use of oil.

Let me share with you a favorite chicken recipe that is so easy to prepare and bake. I hope you like it! You can replace some of the ingredients or add your own as you see fit.  Enjoy!

Oven-Baked Chicken with Mushroom Cream

Ingredients

1. 1 kilo chicken leg quarter or 1 whole Chicken
2. 1 small onion, chopped
3. 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4. 2 pcs. medium sized potatoes
5. 2 pcs medium sized carrots
6. 1 sachet Silver Swan Wow Sarap
7. 1 pack Knorr Cream of Mushroom
8. ¼ cup all-purpose cream
9. 4 cups water
10. Olive oil (as you see fit)
11. 1 tsp paprika
12. 1 tsp pepper
13. 1 tsp thyme
14. 1 tsp rosemary

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 240° Celsius.
2. Prepare the marinade by mixing paprika, pepper, thyme, rosemary, Silver Swan Wow Sarap, garlic, onion and olive oil in a bowl. Pour marinade onto the chicken, and make sure it’s thoroughly coated.
3. Arrange chicken, potatoes and carrots in a baking dish. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour at 240° Celsius. 
4. While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce. Mix 4 cups of water and Knorr Cream of Mushroom in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil while continuously stirring. When the sauce slightly thickens, pour ¼ cup all-purpose cream and stir. Simmer for at least 2 minutes
5. Once the chicken is cooked and taken out of the oven, pour the cream of mushroom sauce on top.

My healthy cooking/eating tips 

I check food labels for calories, carbs, sugar, cholesterol, fats, etc. When you don't know how much sugar is in an ingredient, it defeats the purpose of a “healthy” dish.

I switched to using olive oil most of the time, or not using oil at all. I also just use the natural oil from the main ingredients like chicken, pork, or beef. I use canola oil for frying.

We switched from white bread to wheat bread, and coffee to 100% caffeine-free combination of roasted barley and chicory—which by the way, tastes and smells just like coffee. 

From unli-rice, we now limit it to just a cup a meal. We replaced soda with all-natural fruit juice and tea. These are some of the many diet changes we made because we want to grow old together and see our future grandkids! 
 

Reference

About The Writer

Eihdra Gatchalian

Mom to a 20-year old special boy and a very sweet and kind 12-year old boy who mean the world to her. Wife to a very supportive hotelier, who never doubted she can survive any trial hurled her way. An advocate of several special needs groups. Works online as a virtual assistant, social media manager, and a mommy blogger. Trying to help change the world in her own small ways.

Articles written for parenTeam:

•    When Praising Children, Choose Words Wisely
•    Vaccine Myths and Facts (Organics)
•    Living with Spina Bifida: The Joys, Struggles, and Lessons of Raising a Child with a Disability
•    Healthy Oven-Baked Chicken with Mushroom Cream Recipe
 

The views and opinions expressed by the writer are his/her own, and does not state or reflect those of Wyeth Nutrition and its principals.