It starts with them picking at the “not so lovely” looking green veggies. Then the spicy dal begins to look very “meh!”. And then the whole platter of curries! After numerous such instances, the protein that should reach your picky eater’s muscles stays back in the freezer. Adequate diet and healthy food habits are washed down the drain! Towards the end of the day, the kids begin to prefer the junk sold in malls. Greasy, half cooked food covered in flour- which is known to reduce their appetite and over the top sauces filled with tasting salts can do untold damage to their tender digestive tracks paving ways to long term issues like acidity.
Despite all the “uninteresting” pitfalls that they find in other food, kids can never say NO to the ever-tasty chicken! To all those non-vegetarians, chicken is the superhero that is going to save your day and make sure that you kid likes how his plate looks, cleans the plate spick and span and gain the protein and energy that he needs!
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Yes, your kid might hate greens but broccoli is given a special stature of hatred. For a very unexplainable reason, this green goodness filled with vitamins essential to the kid’s body is HATED with a capital H by kids. But can the magical chicken lace the broccoli with its yummy self? It surely can! Here is classic chicken sautéed with fresh broccoli florets and coated in savory sauce.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups broccoli flowerets
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
DIRECTIONS
Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger. Fry 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is brown. (or use a seasoned Wok)
Add 3/4 cup of the broth, the soy sauce and sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring twice.
Add broccoli. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until chicken is no longer pink in center and broccoli are crisp-tender.
Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth; stir into chicken mixture. Cook, stirring frequently until sauce is thickened.
2. Sneaky Chicken Nuggets
All is fair in love war and feeding your kid! Take the liberty to sneak stuff into your kid’s food and the best dish to do so is chicken nuggets.
Let it be all those things that your child hates, add them into the batter for your nuggets and smuggle them into your kid’s tummy. Best ones to sneak in can be spinach, zucchini, broccoli and other greens.
3. Chicken and Cauliflower Casserole
Who hated cauliflower as a kid and still does? ME! But would the 8-year-old me eat cauliflower cooked in cream cheese and chicken? YES!
A simple dish to make your kid lick his fingers for! Cook the cauliflower, add cream cheese and carry it on with your basic chicken casserole in the oven. The cauliflowers will find their way down your kid’s throat even before he could notice it.