Chicken Oregano Recipe

Along with the new year comes the desire to be a better person, and I’m sure many of you have made resolutions to improve your overall well-being. While it might take a lot of effort to fulfill your health objectives, in the long run you’ll reap important benefits your body will be grateful for.

This low-carb chicken oregano recipe from Susie of Real Food Real Fitness may look simple, but it contains vital nutrients to help you power through and achieve your New Year’s resolutions. This recipe won’t just satisfy your appetite, but may also help prevent some of your promises from turning into regrets, and allow you to accomplish your goals.

Chicken Oregano Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 chicken breasts from organic free-range chickens
• 1 large head fresh cauliflower, sectioned into florets
• 2 lemons (1/2 cup juice)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup organic bone broth or chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons organic dried oregano
• A pinch of paprika, optional
• 2 teaspoons Dr. Mercola’s Himalayan salt

Procedure

1. 
   In a roasting pot with lid, add chicken and cauliflower and season well with Himalayan salt, pepper and paprika.
2.  
   In a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1 cup bone broth, 3 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons sea salt and whisk together briskly.
3. 
   Pour liquid mixture over chicken (it should cover the chicken; you can add more broth if needed).
4. Cover and cook at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

How to Buy High-Quality Chicken Without the Health Risks

With all the different ways you can cook and flavor chicken, it’s not surprising that it’s one of the most popular meats consumed in the U.S. The National Chicken Council reported that in 2017, total chicken consumption in the U.S. reached 92.2 pounds.¹

You may also get vital nutrients and benefits when you consume chicken, provided that you pick pasture-raised chicken allowed to forage during their lifetime. Raising chicken on pasture exposes them to cleaner environments, increases the amount of nutrients like vitamins D3 and E² and healthy fats³ in the meat, and helps decrease infection risk and quantities of harmful bacteria and other pathogens.⁴

Avoiding poultry from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) significantly reduces your risk of consuming foods with traces of banned and harmful drugs. A 2018 Consumer Reports article details that numerous meat and chicken samples tested positive for these potentially toxic substances:⁵

• Chloramphenicol
• Phenylbutazone
• Ketamine
• Nitroimidazole

To lower your risk of consuming these toxic substances, try raising pasture-raised chickens in your backyard, provided that you have the time, space and patience to do so, and check with local authorities regarding zoning regulations beforehand. If this won’t work for you, buy pasture-raised chicken directly from a local farmer who ensures that chickens are able to graze on pasture and search for their own food. Other good places to look for high-quality pasture-raised meats include farmers markets or any of the following trusted websites:

• Weston Price Foundation
• Local Harvest
• Farmers markets
• Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals
• Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
• FoodRoutes

Outstanding Oregano: What Does This Herb Have to Offer?

If you love eating Greek⁶ and Italian dishes,⁷ you may be familiar with the taste of oregano. A lot of Americans certainly are, given that more than 14 million pounds of this herb are consumed in the U.S. annually.⁸ This member of the mint family,⁹ whose name is derived from a Greek word meaning “joy of the mountain,”¹⁰ can be used for culinary and medicinal purposes. According to WebMD, oregano may help address the following conditions:¹¹

• Respiratory tract infections¹²
• Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders like dyspepsia¹³ and bloating
• Urinary tract disorders¹⁴
• Menstrual cramps¹⁵
• Rheumatoid arthritis¹⁶
• Headaches and migraines¹⁷
• Heart conditions¹⁸

Some studies revealed that oregano may induce apoptosis or cell death in colon cancer cells,¹⁹ while its extracts possess antioxidant properties.²⁰ The herb’s antibacterial and antimicrobial abilities must be considered too, as it may be effective in fighting gram-positive bacteria strains²¹ and Helicobacter pylori infections.²²

When buying dried oregano, purchase it directly from a trusted farmer, as dried oregano commonly sold in grocery stores isn’t 100 percent oregano. Much of it is actually composed of different oregano varieties that are mixed with marjoram and thyme. Better yet, you can grow oregano in your garden. Learn how to properly cultivate this easy to-grow herb at home.

Dried oregano should be kept inside a tightly sealed container in a cool and dark place. Use it within six months to ensure the flavor remains fresh and doesn’t diminish.²³

Bone Broth: Why You Should Always Have a Homemade Batch at Hand

Making healthy food choices is undeniably one of the ways you can achieve your health goals, and homemade bone broth is one of my top recommendations as not only is it inexpensive to make, but it may also deliver potent benefits. In their book, “Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World,” Dr. Kaayla Daniel and Sally Fallon Morell, both leaders of the Weston A. Price Foundation, shared the potential advantages you can get from bone broth’s nutrients, such as:²⁴

• Helps relieve colds and flu
• Assists in addressing leaky gut-related conditions and autoimmune conditions
• Helps support liver health and promote detoxification
• Keeps arteries strong and supple, helping lower risk for heart disease
• Helps improve digestion through gastric acid secretion and regulation of synthesis of bile salts
• Enhances nervous system and brain function
• Promotes glutathione production, known as the “master antioxidant”
• Helps improve hair and nail health

Delicious homemade bone broth is best made using bones of organic grass fed or pastured animals, along with vinegar and spices, although you can add your other favorite ingredients. Avoid using bones from CAFO animals because, as a Consumer Wellness Center report states, some bone broth and bone broth protein products contain traces of antibiotics, prescription drug metabolites, parabens, steroids and insecticides — all of which can cause health problems.²⁵