Chicken for Babies: A Complete Guide With Recipes + Baby-Led Weaning
Introducing chicken to babies around 6 months, when they’re ready for solids, is a nutritious and versatile option. Whether you prefer purées or baby-led weaning with finger foods, there are plenty of chicken recipes to explore.
This guide offers tips (with pictures) on how to cook and serve chicken for babies at different stages, along with recipe ideas like chicken soup, purees, meatballs, crepe rolls, and salads to get you started.
Introducing chicken to your baby is an exciting milestone in their journey toward solid foods. As a food blogger with years of experience and a mom who’s navigated baby feeding challenges, I’ve discovered ways to make chicken both nutritious and baby-friendly. My little “tester” was always my indicator.
Why Chicken is a Great First Protein for Babies
Chicken is a versatile and nutrient-dense option for babies. It’s rich in digestible protein, iron, and essential vitamins like B6, minerals like iron, zinc, and copper, which support healthy growth and development.
Introducing iron-rich foods, like chicken, is particularly important around six months when a baby’s iron stores start to deplete. Moreover, the introduction of meat as an early complementary food for exclusively breastfed infants was associated with improved zinc intake.
When Can Babies Eat Chicken?
Babies can typically start eating chicken around 6 months old when they begin solids, as meat consumptions supports the micronutrient levels necessary for adequate child development. Whether you’re spoon-feeding or following BLW, chicken can be easily adapted to suit your baby’s developmental stage.
How to Safely Prepare Chicken for Babies (Including Baby Led Weaning)
1. Choosing the Right Cut
- For purees: Opt for boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, or a blend.
- For BLW: Drumsticks or strips of cooked chicken are ideal for easy grasping.
2. Cooking Methods
Stick to gentle, moisture-preserving cooking techniques to retain nutrients and ensure a soft texture:
- Boiling/Poaching: Perfect for purees or shredding.
- How to: Heat some broth/stock, bring to a boil, and add the chopped chicken meat and cover with a lid. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until is cooked through inside (time depends on the size). You can also use water instead of stock, and you can add aromatic herbs and vegetables like, onion, garlic, celery, parsley and black pepper for flavor. What’s the difference between boiled and poached chicken? Poached chicken is very gently simmered in liquid, just until cooked through. This cooking method yields moist and tender chicken meat. When aggressively boiled, the proteins from chicken contract and tighten squeezing out the moisture and you end up with hard rubbery meat.
- Baking or Roasting: Baking chicken for babies is a versatile, nutrient-preserving, and flavor-enhancing method that’s ideal for both baby-led weaning and purees, offering convenience. Best when you use darker meat like thighs.
- How To: Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C. Line a baking pan with parchment/baking paper, or use glass / ceramic baking pans. Place the chicken parts, (equal sizes) in the pan and toss with the desired seasonings and drizzle with olive or avocado oil (high heat resistant). Rub the seasonings all over to evenly coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temperature is 165°F (75°C) using a meat thermometer. To avoid crust forming, cover with foil while baking or keep the skin as a shield. After baking, shred or cut into appropriate sizes for your baby.
- Steaming: Steaming chicken preserves its natural flavors and nutrients, making it a healthy option for infants. The process involves cooking the chicken over boiling water, ensuring it remains moist and easy to chew.
- How to: Cut chicken into small pieces or strips. Place in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam for 10-15 minutes until fully cooked (165°F/74°C internal temperature). Cool slightly, then shred, chop, or puree as needed.
3. Seasoning Tips
Babies’ palates are developing, so avoid salty heavy spices. Simple seasonings like garlic powder, paprika, or a sprinkle of Italian herbs can add mild flavor without overwhelming.
More Ways to Cook Chicken (Crockpot & Air-Fryer)
Crockpot (Slow Cooking)
Falls under moist-heat cooking, similar to poaching. It’s excellent for tender, flavorful chicken but requires long cooking times.
- Pros: Retains moisture, great for batch cooking, easy hands-off method that produces tender, moist chicken that’s easy to shred for purees or BLW, plus preserves nutrients.
- Cons: Texture may become overly soft for some BLW stages. Long cooking time, flavor might be mild without added seasonings. Some leaching of water-soluble vitamins (like B vitamins) and some mineral loss can occur if the liquid isn’t consumed.
Air Fryer
A dry-heat cooking method like baking. It creates a slightly crisp exterior, which can work for older babies or toddlers ready for firmer textures and finger foods.
- Pros: Quick cooking, enhances flavor without added oil.
- Cons: May result in drier meat and require careful monitoring to avoid dryness, not ideal for very young babies needing softer textures.
How to Serve Chicken for Babies
1. Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)
For babies starting solids with BLW, offer chicken in soft, easy-to-grip pieces:
- 6-8 Months: Serve large strips of tender chicken or shredded pieces they can gnaw on.
- 9-12 Months: Introduce smaller bite-sized pieces as they develop their pincer grasp.
2. Purees
- Chicken Puree is great as stage 1 baby food and easy to make. You can use the poached chicken method described above and then use the meat and a little bit of pre-made chicken stock (in which the chicken was cooked) and blend in a blender or food processor until you reach the desired consistency, slowly adding more stock if needed.
- Blend cooked chicken with a vegetable like sweet potato, carrots, or zucchini for a smooth, nutrient-packed puree.
- Add a bit of breast milk or formula if necessary.
3. Combination Feeding
This helps babies explore various textures, supports developmental milestones, and ensures balanced nutrition.
Great Chicken Puree Combinations
Mix shredded chicken or pureed chicken (depending on stage) for variety and texture exploration, such as:
- Fruit (mashed avocado, apple sauce, pears);
- Steamed veggies (cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, peas, carrots, butternut squash);
- Pasta;
- Cooked grains (quinoa, rice);
- Soft scrambled eggs .
How Much Chicken Puree To Serve To a Baby
- 6 months old babies: 2 tablespoons (30g), per meal. Serve along other foods and breastmilk.
- 7-8 months old babies: 2-3 tablespoons, per meal. Along with other vegetables, fruits and breastmilk.
- 9-12 months old babies: 3-4 tablespoons, per meal. Along other foods and breastmilk. Gradually increase according to age.
Tips for Feeding Chicken to Babies
- Start Simple: Introduce plain chicken before combining it with other foods to monitor for allergies.
- Texture Matters: Keep pieces soft and easy to chew for young babies.
- Batch Cooking: Prepare larger quantities of chicken and freeze portions for convenience.
More Chicken Recipes For Your Little One
- Make Soft Chicken Meatballs with ground chicken – suitable for babies 6 months+, toddlers and baby led weaning method (BLW).
- Chicken Soup – serve as it is or puree it to a smoother consistency. This recipe is suitable for babies 6 months+, toddlers and older kids.
- Shredded/ cut/ cubed chicken meat – cook the chicken with a slow cooker, poached or roasted. Breast and thigh meat both work well and you can use either or a combination of both. Shred the chicken using two forks (or your hands) while it’s still warm. You can also slice or cube the meat according to baby’s age.
- Chicken Salad – shredded cooked chicken, avocado, soft boiled egg and diced onion – suitable for babies 10-12 months and older.
- Chicken Cutlets – thinly slices chicken breast with a crisp, breaded exterior or egg covered exterior. These are suitable for older babies (as it requires frying) as finger food.
- Chicken crepe rolls – crepes filled with chicken and mushroom paste, baked or pan seared. This is a great lunch box option for kids and toddlers, as well as finger food for kids 9 months old and up.
How To Cut And Serve Chicken For Baby Led Weaning
Each baby develops at his own pace and it’s impossible to tell exactly when a child will learn a certain skill. There are many ways to cook and serve chicken as baby led weaning finger foods, here is approximate timeline that you can use as a guide:
- 6-8 months: serve larger size meat, 2-3 inch strips (your finger length size, 1-2” wide). A drumstick will also work, the bone works as a handle that your baby can hold onto and takes bites out of. Just make sure to remove the loose cartilage and skin. You can also serve ground chicken meatballs or patties at this age. They should be soft and easy to chew with gums.
- 8-10 months: at this age babies should be able to bite and tear food and also develop their pincer grasp (pick things up and feed themselves). So you can serve thinner slices (about the size of your pinky finger), shredded chicken and then progress to smaller cuts as cubes.
- 10-12 months and older: You can incorporate finely shred or ground chicken into meals (like chicken soup or chicken salad or mixed with other veggies in casseroles).
Common Questions About Chicken for Babies
Yes. Once you choose the preferred method of cooking (steaming, poaching or baking) then you can puree the chicken meat with some added liquid like water, chicken stock or breastmilk.
Yes. But keep in mind that a baby should eat a variety of foods. A diet high in protein might cause constipation because low fiber content. Plus when it comes to nutrition value of meat, there are meats that have a few nutritious advantages over chicken (turkey or beef for example), so it’s best to consume them in rotation. Make sure to offer your baby a variety of meats to expose them to different flavors and textures.
Yes, you can easily make recipes with ground chicken for you baby: cook in a skillet with vegetables or make chicken meatballs / patties.
Besides purchasing ground chicken from store, you can make it yourself: just place the chunks of chicken meat in a food processor along with the desired seasonings and pulse a few times to get the desired consistency/ size.
Yes, chicken puree can be frozen in small portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently before serving.
Always choose high-quality chicken. Organic, hormone-free (preferably pasture raised) options are ideal for young eaters.
It’s normal for babies to take time to adjust to new textures and flavors. Try mixing it with their favorite foods or offering it in a different form.
More Meat Recipes For Your Baby
Chicken is a nutritious, adaptable first protein for babies that can be served in countless ways. With a healthy eating experience in mind I’ve found that keeping it simple, experimenting with textures, and prioritizing nutrition ensures happy, healthy mealtimes.
Explore my collection of baby-friendly chicken recipes presented this post for more ideas and let your little one enjoy discovering new flavors!
Chicken for Babies By Age: A Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning and Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken meat (breast, thighs or other parts)
- 2 cups liquid (stock/ broth or water)
Optional (For Flavor)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- seasonings for baking (oregano, sage, coriander, onion powder etc.)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt or Himalayan pink salt (12 month+ babies )
Instructions
Poached Chicken
- Heat the broth/stock or other liquid and bring to a boil. Add the chopped chicken meat (it should be fully submerged) and cover with a lid. Simmer on low constant heat ( between 170° and 180°F) for about 15 minutes until is cooked through inside. The meat pieces would be approximately 1–1.5 inches in size, for this amount of cooking time.
- You can also use water instead of stock, but you might need to add aromatic herbs and vegetables like, onion, garlic, celery, parsley and black pepper in order to flavor the chicken meat.
- This method of cooking yields the most tender and moist chicken meat. Once cooked through inside, remove from liquid and use in recipes like: chicken puree, chicken soup, chicken salad or serve as finger food cut into sizes appropriate to the age (see details in the post above.)
Baked Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C. Line a baking pan with parchment/baking paper, or use glass / ceramic baking pans. Place the chicken thighs (or other chicken parts, equal sizes) in the pan and toss with the desired seasonings and drizzle with olive or avocado oil (high heat resistant).
- Rub the seasonings all over to evenly coat. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temperature is 165°F (75°C) using a meat thermometer. To avoid crust forming, cover with foil while baking or keep the skin as a shield.Use in recipes like: chicken puree, chicken soup, chicken salad or serve as finger food cut into sizes appropriate to the age (see details in the post above.)
Steamed Chicken
- Cut chicken into even pieces or strips. Place in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam for 10-15 minutes until fully cooked (165°F/74°C internal temperature). Cool slightly, then shred, chop, or puree as needed.
Crockpot Chicken
- Here you can use larger pieces (and even the whole chicken). Add the chicken to the crockpot, cover with stock and set to low. You can also add some lemon juice aromatics and seasonings. Simmer for 4-6 hours. If using whole chicken cook for about 8 hours. Use in recipes like: chicken puree, chicken soup, chicken salad or serve as finger food cut into sizes appropriate to the age (see details in the post above.)
Notes
Ways To Serve Chicken To Babies
- Chicken Puree: It’s great as stage 1 baby food (for 5-6 months old babies). You can use the poached chicken method described above and then use the meat and a little bit of pre-made chicken stock (in which the chicken was cooked) and blend in a blender or food processor until you reach the desired consistency. Or mix with other purees.
- Make Soft Chicken Meatballs with ground chicken – suitable for babies 6 months+, toddlers and baby led weaning method (BLW) as finger food.
- Chicken Soup – serve as it is or puree it to a smoother consistency. This recipe is suitable for babies 6 months+, toddlers and older kids.
- Shredded/ cut/ cubed chicken meat – shred the cooked chicken using two forks (or your hands) while it’s still warm. You can also slice or cube the meat according to baby’s age (see post above for details and pictures).
- Chicken Salad – shredded cooked chicken, avocado, soft boiled egg and diced onion – suitable for babies 10-12 months and older.
Nutrition
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