Chicken for Babies By Age: A Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning and Recipes
Chicken for babies can be a nutritious, adaptable first protein for babies that can be served in countless ways starting at around 6 months of age, when they are ready for solid foods. Learn how to safely prepare chicken for babies with these easy recipes. Perfect for baby-led weaning or purees, this guide provides tips on cooking methods, serving sizes, and nutritional benefits for your little one.
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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
For a 6-month-old baby, the recommended portion size of chicken is about 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 grams) per meal. This portion aligns with their small stomach capacity and nutritional needs at this stage. Adjust accordingly for older babies.
The nutrition information is calculated for 30 g (2 tablespoons) of chicken breast only. Therefore adding other herbs and veggies would add to its nutritional value.
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.
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