Basic Chicken Baby Food Recipe (4+months – Stage 1)
This homemade Basic Chicken Baby Puree is a great addition to your baby’s favorite puree for extra protein and flavor! It’s an incredibly simple recipe with big flavor and nutrition! Stage One Baby Food – 4+ months.
Chicken Baby Puree
Pureed chicken for baby?? 🤔
I know, I know, I know – pureed chicken for baby sounds.. err.. gross. I get it! I was once thinking the same thing when I started my baby food journey because my only reference to a chicken puree for baby was a self-stable store-bought chicken puree, which are 💯 not the best (trust me, I tasted them all).
And if I don’t want eat it, I’m not going to serve it to baby!
Baby food should be as good, if not better, than the food we eat.
But guys, this homemade chicken baby food puree.. is legit! It is gently cooked with a deep rich broth and earthy parsley until just cooked. This is the key here.. just cooked chicken. We do not want overcooked chicken. Then we blend it up with a little extra broth, and you have yourself a creamy puree that tastes like a blended chicken noodle soup.
Plus – chicken 🍗 is full of essential vitamins, iron, zinc, fat, and protein that baby needs to thrive!
While some babies love this taste of a meat puree, others might find it a bit intense. That is totally okay. You can mix this chicken puree into any other fruit or veggie baby food you know your little one will love.
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Reasons to Love this Basic Chicken Baby Food Puree recipe:
- simple yet flavorful
- packed with protein
- great to add to any other fruit or veggie puree that baby loves
- baby food for 4 months and up
- stage 1 baby food
- freezer-friendly
- homemade
Ingredients
- Chicken: as random as it may seem, chicken is the star of the show in this puree. We are going to use an 8oz piece of boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe. You can also use chicken thighs, but the puree will have a slightly different taste. You can easily scale up this recipe if you want more than 12 ounces of baby food.
- Broth: to get a really deep chicken flavor we are going to cook our chicken in chicken broth. I would recommend using a low-sodium, sodium-free or free-range chicken bone broth for this recipe. You can also use any of those variations above with a vegetable broth as well. If you don’t have any of those on hand, you can use water.
- Parsley: we are adding in dried parsley to give the puree a little more complex taste, this can easily be omitted if you prefer.
COST PER OUNCE
Chicken is typically easy to find in almost any grocery. The average price for 8oz of chicken is $1.99 for conventional or $2.99 for organic, plus $0.50 for chicken broth.
If we do some math, this puree ranges in price from $0.20 – $0.29 per ounce.
Chicken Puree costs (on average) – $0.24 per ounce
Organic Chicken: I would highly recommend using organic chicken for this recipe, if possible. Organic chicken will be free of antibiotics, synthetic pesticides and will be fed a GMO-free diet.
Benefits of Chicken for Baby
- High in protein for healthy muscle growth.
- Good source of iron, which is necessary for the growth of red blood cells.
- Contain vitamin B12 and choline that help promote brain development.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- Boil: In a medium saucepan, bring the cubed chicken, broth and parsley to a boil over medium heat.
- Simmer: Turn the heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Let cool slightly.
- Puree: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a blender or food processor and puree until you reach your desired consistency, adding in broth in 1/4 cup increments if needed.
- Eat: serve to baby plain or added into another puree.
- Freeze: store a small portion in the fridge and freeze the rest for another meal.
HOW TO STORE CHICKEN PUREE
REFRIGERATOR
You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
FREEZER
This puree can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Spoon puree into a freezer storage container (this is my favorite freezer storage container) – do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap and label with date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let freeze completely – preferably overnight.
- Pop-out the baby food cubes and place in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag – don’t forget to re-label the baggie or stager bag for future reference.
Need more information on how to store your baby foods – head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!
Label Tip: Don’t forget to label your purees before you place them in the fridge or freezer with the name of the puree and the date you made it. Take it from me, you will completely forget when and what is in your freezer by the end of the week.. because you know.. mommy brain;).
GREAT CHICKEN STAGE 2 PUREES
While Chicken Baby Food is great by itself, it can be a little intense for some babies. I would recommend mixing it into one of your babe’s favorite purees. Here are some great purees to mix with the chicken puree.
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TIPS
- Use Slotted Spoon: when transferring the chicken from the saucepan to the blender, make sure to use a slotted spoon, so you don’t add too much broth into the puree from the start. You want to add only broth if needed while blending. I had to add a 1/4 cup of broth to the blender while I was pureeing this chicken.
- Reheat Gently: if you are freezing some of this chicken puree, you will gently want to reheat it in 20-second intervals. You don’t want to re-cook the chicken.
Helpful Tools
Ingredients
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Basic Chicken Baby Food
This homemade Basic Chicken Baby Food is a great puree to add to any of your baby’s favorite fruit or veggie purees. Great for extra protein and flavor!
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Servings: 12 ounces
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cubed
- 1 cup chicken or veggie stock, low-sodium or sodium-free
- 1 tsp dried parsley (optional)
Notes
Age: 4 months and up
Yield: roughly 12 ounces
Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Freezer – can be frozen for up to 2 months (this and this are my favorite freezer storage containers).
Favorite Kitchen Tools: Get a list of my favorite kitchen tools to make the best baby food here!
NEW TO MAKING PUREES?
THEN CHECK OF MY GUIDE ON WHICH KITCHEN TOOLS YOU ACTUALLY ARE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE THE CREAMIEST AND SMOOTHEST BABY PUREES. HINT, IT’S NOT MANY!
