This homemade Basic Chicken Baby food recipe is a great addition to add to your baby’s favorite puree for extra protein and flavor! Great baby food for 4 months and up – stage 1 baby food!
This puree isn’t going to win any beauty pageants, that is for sure. It will however, win first prize in the taste category, because this puree is a taste winner!
Now, I never thought I would say that out loud about a chicken puree – chicken puree tasting good?!?!
It’s a new one for me!
Usually the thought of any sort of pureed meat gives me the heebie jeebies, but the thought of pureed meat in a jar sitting on a grocery store shelf usually pushes me waaaayyyyy over the edge and into another world of jeebies. Meat at room temperature in-a-jar is just not right.
The thing is though, meat is super good for baby. Beef, chicken, pork, liver, fish, etc, all have essential vitamins, iron, zinc, fat and protein that baby needs in order to thrive. Any meat puree is a great puree for one of baby’s first foods.
So my mission – to make meat purees that actually taste good! Like really good! Like good enough that when you lick some off the spoon you will not flinch away in horror, you will dip that spoon back into the blender and eat a couple more spoonfuls before you even start to feed baby.
Touch mission, or so I thought.
The key, I found out was not to overcook the chicken. To make this simple puree, I gently simmered some chicken breasts in chicken stock (broth would also work) with a little parsley until the chicken was juuussst cooked through.
You do not want to overcook the chicken here, that will leave it hard and chewy.
We want tender and juicy for this puree.
Once blended, the puree has enough flavor to actually taste like warm comforting chicken puree. It almost tastes like blended chicken noodle soup.. almost.
One great thing about this chicken puree, is that while it has a ton of flavor it is still flexible enough that you can mix it with any fruit, vegetable or combination puree you want, because let’s be honest, you probably won’t be serving this puree alone to your baby for every meal.
This puree is meant to be mixed into your favorite purees that you already have on rotation.
Mission of making an amazing chicken puree for baby – accomplished!
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
Great Purees to add Chicken Baby Food Recipe into:
- Apple + Butternut Squash + Carrot + Curry Puree
- Mango + Apple + Dried Cherry Puree
- Carrots + Nutmeg Puree
- Fennel + Peach + Pea Puree
- Broccoli + Olive Oil Puree
MORE BABY FOOD RECIPES YOUR BABY WILL LOVE:
- The Ultimate Guide on How to Make and Serve Baby Food
- 7 Organic Starter Baby Purees for Under $20
- 15 Stage One Baby Purees (that actually taste delicious)
- 10 Super Starter Purees for Baby (Tips, Recipes and Starters Guide on How to Feed Baby)
- 5 Minute Mango Baby Food Puree
- Roasted Butternut Squash + Thyme Baby Food Puree
IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE, LET ME KNOW! I WANT TO SEE YOUR YUMMY CREATIONS! SNAP A PIC AND SHARE IT HERE ON PINTEREST
BASIC CHICKEN BABY PUREE
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cubed
- 1 cup chicken stock low sodium
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the cubed chicken, broth and parsley to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Let cool slightly.
- Transfer the chicken to a blender or food processor and puree until you reach your desired consistency, adding in stock in 1/4 cup increments if needed.
Notes
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!
Michele
I’m so excited to have found your blog! Our 5 month old is starting to eat oatmeal (yum!) and I’m pumped to make him some of these delicious purées. I attempted the chicken this evening but for some reason, it was basically water after using my food processor😁 Any tips? Thanks!
Alexis
Hello Alexis,
That is so weird. Next time I would maybe take the chicken out of the broth, let cool and then only add extra broth if needed. I made this a couple times in my blender, so if you have one, maybe try using your blender as well.
Hope that helps! So glad you are here!!
xo, Michele
If you find any puree to be too thin, you can always add some rice cereal or your choice of grain to a puree to thicken it up(when you serve it)..
I have tried making Chicken and rice puree yesterday for my 6 months old out of white meat and rice. He was not a big fan. It was a little grainy so we thinned it out a little with water. I didn’t use the broth or any other veggies or fruits. He is a eater but mostly likes fruits and veggies. Me and my husband tasted it and it was KFC chicken puree so we loved it. He hated it and wouldn’t open his mouth and gag when we tried again. Help please!
I would try adding a tablespoon or so of the chicken and rice puree to one of his favorite fruit or veggie purees to see if he likes it mixed with something.
From what I understand their taste buds are still developing so he may not like it today but then like it 2 days later.
Michele
I’m so excited to have found your blog! Our 5 month old is starting to eat oatmeal (yum!) and I’m pumped to make him some of these delicious purées. I attempted the chicken this evening but for some reason, it was basically water after using my food processor😁 Any tips? Thanks!
Alexis
Hello Alexis,
That is so weird. Next time I would maybe take the chicken out of the broth, let cool and then only add extra broth if needed. I made this a couple times in my blender, so if you have one, maybe try using your blender as well.
Hope that helps! So glad you are here!!
xo, Michele
First, I want to say I just love this blog. I have more fun making my baby’s food than she has eating it! I do have a question…I made the chicken puree and it tasted great but it is kind of gritty. When I gave it to my baby, she kind of gags because of the texture. She’s 8 months and still has no teeth and only doing pureed baby food. Should I just keep blending it to get it less gritty? Thanks!
Hello Sarah,
I would try two things next time – puree the chicken after it has cooled down a bit and then maybe puree it with something to help it turn super smooth (sweet potato, apple, carrots, etc). You could also re-puree the chicken puree you have with another fruit or vegetable to see if that helps. I have pureed chicken so many times but haven’t had a gritty problem. Let me know if any of those work so other readers will know 🙂
xo, Michele
First, I want to say I just love this blog. I have more fun making my baby’s food than she has eating it! I do have a question…I made the chicken puree and it tasted great but it is kind of gritty. When I gave it to my baby, she kind of gags because of the texture. She’s 8 months and still has no teeth and only doing pureed baby food. Should I just keep blending it to get it less gritty? Thanks!
Hello Sarah,
I would try two things next time – puree the chicken after it has cooled down a bit and then maybe puree it with something to help it turn super smooth (sweet potato, apple, carrots, etc). You could also re-puree the chicken puree you have with another fruit or vegetable to see if that helps. I have pureed chicken so many times but haven’t had a gritty problem. Let me know if any of those work so other readers will know 🙂
xo, Michele
One of the ingredients is chicken broth, and I was just wondering what is your take on sodium intake for babies? Thanks!
Good question – sodium from table salt should not be introduced to baby until after 1 year. On the other hand, sea salt and himalayan (pink) salt do have some great minerals that are good for baby. They also need to be used very rarely and in small amounts. For the broth, I like to use organic chicken broth that is only made with sea salt. You can cut the amount of sodium in this by using a mixture of water and broth. Or you can make your own broth where you can control how much (if any) salt goes in. I just posted a recipe for chicken broth. Hope that helps.
xo, Michele
One of the ingredients is chicken broth, and I was just wondering what is your take on sodium intake for babies? Thanks!
Good question – sodium from table salt should not be introduced to baby until after 1 year. On the other hand, sea salt and himalayan (pink) salt do have some great minerals that are good for baby. They also need to be used very rarely and in small amounts. For the broth, I like to use organic chicken broth that is only made with sea salt. You can cut the amount of sodium in this by using a mixture of water and broth. Or you can make your own broth where you can control how much (if any) salt goes in. I just posted a recipe for chicken broth. Hope that helps.
xo, Michele
BTW, I love your blog! The recipes look delicious and so do the pictures! I can’t wait to try my first recipe!
Thank you! I am so happy you are here!
xo, Michele
BTW, I love your blog! The recipes look delicious and so do the pictures! I can’t wait to try my first recipe!
Thank you! I am so happy you are here!
xo, Michele
I just made this and it was so watery….
oh no! So sorry about that. You do have to let it run for awhile so the chicken can break down and then it becomes thicker. If not, you can add some cooked apple, sweet potato, or carrots to it and that should thicken it up really nicely.
xo, Michele
I just made this and it was so watery….
oh no! So sorry about that. You do have to let it run for awhile so the chicken can break down and then it becomes thicker. If not, you can add some cooked apple, sweet potato, or carrots to it and that should thicken it up really nicely.
xo, Michele
Is it safe to use chicken broth? It contains so much salt, I’m worried about using it.
Good question. I would recommend using a sodium-free broth, bone broth or make your own chicken broth to use in baby food recipes.
Admittedly, I’ve been feeding my LO store bought baby food. She’s been okay with it except for meat. She HATED the chicken. I tried your recipe, and she LOVED it! She had her mouth open like a baby bird waiting for more. She was even getting mad that she wasn’t getting it fast enough. Thank you so much!!! I’m now hooked and ready to spice things up for her.
I love this! So glad your baby bird is wanting more delicious purees!
Have you tried freezing this? If so, does it freeze/reheat well?
I’m so glad to have found your blog. Our baby is almost 5 months and we have just started solids. I was feeling a bit daunted about figuring out the right ways to make her food, and our purées so far have been sooo basic. Can’t wait to try some new recipes and introduce new flavor combos to her!
Can I substitute dried parsley with fresh coriander?
Yes, sounds great
Can I use swansons chicken broth low sodium?
yes
I followed directs to the letter. It’s so runny…hope it will firm up with refrigeration.
Tip for chicken broth stock:
There are brands that are NO sodium, NO MSG. So look for those on grocery shelves. But if you are on the Instant Pot train I have a tip there too:
I make ‘buffalo’ wings using my instant pot. I’ve started to just cook wings with NO seasoning. I reserve the ‘stock’ then store in small batches to freeze. I always have some ‘stock’ for baby’s homemade food.
FYI: I season and sauce the wings after removing from instant pot then broil them to get them crispy. You can even use your outdoor grill too.
My little peanut is just over 4 months and we’re starting to introduce purées to her because she is definitely an eater. She is breastfed and I was wondering, can you use some breast milk in place of the broth when blending up the chicken into a purée?
Thank you! And we can’t wait to try it next week.
Yes, you can always add in breast milk when blending purees. Usually it’s in the recipe card, but I must have missed this one. I’ll add it in asap.
Followed this recipe to the letter and it turned out great! I was hesitant to make this because with my first kid I made chicken purée and it was very grainy and frankly really gross. But I went ahead and tried again. The flavor with this recipe is great!
After reading the other comments I first added the chicken to my blender and slowly added the chicken stock I cooked it in 1/4 cup at a time. I doubled the recipe and used about 1 cup of the cooked broth. Then I blended it to oblivion. Literally blended it for about 10-15 min. I have a vitamix, so I started at a low speed and gradually increased every few minutes and added more liquid. Once you think it’s smooth enough, blend it more. If you take a small spoonful and it feels grainy, blend again! Just keep blending!
Love this! Determination pays off!
Hello, I just came across your blog and am very excited! As a first time mom I’m a little clueless about what to make for my baby, and I definitely want to make my own baby food. I have the Babymoov food system and so far have made single ingredient fruit and vegetable purées. I am starting my baby on proteins now and want to make a basic chicken purée. This recipe looks great, but can it be done using a steaming basket instead of on the stovetop? Do you think it will take away from the flavor? I appreciate your input!
It sounds like you are rocking your goal of making your own baby food!
I think you can totally make the chicken in the steamer basket with your babymoov! I would cook until done – 12-15 minutes and then shred the chicken with 2 forks before pureeing as the blades in the babymoov may not be able to get the puree super smooth. For flavor, you can add in a pinch of spices or herbs while pureeing or add in another fruit or veggie puree your baby enjoys.
Hi. I’m a fan of your blog and I’ve been using it for my little guy since he started solids. I was just wondering if I can use fresh parsley instead? Thanks and more power!
Yes! I would do 1 teaspoon of fresh parsley.
This puree is amazing and my son loves it. The store bought versions made him gag but he absolutely loves this! The ice trays are such a clever way to store this as well. Thank you your blog is awesome
So glad he likes it!
I should have read the comments because my chicken was really runny. I had to cook more chicken. I have enough chicken to last a month. I’m glad it can be frozen. Maybe the recipe could say – puree chicken and add broth as needed.