Chicken is an excellent source of high-quality protein with vitamins, iron, zinc, and other nutritional values. All facts are important for optimal brain improvement, metabolism, and a healthy nervous system for your baby. So, the chicken should be the first food in baby led weaning.
Most moms search in Google how to cook chicken for baby led weaning. Today, we introduce them to some recipes depending on their babies’ age stages which help them to give chicken in front of their baby very interestingly.
Scroll down and try to invent some new recipes with more nutritional information!
Let’s get started from a basic point!
What Is Baby Led Weaning?
BLW (Baby Led Weaning) is a period of the baby’s life when they learn how to eat by themselves. According to Dr. Rapley, “Baby Led Weaning is a tactic to the introduction of complementary feeding that lets your baby control the methods.”
She also says, “As a little participant in your family mealtimes from 6-months of age, it’s the baby who chooses when they will have their first taste of compact foods and how fast family foods will switch milk feed. Significantly, all foods are offered as a single piece for your baby to pick up and chew, and there is no need to use a spoon for feeding or no purees.”
Dr. Kimberly Churbock says, “The basic idea about baby led weaning is that parents can follow a baby’s lead. The means of it are watching the signs of developmental readiness, when your baby is ready, and permitting self-feed.”
She also says, “But being should be aware of food’s quantity of your little one with what will be ideal and safe for your baby.”
Most child specialists recommend the chicken as the best first compact food for babies with other foods. Continue and know the best time to introduce your baby to solid foods like chicken, how to cook them, and learn more new ideas.
When Do You Introduce Chicken To Your Baby BLW?
From 6 months of age, you can serve chicken to your baby when the baby is ready to eat other solid foods. As chicken is a good source of protein and iron, it is a significant dish for your baby. And you have to increase the quantity of chicken gradually. According to RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), from starting at 7 months, a baby’s requirement for iron increases from 0.27 mg to 11 mg up to 1-year-old.
What Are The Nutritional Facts Of Chicken?
Without any doubt, chicken is a complete pack of nutrients that are more advantageous to growing your baby appropriately. Below is a chart box of nutritional information for a baby that represents 100gms raw or ground chicken data:
| Nutrition component | Values per 100 grams | Daily Value |
| Protein | 31 gm | 34% |
| Fats | 3.6 gm | 10% |
| Energy | 165 kcals | – |
| Iron | 15 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin B3 | 13.7 mg | 35% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 mg | 39% |
| Phosphorous | 228 mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 522 mg | 11% |
| Zinc | 1 mg | 13% |
| Magnesium | 29 mg | – |
| Vitamin A | 21 IU | – |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.1 mg | – |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.1 mg | – |
| Sodium | 74 mg | – |
| Calcium | 15 mg | – |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.3 mg | – |
| Vitamin E | 0.3 mg | – |
| Vitamin K | 0.3 mcg | – |
Is Chicken Good For Your Baby?
Chicken is the best and most fantastic source of the most significant nutrient for your baby. Below have the health benefits of serving chicken, and know why it needs to serve chicken during your baby led weaning:
- Iron: Iron performs better in transferring oxygen from the air into the cells in our body, which is essential for human growth. And the highest growth rate starts in a child’s first year of life.
Iron is needed for:
- Brain development
- Anemia deficiency
- Optimize hormone and immune functions
- Product red blood cells
- Keep the blood vessel in a healthy body
- Zinc & Magnesium: Chicken contains micronutrients like zinc plus magnesium. They are essential for creating protein and DNA and support building an immunity system and preventing infection and illness.
- Vitamins: Chicken is also a great pack of vitamins. Vitamin B3 converts foods into energy and is vital for cell development. Vitamin B6 is substantial for brain development, metabolism, and the immune system. Plus, vitamin B12 plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy nervous system.
- Protein: Chicken is rich with protein crucial for building and growing your baby’s muscles and thriving. Protein from animals, and babies, can digest very quickly compared to other proteins.
- Potassium & Phosphorus: To build perfect kidney, heart, muscle, cell, and nerve functions, potassium is the best source of nutrition. Besides, phosphorus helps make strong bones and teeth and produces the best energy.
Is Chicken Safe For Your Baby?
Yes, chicken is safe and fit for your baby. Though babies don’t need teeth to eat chicken where their gums are strong enough, you should ensure the chicken cook very appropriately. It helps your little angel to chew properly before swallowing. But depending on the stage, chicken can vary cooked in different ways; for 6-months, baby chicken puree or soup is safe and best.
How To Cook Chicken For Baby Led Weaning: 6 – Healthy Recipes
There are some fantastic and appealing chicken recipes that you can try in your kitchen for your little baby.
1. Chicken Puree
To introduce your baby to chicken, the puree is an ideal recipe for 6 to7 months baby.
What you need:
- Boneless chicken: 2 cups (chopped)
- Water
How to prepare:
- Use the best global chef knife and chop the chicken
- Boil the chicken until tender
- Keep it for 5 minutes to cool
- Blender the cooked chicken and make a smooth puree
2. Poached Chicken
This chicken recipe is for you if you love to serve poached chicken before your baby’s food serving table.
What you need:
- Boneless chicken: 1/2 cup (Chopped)
- Stock/water: 1 1/2 cup
How to prepare:
- Heat the stock to boil
- Add the chopped chicken and boil them for 15 minutes on low heat
- Let it cool for a few minutes and serve it without adding any vegetables or herbs
3. Chicken Puree with sweet potato
If you add some more nutrition, you can add sweet potato with chicken puree.
What you need:
- Boneless chicken: 2 cups (chopped)
- Sweet Potatoes: 2 cups (chopped)
- Water
How to prepare:
- Cook chicken and potatoes separately until tender
- Blender the cooked chicken and sweet potatoes and make a smooth puree
4. Chicken Stew
Chicken stew will be a great option when you think you should introduce perfect solid chicken to your baby.
What you need:
- Chicken with bone: 2 cups
- Water
How to prepare:
- Let boil the wings or other parts with bones of the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes so that the nutrient can seep into the water properly
- Allow the stew to cool! After 10 minutes, strain it and serve stew to your little one
5. Chicken Puree with Apples
It is another easy nutritious and the delicious chicken recipe for baby led weaning.
What you need:
- Boneless chicken: 1/2 cup
- Apple without seeds: 1/2 cups (chopped)
- Water
How to prepare:
- Boil the chicken and apples separately until tender
- Allow them cool! After 10 minutes, pour them into your blender for baby pureeing foods to gain a required consistency
5. Chicken & peach with Rice Puree
Rice and peach are also nutrients foods that you should add with chicken sometimes.
What you need:
- Boneless chicken: 1/2 cup
- Cooked rice: 2 cups (Brown/white)
- Ripe Peach: 1
- Breast milk or formula: 1 tablespoon
How to prepare:
- Cook the chicken and rice separately
- Peel peach and then remove the pit
- Make puree blender together all ingredients
FAQs
#1. How Much Chicken Puree Can You Serve To Your Baby?
6+ months baby: 2 times, 2 tablespoons with breast milk
8+ months baby: 2-3 times, 2-3 tablespoons with vegetables, fruits, plus breastfeeding
9+ to 12-month baby: 2-3 times, 3-4 tablespoons with other foods and breastfeeding.
#2. Can your 6-months old baby have shredded chicken?
Yes, your baby can eat cooked shredding chicken. It is best to serve the chicken as finger food before your baby.
#3. Can your baby eat chicken everyday?
You can offer various foods and meat like turkey or beef rotationally with chicken. But cook chicken everyday is a boring subject, and your baby won’t be interested in having it next time.
4#. Can your baby eat ground chicken?
Yes, you can make any recipes with raw or ground chicken for your baby. But cook the chicken appropriately to avoid any issues of disease.
Summary!
Finally, we hope you have gone how to cook chicken for baby led weaning. Now you can serve various recipes of chicken before your baby. Don’t serve the same recipe everyday. Try different chicken recipes with other foods that make your baby interested in foods very quickly. We hope the above recipes will be an excellent option for you to make a recipe plan for your baby in BLW.
We would like to know: do you feel confident about preparing various chicken recipes for your baby? Leave comments below!
