Chicken turns up here as broth, porridge, meatballs and curry. Chicken Congee (Jook) and Milky Chicken Broth with Fish Maw simmer gently, Shio-Kombu Chicken Balls and Creamy Mushroom Chicken Meatballs are shaped by hand, and One-Pan Golden Butter Chicken is a quick curry. Breast dries out fast; thighs forgive a few extra minutes.
Not a common allergen. It is not on the UK list of 14 foods that must be declared on labels.
How to serve Chicken to babies
6–8 months
In a strip
Cook until no longer pink inside, then offer as a thick strip your baby can hold and gnaw, or finely minced and mixed into a meal.
9–11 months
Bite-size pieces
Shredded or chopped into small soft pieces once your baby can pick them up.
12–24 months
Bite-size pieces
Chopped, with the family meal.
Per 100 g from CoFID (13-171); USDA FDC (171477). Not medical advice.
TCM benefits of Chicken
雞 · jī
How chicken is seen in traditional Chinese food therapy. Traditional context, not medical advice.
The Bencao Gangmu has separate entries by bird: the red cock is sweet and slightly warm, the yellow hen sweet, sour and salty and neutral, black-boned chicken sweet and neutral.
The yellow hen entry associates it with the Spleen and Stomach, in the general terms classical texts use for a strengthening food.
Black-boned silkie chicken simmered with goji, red dates and ginger is the classic family soup, usually made on a cold evening and served with the broth first.
Jointing a whole chicken takes a sharp knife and a few cuts, and gives you pieces that cook in step with each other.
1Store: Keep raw chicken on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Do not wash it, because that spreads germs by splashing onto hands, worktops and utensils; cooking is what deals with them.
2Prep: Cut through the parson's nose, stand the bird up and cut along the backbone, then open it out flat like a book. Cut through the breastbone to halve it, then stretch each leg and cut along the line that shows to take it off in one piece.
3Prep: For six pieces from a larger bird, turn each leg over and cut through the white line beside the fat to split thigh from drumstick. A sharp knife matters more than a heavy one, and a butcher will joint it for you if you ask.
4Cook: Cook the chicken until steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat, checking the thickest part. Thighs and drumsticks take longer than breast, so start them first.
Video: “How to joint a chicken - Delia Smith - BBC” by Good Food on YouTube.
Answers are drawn from the sources named on this page. Not medical or veterinary advice.
When can babies eat chicken?+
The earliest stage on this page is 6–8 months: Cook until no longer pink inside, then offer as a thick strip your baby can hold and gnaw, or finely minced and mixed into a meal.
How do I cut and serve chicken for my baby?+
6–8 months (In a strip): Cook until no longer pink inside, then offer as a thick strip your baby can hold and gnaw, or finely minced and mixed into a meal.
9–11 months (Bite-size pieces): Shredded or chopped into small soft pieces once your baby can pick them up.
12–24 months (Bite-size pieces): Chopped, with the family meal.
