Chicken for Babies: How to Serve It at Every Age

• From around 6 months
• Not a common allergen
• Cook through, keep it moist

Chicken can be offered from around 6 months and is a good source of iron and protein. Cook it right through, with no pink left, but keep it moist: dry chicken is harder to chew. Thigh meat stays softer than breast.

📲 40 Bibful recipes with chicken

How to serve it by age

1. 6–8 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Offer long, soft strips of cooked chicken thigh, about two adult fingers wide, with the skin, bones and gristle removed.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Shred or finely chop cooked chicken and mix it into mashed vegetables.

3. 9–12 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Shred cooked chicken into thin, soft strands your baby can pick up.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Stir shredded chicken into rice, pasta or a soft stew.

5. 12+ months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Offer small, thin, soft pieces, not chunks or cubes, and let your toddler practise with a fork.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Share family stews, curries and traybakes made without added salt.

Have chicken at home? See what you can cook

Add a second ingredient to see matching Bibful recipes.

✓ 🍗 Chicken+ 🍠 Sweet Potato+ 🥕 Carrot+ 🍚 Rice+ 🥦 Broccoli+ 🎃 Butternut Squash

40 Bibful recipes with chicken

• 
  Basic Chicken Purée18 min · from 6 months
• 
  Chicken & Avocado Mash20 min · from 6 months
• 
  Creamy Courgette & Chicken Pasta20 min · from 6 months

See the recipes in Bibful

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Preparation tips

• Cooked through, never pink. The juices should run clear and the meat should be white all the way through.
• Moist, not dry. Cook it in a stew or sauce, or serve it with a dip, so it is easier to chew.
• Shreds, not cubes. Firm, round chunks of meat are harder to manage than thin, soft strands.

Frequently asked questions

When can babies eat chicken?

From around 6 months, cooked through and served as large soft strips or shredded into mashed food.

Is chicken breast or thigh better for babies?

Thigh stays softer and more moist, so it's easier to chew. Breast works too if it is cooked in a sauce or stew.

More first foods

• 🍎 Apple
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🍌 Banana
• 🥩 Beef
• 🫐 Blueberries
• 🍞 Bread
• 🥦 Broccoli
• 🎃 Butternut squash
• 🥕 Carrot
• 🥚 Egg
• 🫛 Green beans
• 🫘 Lentils
• 🥣 Oats
• 🥜 Peanut
• 🍐 Pear
• 🐟 Salmon
• 🍓 Strawberries
• 🍠 Sweet potato
• 🥛 Yogurt

This page is general information, not medical advice. It follows NHS Start for Life and World Health Organization guidance on introducing solid foods. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and speak to your health visitor or GP if you have concerns about feeding, allergies or choking.