Chicken and Sweet Pea Baby Food Recipe
By
Kate Ramos
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At around 7 to 10 months babies are starting to eat more solid foods and less formula or breast milk. This is a perfect time to introduce some extra protein into their diet, and boneless, skinless chicken breast is a good place to start—it’s low in fat, which can be hard for their sensitive systems to digest.
Game plan: To reheat the baby food, let it thaw completely in the refrigerator, then heat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Stir well before serving.
This recipe was featured as part of our Make Your Own Baby Food story.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, large dice
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup frozen sweet or baby peas
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place chicken in a medium saucepan and add water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add peas and continue cooking until peas are tender, about 2 minutes more.
- Remove chicken and peas with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid, and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. While pulsing, add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and continue pulsing until mixture is mostly smooth with a few chunks remaining, about 15 to 20 pulses. Let cool slightly, then divide into 1/4-cup portions, place in airtight containers, and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 6 weeks until ready to use.
Great recipe, thanks! Although some people like to pretend like they know everything about every baby in the world, the rest of us know that making homemade baby food is a great fit for our kids. We make food for our 11-month old, and it is a lot cheaper than jarred baby food.
And yes, VikingKvinna, breastmilk is great, which is why I nursed both of my children until they weaned, which was around 11 months. Tell my son, who was 10lbs when he was BORN that he was supposed to be taking in only breastmilk when he was ten months and almost 20 lbs. Kid was starving until we realized he needed solids, as my milk wasn't keeping up with his demand.
No baby needs to be eating any "solids" -- or anything besides breast milk -- until they are at least a year old. The WHO and APA agree on this. Not to mention the fact that making homemade "baby food" is a ridiculous waste of your time unless you are trying to preserve a seasonal vegetable to feed the child later in the year (ie., good winter squash). When your baby is ready to start eating -- and you'll know because they will be a) able to support their own head; b) able to hold and bring the food to their own mouth; and c) groping or grasping for food -- give them modified versions of what you're eating. Brown rice, tofu, small pieces of tender meat or fish, soft pieces of pasta, hardboiled or scrambled egg (after one year for the yolks), chunks of avocado, mashed banana, steamed carrots, soft fruits, mashed sweet potato, yogurt and cottage cheese are all excellent starter foods for babies. Don't bother fussing with frozen cubes of crap -- let alone trying to shovel and spackle it into their mouth.