Chicken dishes often appear on the table of our compatriots, so every young mother is interested at what age you can start giving your child chicken. Let's see if chicken is good for children in the first year of life, as well as what to cook from such a bird for a children's menu.
The benefits of chicken meat
- Chicken is a source of proteins, which contain all amino acids important for the development of children.
- Since chicken is low in fat, such meat is classified as a dietary product.
- From chicken meat, the child will receive iron, cobalt, phosphorus, zinc and many other trace elements, as well as vitamins.
- Since the structure of chicken dishes is more dense, the baby will learn to chew more actively.
Chicken harm to the child
- Some children are allergic to the proteins contained in chicken meat. Its symptoms are often represented by a rash, itchy skin, and swelling.
- Excessive consumption of chicken increases the load on the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract of the baby.
Store-bought chicken is of questionable quality and may contain harmful substances such as antibiotics. Try to buy homemade chicken in trusted places.
At what age can you give
The introduction of chicken into the diet of children begins from 8 months in the form of meat puree after becoming acquainted with less allergenic types of meat (rabbit, turkey). The lean part of the bird is boiled until tender, and then chopped with a blender.
To make the puree acquire a delicate consistency and please the baby more, it is diluted with breast milk or a small amount of the mixture.
The first portion of this puree should be half a teaspoon. With normal tolerance, the amount gradually increases.
A month after meeting boiled chicken, the child can start giving chicken broth, adding it in an amount of 30-50 ml to vegetable purees or soups from vegetables and cereals. For the first time, only 1-2 tablespoons of broth are added to a vegetable dish, checking the reaction of the crumbs' body. If there are no signs of allergies or other problems, the amount of broth is slowly increased.
For a child of 1 year old, it is permissible to cook chicken soup in broth. Also, children over one year old are given dishes of minced chicken (cooked at home), which are boiled or baked in the oven. Fried chicken should not be offered to children under 3 years of age.
How to make chicken soufflé
The soufflé prepared according to this recipe is recommended for children over 1 year old.
Kids like this chicken dish for its delicate texture and pleasant taste.
To prepare it, take:
- 100 g boiled chicken fillet
- 1 chicken egg
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of rice
- 2 tbsp. spoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon of butter
First, the fillet, cooked until tender, is cut into pieces and chopped with a blender until smooth. Rice is boiled with the addition of milk to make a viscous porridge. It is added to the chicken puree and chopped again with a blender.
First, the yolk is introduced into the mass, and then the melted butter. Beat the protein separately until a thick foam is obtained, then gently mix it with the chicken mass and put it in a mold. The soufflé is steamed for about 20 minutes, and after cooling it is removed from the mold. This dish is served both independently and with various side dishes, for example, buckwheat porridge.
Other chicken recipes for baby
Meatballs (from 1 year old)
The main ingredient of such a dish is minced chicken, which is recommended to be made from fresh meat yourself. For 400 g of minced meat, take 1 egg and 50 g of bread, which should be soaked in a little milk, and then squeezed. After mixing the ingredients, form into balls the size of a walnut. Boil them in boiling water or steam for 10-15 minutes.
Pumpkin and chicken soup (from 1 year old)
Boil 100 g of chicken fillet until tender, let it cool, and then chop finely. Peel and cut into slices 150 g pumpkin, boil until soft.
Peel and grate small carrots, add half an onion, peeled and cut into pieces. Stew the onions and carrots in 1 teaspoon of butter with the addition of 5 tbsp. spoons of broth in which the chicken was cooked. Cook vegetables over medium heat until the liquid evaporates.
Place carrots, onions and pumpkin in a blender, add 5 tbsp. spoons of broth, then make mashed potatoes. Next, dilute it with broth to the desired thickness, and before serving, put chopped chicken and herbs in a bowl of pumpkin soup.
Steam cutlets (from 1 year old)
For such a dish, for every 100 g of chicken meat, take 20 g of white bread, as well as 25 ml of milk. The meat can be from the breast or legs, but without the skin and tendons. Grind it into minced meat, add bread soaked in milk, and then mix everything well. After shaping the patties, steam them for 15-20 minutes.
Chicken sausages (from 1 year old)
To make homemade chicken fillet sausages, cut the meat into pieces and mince it. Add an egg or a little milk to the resulting minced meat, salt and mix thoroughly. You can also add boiled vegetables or pieces of cheese to the minced meat. Wrap the minced chicken in a rectangular baking bag or foil pieces. Twist the ends of the "sausages", and then boil or bake such a semi-finished product until tender.
Pilaf in a slow cooker (from 3 years old)
Peel 1 small onion and 1 medium carrot. Finely chop the onion and grate the carrots. Set the multicooker to the "stewing" or "frying" mode. After warming up a little vegetable oil, add onions and carrots to it. While the vegetables are browning, cut 300g fresh chicken into small pieces. Put the chicken in a slow cooker, salt and add a tablespoon of tomato sauce.
Saute the meat and vegetables for about 10 minutes. Rinse 300g long grain rice and add it to the multicooker with the chicken. Pour in water so that it covers all the ingredients by about 2 cm. After closing the lid of the multicooker, cook the dish for about 20-30 minutes until the rice is done.
Goulash (from 3 years old)
Take 200 g of chicken without skin and tendons, wash and cut into cubes. Heat some oil or butter in a skillet, and then fry the chicken in it until golden brown. Salt the meat, add chopped onion, finely grated carrots and a teaspoon of flour to it, fry everything together a little (5-7 minutes). Transfer the dish to a saucepan, pour the broth over the meat and add 10 g of tomato paste and 20 g of sour cream to it. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 20-30 minutes.
For information on whether to give chicken to babies, see the program of Dr. Komarovsky.
For more information about chicken and its benefits, see the program "Living Healthy".
Find out if your child's weight is normal using the following calculator.
