App First Foods® Database Gift Toddlers Book

Chicken

Meat

Age Suggestion

6 months

Iron-Rich

Yes

Common Allergen

a photograph of two raw chicken drumsticks ready to be cooked on a white background

When can babies have chicken?

Chicken may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.

Thousands of years ago, humans domesticated a scrawny fowl that had been running wild in the jungles of South Asia since prehistoric times. From that agricultural innovation came the bird we know and love today. Almost the entire chicken can be used to cook delicious dishes, from pâtés of iron-rich chicken liver; to protein-packed stocks filled with collagen from the carcass, feet, and head; to schmaltz, a flavorful fat extracted from the skin.

How do you serve chicken to babies?

Every baby develops on their own timeline, and the suggestions on how to cut or prepare particular foods are generalizations for a broad audience.

6 months old +:

You have options. You can offer a drumstick with the skin removed, strips of breast or thigh meat, meatballs made of ground chicken, or shredded or finely chopped chicken mixed into soft, scoopable food like mashed potatoes. Details on each below.

To serve a drumstick, remove the skin and any loose cartilage or fat from a cooked drumstick and hand it over to baby. Munching on a drumstick is fantastic for oral-motor skills. If baby takes a big bite, give them time to work with the food. Worried? Try serving just the drumstick bone as a food teether: remove all the skin, meat, and any loose cartilage from a cooked drumstick and make sure that the bone is strong and unbreakable and does not splinter with pressure.

In addition to drumsticks, you can serve chicken sliced into long, flat strips about the size of two adult fingers pressed together.

To serve large meatballs or meatloaf made from ground chicken, just make sure the food is soft and fully cooked to 165 F (74 C), and serve in large pieces. For example, make the meatballs really big—larger than baby’s mouth—so they cannot stuff the entire piece of food in their mouth. Cooking ground chicken in sauce or stew or making meatballs of meatloaf with breadcrumbs, egg, and/or milk can help keep them soft.

Prefer to spoon-feed? Try mixing ground, shredded, or finely chopped chicken into soft, scoopable foods that cling to spoons easily (like mashed potatoes). Pre-load the spoon and hand it over for baby to grab from y

9 months old +:

When you see signs of a developing pincer grasp (when the thumb and pointer finger meet), you can move down in size if you’d like to. Offer shredded chicken, thinly sliced chicken, or bite-sized pieces of chicken meatball or meatloaf for baby to practice picking up. You can also continue to offer a chicken drumstick as long as any loose pieces of cartilage and fat have been removed. At this age, babies are more likely to bite off pieces of meat from the drumstick, which is great practice with managing the food.

12 months old +:

Offer bite-sized pieces of chicken as finger food or with a utensil. To reduce the risk of choking, avoid offering chunks of chicken or serving perfectly sized cubes. A chicken drumstick (loose cartilage and fat removed) is also a great finger food at this age.

a photograph of a hand holding a long flat slice of cooked chicken — A long, flat slice of chicken for babies 6 months +

a photograph of a hand holding a chicken drumstick — A chicken drumstick with skin and all loose pieces of fat, cartilage, and meat removed for babies 6 months +

a photograph of a hand holding a few shredded pieces of chicken in the palm — Shredded chicken for babies 9 months +

a photograph of a hand holding three bite-sized pieces of chicken in the palm — Bite-sized pieces of chicken for toddlers 12 months +

How to prepare chicken for babies 6 months +

Take the stress out of day-to-day cooking with our Meal & Recipe Ideas Kit.

Videos

Eunoia, 6 months, eats a chicken drumstick.

Kalani, 10 months, eats shreds of chicken.

Zeke, 14 months, eats a chicken drumstick.

Is chicken a choking hazard for babies?

Yes. Chicken can be firm and challenging to chew, which are qualities that increase the risk of choking. To reduce the risk, refrain from cutting chicken in cubes and prepare and serve it in an age-appropriate way as described in How to Serve. Also, be sure not to overcook chicken as this causes it to be dry and more challenging to chew and swallow. As always, create a safe eating environment and stay within reach of baby during meals.

Learn the signs of choking and more about choking first aid in our free guides, Infant Rescue and Toddler Rescue.

Is chicken a common allergen?

No. Chicken is not a common food allergen. However, cases of poultry allergy have been reported. Chicken has been reported as a trigger for FPIES (Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome), which results in delayed vomiting with or without diarrhea 2 to 4 hours after the ingestion of chicken meat.

While rare, certain individuals with fish allergies may have an increased risk of being sensitive to chicken. Some individuals with known allergy to feather and egg also have positive allergy test results to chicken meat. However, this does not commonly result in symptoms after the ingestion of well-cooked meat, as the allergenic protein is heat sensitive. Therefore, routine testing for chicken meat allergy is not recommended in cases of egg allergy.

Is chicken healthy for babies?

Yes. Chicken contains many nutrients that babies need to thrive, including protein and fat, in addition to choline, iron, selenium, and zinc, as well as vitamins B3, B6, and B12. Together, these nutrients support growth, brain development, energy to play and explore, healthy red blood cells, taste perception, immune health, hormone function, metabolic processes, and more.

Chicken can cause foodborne illness from bacteria. To reduce the risk of illness: Keep chicken in the refrigerator or freezer and store it away from produce. Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator (not on the counter) and cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) before serving. Always wash your hands and surfaces that come in contact with the raw meat.

Can babies eat chicken nuggets?

Yes. While chicken nuggets are typically high in sodium, an occasional taste as part of a varied diet is fine as long as they are modified to reduce choking risk. If the chicken nuggets have a very firm, crunchy exterior, consider peeling off the coating before serving or waiting until closer to 18 months to serve, when most toddlers will have the molars to manage more challenging textures. For babies 9 months and up, you can offer bite-sized pieces or thin slices of chicken nuggets as long as they are soft and not too crunchy. After the first birthday, you can try serving soft, whole chicken nuggets for practice taking bites.

Our Team

Written by

Dr. Rachel Ruiz

MD, FAAP, CLC

Dr. Sakina Bajowala

MD, FAAAAI

Kim Grenawitzke

OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT

Kary Rappaport

OTR/L, MS, SCFES, IBCLC

Venus Kalami

MNSP, RD, CSP

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