Chicken and Spring Vegetables
This is a nutritious chicken purée for your baby, or toddler; it can also be adapted for the whole family. The chicken is lightly poached in homemade vegetable stock until tender and falling away. I add seasonal vegetables, which are locally sourced for flavour and added nutrition.
A wonderfully nutritious recipe, recommended from 6 months +
Suitable for freezing
Recipe makes 800ml of puree, x10 small baby potions (80ml per serving)
ingreidents
250g organic chicken breast, cut into strips (around 50g approx. per strip)
350ml homemade no added salt vegetable stock (see below for recipe)
200g butternut squash carrots, trimmed and diced
1 small courgette (150g), trimmed and diced
50g fresh Spring peas
method
Wash and prep all the vegetables, as per the above. Take a pot and add the homemade stock, then add the raw chicken pieces and butternut squash. Bring up to a boil, lower the heat and then simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Next add the courgette and spring peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, the butternut squash is tender, and the green vegetables are cooked through remove from the heat. You are now ready to serve.
for babies, under 1 years
Blend the chicken and vegetables, with the flavourful broth to make a lovely puree. I add 150ml of boiled water to get the right consistency. Cool and serve. You can also freeze in portions: defrost and reheat (until piping hot), as needed. Do not reheat more than once.
for toddlers and children
Shred the chicken and dress with a little of the flavourful stock, serve alongside the veg, which you can also lightly mash with a fork for smaller children
allergens
Baby Vegetable Stock
This lovely light vegetable stock takes 1 hour to make and is a lovely base of flavour for all your homemade purees, also adding extra nutrition. Freeze in cube trays and then add to homemade baby purees, when you heat through (until you get the right serving consistency). Ensure your baby has had all of these ingredients separately to ensure tolerance – especially in atopic infants.
Makes 1 litre, recommended 6 months (approx)
2 parsnips
2 small onions, peeled
2 stalks celery
3 medium carrots
2 sweet potato
2 litres cold water
Prep all the vegetables: wash, peel and cut into large chunks (use organic where possible). Place in a large cooking pot: cover with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a slightly open lid and simmer over a medium-low heat for 1 hour. The stock should now be golden in colour: the vegetables cooked through and falling away. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables, and cool. The stock is now ready to be used in your cooking: add to baby purees, sauces, soups and so on. You can also freeze in portions.