How To Poach a Whole Chicken for Baby Led Weaning

Whether you have a big family to feed, or you are on baby number one, cooking a whole chicken to feed your family throughout the week is a great idea. One of my favorite ways to make a whole chicken for babies is poaching it on the stove because it's:

• Super simple: You only need a few ingredients and about an hour. It can be as simple as just a chicken and water, or add aromatics to up the flavor a little.
• Time-saving: Cooking just once yields enough chicken for multiple meals, whether you're shredding the chicken for family meals or using drumsticks for baby led weaning. If you don't use it all, shredded chicken can always be frozen in small portions to use later.
• Economical: Whole chickens are less expensive than pre-cut parts, and you're left with a flavorful, nutrient-rich broth at the end, too!
• Healthy: Protein-rich chicken and other meats are some of the best foods you can serve to growing babies. Chicken cooked this way is nutrient dense and free from additives, salt and sugar!
• Versatile: You can use this multi-purpose shredded chicken as the base for multiple nutritious meals, like chicken salad, tacos, soups, or casseroles.
• BLW friendly: The low and slow moist cooking method keeps the chicken tender and juicy - the perfect texture for baby led weaning whether you shred it, cut it into strips, or serve drumsticks. Read more about serving chicken to babies here.

Ingredients

• One whole chicken. You can also use bone-in, skin-on pieces if you'd like. I highly recommend against using boneless, skinless chicken as the bones and skin give the meat both moisture and flavor. They also give you a rich, delicious broth at the end with no extra effort!
• Optional aromatics. While you can absolutely use just water for poaching your chicken, adding aromatics adds more flavor, especially if you want to utilize the broth. You can either add a quartered onion, celery stalk and large carrot (plus a bay leaf and any herbs you might have on hand), or do my favorite thing and use the scraps from these vegetables that you've saved in the freezer (onion ends, carrot peels, and celery hearts). This is super flexible, so use what you have on hand or nothing at all!
• Optional salt: Also feel free to add about a teaspoon of kosher salt to the water if you'd like. You can read more about my stance on salt for babies here.

Equipment: You'll need a large pot or Dutch oven that will fit the entire chicken submerged in water. The size will vary based on the size of the chicken.

For the full printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Place your chicken in a pot large enough for the entire chicken to fit completely inside. Add any aromatics or salt, if using.
2. Fill the pot with enough water to completely cover the chicken.
3. Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat. Once you start to see bubbles appear, lower the heat to just maintain a simmer. You should see a couple of gentle bubbles every once in a while. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, checking that it's not getting to a full boil every once in a while. The best way to tell that chicken is cooked through is with an instant read meat thermometer. It's done when the thickest part of the breast and thigh reach 165°F. The time will vary based on the size of the chicken, but plan on about 15 minutes per pound.
4. Remove the chicken from the broth and place on a plate or grooved cutting board. Let it cool until you can comfortably handle it before shredded with two forks or cutting into pieces.
5. Optional for a delicious, rich broth: Return the bones and skin to the pot of water after removing the chicken and continue simmering for as long as you have. Strain the liquid and store in the refrigerator or freezer and discard the solids.

Tips for Perfect Poached Whole Chicken

• The key to super moist, tender chicken is to maintain a low temperature, so be sure not to let the liquid get above a low simmer.
• Check the cavity of the chicken before cooking, as there may be some innards in packaging that you'll want to remove.
• If your chicken is frozen, make sure it's thawed completely before cooking. You can safely thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or in a sink of room temperature water for up to two hours.
• You can use this method for boneless, skinless chicken if that's all you have though the meat won't be as flavorful or tender. Maintaining a very low simmer is extra important if you do this, and be careful not to over-cook, since the meat will not take long to cook. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to determine when the chicken is cooked through.
• You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to shred the meat if you prefer. Make sure you've completely removed any bones!
• I like to add a little broth back to the meat after shredding to keep it super moist.
• If you use carrot or celery when cooking the chicken, they'll be perfect for serving to baby! Just be sure to cut the carrot lengthwise to eliminate the round shape.

Use Poached Chicken in These BLW Friendly Recipes & Ideas!

• Easy Baby Friendly Chicken Salad
• Shredded Chicken Tacos by Little Sunny Kitchen
• Baby's First Chicken Noodle Soup by Baby Foode
• White Chicken Chili by The Cabin Diary
• Curry Chicken Fried Rice by Ahead of Thyme (omit the brown sugar and salt)
• Southwest Chicken Quinoa Casserole by The Real Food Dietitians
• Chicken Tikka Masala for Baby Led Weaning by Baby Led Feeding (just stir in the shredded chicken at the end)
• Creamy Chicken and Orzo by MJ and Hungryman (stir in the cooked chicken near the end of cooking)
• Stir into hot cooked baby friendly pasta with pesto for easy pesto chicken pasta.
• Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a squirt of dijon mustard for easy baby friendly chicken salad.
• Add to Broccoli Cheese Spaghetti Squash Casserole or Butternut Squash Pasta for more protein.