Chicken tenders
Whole strips of chicken, baked at home in a light coating. A natural finger food.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat chicken tenders from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve chicken tenders by age
6 months+
Soft baked chicken strips
Make them at home: cut chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless thighs into finger-sized strips, coat them lightly in fine, plain breadcrumbs and bake until the center reaches 165°F (74°C). Thigh meat stays moister and softer. Use beaten egg to stick the crumbs only once egg has been introduced on its own, or brush them with a little oil instead. Offer them once your baby has had wheat on its own.
- Size
- Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Squash a strip between your thumb and finger. It should pull apart into soft shreds. If it's dry or springy, use thigh meat next time, and trim off any hard or crisp coating.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small soft pieces or shreds
Cut or shred homemade tenders into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, with soft-cooked vegetables on the side. Cut across the grain of the meat, so pieces are shorter and easier to chew.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger. Skip any dry, chewy or crunchy bits.
12 months+
Tenders cut into pieces
Serve homemade tenders cut into small pieces or thin strips. Frozen and restaurant tenders are salty, so keep them occasional, cook frozen ones exactly as the package says, and cut them up the same way. Peel off very crisp coating.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or thin strips.
- Check before serving
- The chicken should be moist and pull apart easily, with no hard coating left on.
18 months+
Family tenders, cut up
Offer tenders the way your family eats them, baked rather than fried, cut into strips or pieces rather than whole, with vegetables on the side. A little plain yogurt makes a good dip instead of ketchup or salty sauces.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or thin strips.
- Check before serving
- Still check that the chicken pulls apart easily and the coating isn't hard.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare chicken tenders
- 1
Don't rinse raw chicken: washing spreads bacteria around your kitchen. Wash your hands, board and knife after handling it, and keep it away from foods that won't be cooked.
- 2
Cut tenderloins or thighs into finger-sized strips. Check the breadcrumb or bread label: choose one lower in salt, with no honey (not safe under 12 months). Dip the strips in beaten egg (or brush with oil), then roll them in a thin layer of crumbs. Don't add salt.
- 3
Bake on a lightly oiled tray at 200°C (400°F) for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until the center of the thickest strip reaches 165°F (74°C) on a food thermometer. Our chicken nuggets page has a softer version made with ground chicken.
- 4
Let them cool, trim any hard or crisp edges, and do the squash test.
- 5
Offer tenders only once your baby has had wheat, and egg if you used it, each on its own. First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
How much to offer
Start with a strip or two. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of sucking and chewing with little swallowed is normal at first.
Common mistakes
Sharing restaurant or frozen tenders with a baby
Frozen breaded chicken tenders have about 527 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.3 g of salt). The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day and lists takeaways among salty foods to avoid. Make your baby's tenders at home.
Treating frozen tenders as already cooked
USDA FSIS says frozen foods with browned breading can look cooked when they aren't. Read the label, cook them exactly as the package says, and check the center reaches 165°F (74°C) with a food thermometer.
Dry, springy strips
The CDC lists tough or large chunks of meat as a choking hazard. Don't overcook the chicken, choose thigh meat if breast turns out dry, and shred or cut strips across the grain for older babies.
A hard, crisp or fried coating
Hard, crunchy coating is difficult for babies to chew. Bake tenders until just golden, rather than frying them, and trim or peel very crisp coating off for young babies.
Where US and UK guidance differ on chicken tenders
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
USDA FSIS says to cook all poultry to 165°F (74°C), measured with a food thermometer, and warns that frozen products with browned breading may look cooked when they aren't.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS doesn't give temperatures. It says to cook chicken all the way through, until the juices run clear and there's no pink meat left, and to follow the cooking instructions on the packaging.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can chicken tenders be a choking hazard for babies?
Chicken tenders are a medium choking risk. The CDC lists tough or large chunks of meat as a choking hazard, and a hard, crisp coating is harder to chew. Make soft homemade strips that pull apart, trim crisp edges, and cut tenders into small pieces or thin strips rather than serving them whole once your baby can bite off pieces. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to chicken tenders?
Chicken is not one of the common food allergens, but the coating usually is. Breadcrumbs contain wheat (with gluten), and many recipes use egg to stick the crumbs on. Shop-bought and restaurant tenders can contain other allergens too, so check the label or ask. Introduce each allergen on its own first, one at a time and in small amounts. Chicken is a known trigger of FPIES, a rare, delayed type of food allergy: see when to call the doctor.
Are chicken tenders healthy for babies?
Frozen breaded chicken tenders have about 15 g of protein, 0.8 mg of iron and 527 mg of sodium (about 1.3 g of salt) per 100 g. Making tenders at home from plain chicken lets you leave out the salt.
Can babies eat chicken tenders?
Yes, homemade ones from around 6 months, once your baby has had wheat on its own (and egg, if you use it). Bake soft strips of chicken in a light coating, cook them to 165°F (74°C), skip the salt, and trim any crisp edges.
What's the difference between chicken tenders and nuggets?
Tenders are whole strips of chicken, often the tenderloin under the breast; nuggets are usually made from chopped or ground chicken. Both are made safer for babies the same way: homemade, baked, soft and cooked to 165°F (74°C).
Are frozen or restaurant chicken tenders OK for toddlers?
Now and then, cut into small pieces. Frozen breaded tenders have about 1.3 g of salt per 100 g, and the NHS says children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day. Cook frozen ones exactly as the package says, until steaming hot all the way through.
If your baby refuses chicken tenders
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try another form: shredded chicken, small pieces, or a soft patty with no coating.
- Moisten dry chicken with a little breast milk, formula or no-salt-added tomato sauce.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing chicken tenders
- Keep raw chicken in a sealed container on the bottom shelf of the fridge, and cook or freeze it within 1 to 2 days. Keep frozen tenders frozen until you cook them.
- Cooked tenders keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Homemade tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby has had any reaction to wheat or egg, even a mild one. Stop offering breaded chicken tenders until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating chicken. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that chicken can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- Your child has diarrhea, vomiting or a fever after eating chicken that may have been undercooked. Take them to the doctor straight away if there's blood in their diarrhea, a high fever that lasts, they won't take fluids, or they can't keep anything down. If they are floppy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- USDA FSIS: Preparing frozen food
- CDC: Choking hazards
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS: Meat in your diet
- FDA: Once baby arrives (Food safety for moms-to-be)
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Chicken tenders, breaded, frozen, prepared
- FoodSafety.gov: Cold food storage chart
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
More first foods
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