Chicken and corn soup

• 3boneless, skinless chicken thighsabout 350 g (12 oz)
• 300 g (2 cups)frozen sweet corn kernelsor 1 can (about 300 g / 11 oz) of no-salt-added corn, drained and rinsed; not creamed corn
• 1 mediumpotatoabout 200 g (7 oz); it thickens the soup
• 1onionfinely chopped
• 1 litre (4 cups)wateror homemade stock made without salt, with every bone piece strained out; not ready-made stock, which is usually salty
• 1 tbspolive or vegetable oil

Steps

1. 1Wash your hands. Scrub the potato under running water, peel it, cut away any green, damaged or sprouting parts, and cut it into cubes about 2 cm (¾ in). Rinse and peel the onion, then chop it finely.
2. 2Don't rinse the raw chicken: washing spreads bacteria around the kitchen. Wash your hands, board and knife in hot, soapy water after handling it.
3. 3Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes, stirring, until very soft and see-through.
4. 4Add the whole chicken thighs, potato and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potato falls apart and the chicken is very tender and reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Check with a food thermometer: color isn't a reliable sign. Don't add salt or stock.
5. 5Add the corn and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the kernels are very soft. Lift out the chicken, let it cool a little, and remove any bone, fat or gristle. For a 6-month-old, pull a few strips about the size of an adult finger along the grain and set them aside. Shred the rest finely with two forks. For a child of 9 months or older, set aside a spoonful of moist shreds no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), then return the rest of the chicken to the pot.
6. 6Take your child's portion of soup out now, before any salt or seasoning goes in, and blend it, corn and all, until completely smooth. Run a spoon through it and check: there should be no whole corn kernels left. For a child of 9 months or older, stir the shreds you set aside into the blended soup. It should be thick enough to stay on a spoon when you tip it; if it's runny, blend in a little more potato or simmer it uncovered for a few minutes.
7. 7Spread your child's portion in a shallow bowl to cool, stirring. Soup holds heat, so stir it well and check the temperature in the middle before serving: it should feel only just warm, never hot.
8. 8For toast strips (once wheat has been introduced on its own), check the bread label. At every age, choose plain bread with no whole seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels; before 12 months, also check there's no honey (not safe under 12 months). Toast it lightly and cut it into strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).