Chicken noodle soup

Name: Chicken noodle soup
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2 adults and 1 baby, with leftovers
Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 onion; 2 medium carrots; 1 stick celery; 1.2 litres (5 cups) water; 100 g (3½ oz) dried egg noodles; 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

Chicken thighs simmered with carrot, celery and onion in plain water, which makes its own mild broth, with soft egg noodles and no salt or ready-made stock. Contains egg and wheat: offer it once your baby has had both on their own.

From: 6 months
Time: 60 min
Makes: 2 adults and 1 baby, with leftovers

Contains eggContains wheat

Ingredients

4boneless, skinless chicken thighsabout 400 g (14 oz)
1onionfinely chopped
2 mediumcarrots
1 stickcelerycelery is a common allergen in the UK, though not on the US top 9 list. If it's new, offer a little soft-cooked celery on its own first
1.2 litres (5 cups)wateruse water, not ready-made stock or broth, which is usually salty
100 g (3½ oz)dried egg noodlesthey contain egg and wheat
1 tbspvegetable or olive oil

Steps

1Wash your hands. Scrub the carrots under running water, peel them and dice them small. Rinse the celery, peel off the strings with a vegetable peeler and chop it finely. Rinse and peel the onion, then chop it finely.
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.
3Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery gently for about 10 minutes, stirring, until soft.
4Add the whole chicken thighs and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft 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.
5Lift out the chicken, let it cool a little, then shred it finely with two forks, removing any fat or gristle. Return it to the pot.
6If you want to freeze some soup, ladle out the portions to freeze now, before the noodles go in. Bring the rest back to a boil, break the noodles into pieces about the length of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm (2½–3 in), and add them. Simmer for a few minutes longer than the package says, until a noodle squashes easily between your fingers.
7Take your baby's portion out now, before any salt or seasoning goes in, with a slotted spoon and only a little broth so it stays thick. Spread it in a shallow bowl to cool, stirring. Squash a piece of carrot between your thumb and finger: it should flatten easily. Soup holds heat, so stir it well and check the temperature before serving: it should feel only just warm, never hot.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had egg and wheat on their own without a reaction, mash or blend the noodles, chicken and vegetables with a little broth into a thick, lumpy mash, and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon. Or lift out a small bundle of soft, finger-length noodles for them to hold, shaking off any pieces of vegetable.

9 months+

Chop the noodles, chicken and vegetables into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with just enough broth to keep them moist, for scooping or pincer-grasp practice.

12 months+

Serve a bowl from the unsalted pot with a spoon, with the noodles cut short and the chicken shredded or chopped into pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Cook chicken to 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer. The USDA says color isn't a sign of safety: safely cooked chicken can still look pink. The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS doesn't give a temperature. It says to cook chicken all the way through, until the juices run clear and there's no pink or red meat left. It also says not to add salt, stock cubes or gravy to your baby's food or cooking water. Chicken simmered very tender for babies meets both.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

If your baby reacts

This recipe contains egg, wheat. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

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.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers and keep them covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Noodles soak up the broth and turn mushy in the freezer, so freeze the soup you set aside before the noodles went in, for 2 to 3 months, and cook fresh noodles when you reheat. Reheat only the portion you need, and only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), or bring it to a rolling boil, stirring so there are no hot or cold spots. Let it cool and check the temperature before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl, and any soup left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

For the grown-ups

Take your baby's portion out first, then season the rest of the pot with salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon, and add chopped parsley for the adults.