Chicken, Vegetables & Rice - Pouch Project
Our Pouch Project remake of the classic chicken, vegetables and rice pouch — with nearly eight times the chicken, a much kinder price per 100g, and a taste that actually resembles a roast chicken dinner. Smooth, freezer friendly and perfect from 6 months.
Welcome to Pouch Project – where we take those oh-so-popular baby food pouch flavours and remake them BETTER. We’re recreating the recipes with better balance and better nutrition, and comparing what's more affordable.
In this recipe we're making our version of the Rafferty's Garden - Chicken, Vegetables and Rice. You can read our full review on this particular pouch here.
Rafferty's Garden Ingredient Break Down
Water, Potato (19%), Carrot (14%), Dried Apricot ( 5%), Chicken (5%), Onion (4%), White Rice (3%), Rice Flour, Canola Oil, Olive Oil, Oregano.
Cost
$2.30 per 120g/packet ($1.92 per 100g)
Our Pouch Project Ingredient Break Down
Chicken breast (39%), Baby Potato (19%), Brown Rice (12%), Carrots (11%), Onions (9%), Water (6%), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (4%).
Cost $
$6.95 per 820g Total Recipe (85c per 100g)
The difference:
Straight up the cost of our version is a lot kinder on the budget and bank account than the commercial version.
As you can see chicken breast is the highest percentage ingredient in our recipe and its therefore no surprise our recipe is a lot higher in overall energy content coming in at 773 kJ per 100g. It's also a lot higher in protein and fat and has less energy coming from carbohydrates meaning it's going to keep your bub satisfied for longer. It's hard to provide an exact breakdown as the commercial versions don't list specific vitamin and mineral content however given the increase in chicken content and the inclusion of brown rice its safe to say our recipe will also provide more iron, zinc and fibre in each serving.
Taste:
Not surprisingly given our ingredient distribution - our recipe actually turns out tasting like chicken. It somewhat resembles a roast chicken dinner with the hints of carrots and onion.
Quick Recipe Snapshot
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes: 820g or 8 x 100g servings
Freezer friendly: Yes
Texture: Smooth purée
Age & Texture Guidance
Suitable from around 6 months when starting solids.
6–9 months: process for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth, just like the pouch version.
9–12 months: blend for less time to leave a thicker, lumpier texture as bub's chewing skills develop.
12 months+: drain off most of the water, shred the chicken with two forks and mash the vegetables for a chunky mashed meal.
Allergens Present
None present.
Why We Love This Recipe
• Nearly eight times the chicken of the commercial pouch
• Higher in protein, fat, iron, zinc and fibre per serve
• Cheaper per 100g than the store-bought version
• One saucepan and a blender — minimal washing up
• Freezer friendly, so one batch stocks your freezer with 8 serves
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