Tired of expensive, unhealthy dog food? We’ve got the perfect solution – a homemade dog food recipe that will save you money and keep your pup healthy.
This recipe is simple to follow and only requires a few ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Plus, it’s customizable to fit your pup’s specific dietary needs.
You will notice that most canned foods for dogs have chicken and rice as their main component. These mild ingredients are easy to digest and perfect for an upset dog belly.
In this particular homemade dog food recipe, we bake the chicken and rice in the oven. This process adds some calories to this meal but also improves the taste so much.
If you are caring for a sick dog I’d recommend giving him some boiled chicken and rice first, then switching to the baked version. Otherwise this is a complete daily meal for a healthy dog.
In both recipes you will find veggies and coconut oil as added ingredients. They are perfectly safe for dogs and should be a part of their daily diet.
To prevent the dog from removing veggies from the bowl we always shred them up before cooking.
Benefits of baked rice and chicken for your dog (and yourself):
– It is a healthier option to frying meat and so much better tasting then boiled meat.
– This is a one-pan dog meal meaning there will be no additional rice cooking. Everything bakes together at the same time giving the dish a rich taste.
– Baked chicken and rice is easy to make even for beginners.
– You can freeze the leftovers and have something to give your dog in the following weeks.
Tips you’ll need to know to create the perfect baked chicken and rice for dogs
– Bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks are the best choice for this recipe because they will cook at the same length of time as the rice. 55 minutes to be exact.
– Remove the chicken skin by all means. You don’t want the skin dripping grease over the rice while baking. Plus, chicken skin is a nasty cholesterol bringer in both dogs and humans.
– Choose brown rice for your dog. It is so much healthier and its texture is better. It doesn’t get soft and mushy like white rice.
– Sauteing the vegetables in coconut oil will give a truly amazing flavor to this dish. If you’ve got the time I strongly recommend this step.
List of ingredients:
- 1 lb (450g) Chicken thighs or drumsticks (fresh, bone in, skin removed)
- 1 large zucchini (shredded)
- 3 medium carrots (shredded)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 ½ cup brown rice (uncooked)
- 3 cups chicken stock (use soup cubes if out of stock)
- 1 tbsp dry thyme, rosemary or oregano
Step by step instructions:
Step 1:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C) or gas mark 5.
Step 2:
Place the shredded vegetables inside a 10’’x15’’ baking dish and place the coconut oil in the middle. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Step 3:
Add the rice in one flat layer then place the chicken pieces on top of the rice. Mix the dry herbs with the chicken stock then pour all around the chicken and rice.
Step 4:
Cover the baking pan with foil, place it inside the oven carefully, and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 5:
Take the pan out of the oven, remove the foil then put it back inside to bake for additional 25 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Step 6:
Remove the pan form the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Then remove the chicken, pluck the meat, chop it up and mix it up with the rice inside the pan. You are now ready to serve this to your dog.
Step 7:
If you have a lot of leftovers freeze them in individual plastic bags or cups and use it as necessary. Simply defrost in the fridge the night before and warm it up the next day.
Bon appétit!
