Oh, friends, if you’ve ever looked into a dog’s sad eyes when they’re dealing with tummy troubles, you know the panic! Finding food that is both appealing and actually gentle enough to settle their system feels like searching for buried treasure. Everything seems to be loaded with weird binders or things I can’t even pronounce. Trust me, I’ve been there—my old lab, Buster, had a spell where he could barely tolerate plain water, and I felt helpless.
That’s why I worked tirelessly to nail down this recipe for Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles. Seriously, this is the simplest, most digestible recipe you’ll ever find. We’re keeping the ingredient list tiny and manageable, focusing only on what soothes the gut. No mystery meats, no weird fillers. Just pure, simple, restorative food that you can feel good about feeding.
Why This Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles Recipe Works (E-E-A-T)
When a pup’s stomach is upset, we need food that’s boring in the best way possible. That’s the genius of this blend! The shredded chicken breast is a fantastic lean protein source—easy to break down without forcing the digestive system to work overtime. White rice is the classic binder here because it’s low in fiber and easily absorbed, giving them needed calories without irritation. Plus, those mashed carrots? They sneak in gentle vitamins and smooth soluble fibers that help regulate things. If you’ve ever tried my chicken and pumpkin digestive jerky, you’ll see that combining a lean meat with a soothing vegetable is our family secret for gut health.
My expert tip, which I learned the hard way, is making sure that rice is truly cooked down. If the rice is too firm, it can cause gas! We want everything mashed and blended smoothly so the whole batch of Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles is as effortless to process as possible.
Key Benefits of Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
- Super easy to digest, perfect for short-term upset tummies.
- Uses only three whole-food ingredients you already know and trust.
- Great for dogs transitioning off prescription diets.
- No confusing additives or unknown preservatives, ever!
Gathering Ingredients for Your Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
Okay, gathering ingredients for this recipe is so straightforward, it practically does itself! We are deliberately keeping this list short because when tummies are sensitive, simplicity is king. Every single item here is chosen for its mild nature. You’ll need one cup of cooked, shredded chicken breast. And listen closely: absolutely no skin, no bones, and definitely no seasoning! We want plain, lean white meat.
Next up, we have one cup of cooked white rice. This is the easy energy source here. If you happen to have some oatmeal sticks in your freezer, you can absolutely swap that cooked oatmeal for the rice—it works just as beautifully soothing the system. Then we bring in the great carrot! Measure out a quarter cup of cooked carrots, but they must be mashed smooth. They shouldn’t have any lumps; think baby food consistency for maximum gentleness.
Finally, we mix in one tablespoon of coconut oil for a little bit of good fat, and about a quarter cup of water or, if you have some on hand, a low-sodium chicken broth for moisture. That’s it! Seven ingredients total. That simplicity is what makes this batch of Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles so reliable when you need it most.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Perfect Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
Putting this all together is incredibly fast, but the baking requires a little patience—especially that last part! Remember, we are aiming for dry, firm kibbles that won’t spoil quickly in the fridge, so we bake in two distinct stages. First things first: get your oven warmed up to 300°F (150°C). You’ll want to line a sturdy baking sheet with some parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment; trust me, puppy food mixture can stick something fierce!
We can check out how my buddy made turkey and rice gentle jerky for comparison, but our kibble method is slightly different because we want that flat sheet to start with.
Mixing and Initial Baking of the Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles Base
Grab a big bowl and toss in your shredded chicken, cooked rice, mashed carrots, the coconut oil, and your broth or water. Give it a good mix. You want everything married together perfectly. The consistency is super important here—it should feel moist, like a thick crumble, but when you press a handful together, it absolutely needs to hold its shape. If it’s too wet, they won’t firm up properly later!
Once you have that perfect consistency, dump the entire mixture onto your lined baking sheet. Now, press it down. I mean *press* it down firm! You need to get that mixture evenly spread out to about a quarter of an inch thick across the whole sheet. Don’t leave any thin spots or tall hills. Pop that sheet into your preheated 300°F oven and let it bake for a solid 30 minutes. This sets the basic structure.
Cutting and Final Drying for True Kibble Texture
After 30 minutes, pull the sheet out. Let it cool just enough so you don’t burn yourself, but don’t let it get stone cold! Now, using a sharp knife or a small square cookie cutter, go ahead and cut the mixture into your desired bite-sized shapes. Even though they are called kibbles, they’re softer than the stuff you buy in bags, so smaller squares work best.
Place all those cut *pieces* back onto the parchment paper, maybe bumping them a little closer together since they aren’t spreading anymore. Return them to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes. We are looking for the edges to start feeling dry and firm. When that’s done, turn the oven OFF. This is the secret step! Leave the kibbles inside with the oven door just slightly ajar—we’re talking a crack big enough for steam to escape. Let them sit there drying out for a full hour. That slow drying prevents any lingering internal moisture, which is what keeps these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles safe in the fridge!
Tips for Success When Making Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
Even though this recipe is simple, getting that perfect end-product firmness takes a little finesse. When checking the kibbles after that second baking period, don’t just rely on sight. You need to poke them! They should feel decidedly firm to the touch, not springy like a soft cookie. We’re aiming for something that offers a little resistance when you press down gently.
The most critical part, honestly, is that final hour with the oven off. I once rushed this step because I was trying to get dinner ready. Big mistake! My kibbles seemed fine when I pulled them out, but by the next morning, they felt slightly soft in the center when I pressed them. That told me there was still residual steam trapped inside. What did I do? I threw them back into a warm (like, barely warm, 150°F) oven for another 20 minutes, watching them like a hawk. They came out perfect!
So, my main advice is this: when in doubt about dryness, give them an extra 15 minutes in the heat or leave them in the cooling oven longer. Since these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles are intended for sensitive bellies, we never want any moisture hiding in there to cause spoilage. If you’re experimenting with other soft ingredients, like the pear in our soothing stomach meal, you might need even more drying time, so always test one center piece thoroughly before calling them done.
Remember that these are meant to be *gentle*, so don’t try to force them into the hard, crunchy texture of commercial kibble. They’ll be a bit softer, almost like a firm biscuit, and that’s exactly what we want for easy digestion!
Storing Your Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles Safely
Okay, now that you’ve successfully baked these wonderful, soothing Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles, we have to talk about storage. Since we used zero preservatives, we have to be smart about keeping them fresh and safe. This is where so many homemade recipes fail, but not ours!
The absolute must-do step is getting them into an airtight container as soon as they are completely cool. And I mean *completely* cool. If you trap warm kibble inside a sealed jar, you’re basically steaming them, and that moisture is an open invitation for anything unwanted to move in. Let them sit on the counter until they feel cool, dry, and firm to the touch before sealing them up.
Because these are so gentle and moist compared to commercial food, they are not shelf-stable at room temperature. You must refrigerate them. When stored properly in a good, sealed container in the fridge, these kibbles should easily last about five to seven days. That’s a full week of easy, tummy-friendly meals ready to go!
If you batch-bake, which I highly recommend you do—it saves so much time—you can freeze the extras! Lay the cooled kibbles out on a baking sheet single-layer and freeze them solid for about an hour. Once they are hard little pebbles, transfer them to a heavy-duty freezer bag or airtight container. They’ll keep beautifully in the freezer for up to two months! When you need them, just thaw a portion overnight in the fridge. Easy peasy, and you know exactly what your pup is eating every day.
Ingredient Substitutions for Your Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
Part of the joy of making food at home is being able to tweak it based on what you have or what your dog needs at the moment. While the core trio of chicken, rice, and carrots is truly what makes these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles so soothing, I know sometimes substitutions come up!
The most common swap, which I mentioned earlier, is for the rice. If your pup does better with oats, you can absolutely use cooked oatmeal instead of the white rice. You’ll use the same one-cup measurement. Oats are fantastic because they offer a slightly different kind of soluble fiber that can work wonders for some dogs, kind of like the ingredients we look at when we prepare our lamb and pumpkin strong heart meal.
Now, let’s talk about carrots. If you don’t have any cooked carrots ready to mash, plain pumpkin puree is an amazing substitute! Make sure you are using *plain* pure pumpkin, not pie filling—that stuff is full of sugar we absolutely don’t need for a sensitive tummy. Pumpkin is famous for settling things down, and it mashes up perfectly smooth, integrating beautifully into the kibble base. About a quarter cup of canned pumpkin puree works just as well as the mashed carrots for binding and adding gentle nutrients without upsetting the balance of our Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles.
The coconut oil is harder to swap because it’s such a great, easily digestible fat source, so I really recommend sticking to that if possible. But if you absolutely had to, a teaspoon of unflavored, unsalted bone broth could take the place of the oil, although you might need to bump up the main broth/water amount by a tablespoon or so to keep that perfect squishy-but-firm consistency we need before baking!
Serving Suggestions for Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
So you’ve got your beautiful, gently baked Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles cooling, and now you’re wondering how to serve them up! Since these are intentionally made a bit softer than commercial kibble—that’s for their tummy!—we have a couple of fun ways to present them depending on what your pup needs right then.
If your dog is recovering strongly and just needs a transition food, you can certainly serve these kibbles as is. They are perfectly portioned and balanced for a short, gentle diet period. But if you have a very fussy eater or somebody who really needs maximum hydration and softness, don’t hesitate to play around with them a bit. I often take a portion of the kibbles and steep them in just a touch of warm water or low-sodium chicken broth for about five minutes.
This little soak dissolves the outer layer just slightly, making them incredibly easy to chew and even easier on an irritated gut. It’s a great way to boost their liquid intake too, which is always a win, especially when we are thinking about hydration, much like when I put together my best tips for the chicken and celery hydration bowl in the summer.
However, these are fantastic training treats too! Because you know exactly what went into them, you can confidently use them for quick rewards or teaching cues. They are much softer than using hard, dry biscuits, but because they are baked and dried, they hold their shape perfectly when you toss them or use them for fetch-and-treat training sessions.
Just remember that since they are more moist than traditional, mass-produced kibble, if you use them as a snack all day long, you might run through your batch a bit faster than if they were the main meal. But honestly, having these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles ready to go makes dealing with upset tummies so much less stressful!
Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
I know you might have questions popping up—it’s totally normal when you’re making specialized food for a sensitive pup! When I first started making this, I had a dozen questions for myself. Here are a few things folks always ask about handling and storing these little guys. If you ever need to reach out directly with more specific concerns, you can always hop over to my contact page!
Can I make these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles crunchy?
That’s a great question, and it gets right to the design of this recipe! We specifically shoot for a softer interior because we are catering to sensitive tummies. When you dry them out completely with the two-stage baking and the final hour in the warm oven, you get a firm biscuit texture that is easy to chew. If you were to dry them out for hours longer until they shatter, they’d definitely be crunchy, but that intense dehydration might actually pull too much moisture out of the ingredients, making them less soothing for a sick gut.
For a gentle diet, think of them as having the firm texture of a slightly underbaked cookie rather than the rock-hard snap of a commercial dry food. That slight softness is intentional and helpful for digestion!
What is the shelf life of these gentle kibbles in the refrigerator?
Because we aren’t using any preservatives here—which is the whole point, right?—we have to rely on refrigeration to keep our batches of Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles safe. If you have dried them thoroughly using that final cooling technique I detailed, they should stay fresh and safe in a tightly sealed, airtight container in the fridge for about five to seven days. I always try to make smaller batches that can be eaten within that window.
If you make a big haul, definitely utilize the freezer! They freeze beautifully, and pulling out a portion to thaw overnight is the best way to maximize the time between baking sessions. I find they lose their texture slightly if you try to keep them in the fridge longer than a week, so err on the side of caution and toss anything tossable.
Are these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles okay for puppies?
Generally speaking, yes, they are wonderful for puppies that might be experiencing early-life tummy upsets or weaning issues! Since the ingredients are so simple—plain chicken, plain rice, and non-acidic carrots—they are usually very well-tolerated. The texture is also soft enough for new teeth. However, because this is a very tailored, low-fat recipe, it shouldn’t be their *only* diet for extended periods, especially growing puppies who need more complex nutrients. They are perfect as a temporary soothing meal or an excellent training motivator!
Can I add digestive enzymes to my Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles?
You absolutely can, but you must add them *after* baking! Digestive enzymes are heat-sensitive, so if you mix them into the dough before it goes into the 300°F oven, you’ll just bake the benefits right out of them. You should wait until the kibbles are completely cooled. Then, you can lightly toss the finished, cooled kibbles with a powdered enzyme supplement before storing them. That way, you get the benefit of the soothing food combined with the extra digestive support.
Nutritional Snapshot of Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
Alright, let’s peek at what these little nuggets are packing in terms of nutrition. I always like looking at things like this, even with homemade food, just so I know what I’m sending my pup’s tummy! Since we are focusing on a gentle diet, you’ll notice we kept a lot of the higher-fat items very controlled, and everything is super clean.
Remember, this is just an *estimate* because honestly, carrots from my garden weigh differently than those from the store, and did I use slightly more broth? Who knows! So take these numbers as a really good guideline, not scientific proof. But based on the standard measurements, here’s the rundown for a standard serving size of about 1/4 cup:
- Calories: Approximately 180 per serving. Plenty of gentle energy without being too heavy.
- Protein: We’ve got about 18 grams in there! That lean chicken breast really delivers the necessary building blocks.
- Fat: Just around 6 grams total fat, which is perfect for keeping things light on the digestive tract.
- Carbohydrates: About 15 grams, mostly coming from that easily absorbed white rice and the carrots.
You can see why this works as a temporary soothing meal! It’s high protein, low fat, and uses simple carbs that are easy to process. Knowing these numbers helps you feel really confident about feeding these Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles when your dog needs a little extra TLC. Always double-check your portions if you have strict dietary instructions from your veterinarian, but for general gentle feeding, these numbers hold up beautifully!
Print
Homemade Chicken and Rice Gentle Tummy Kibbles
- Total Time: 60 min
- Yield: Approximately 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Simple, easily digestible kibble recipe using chicken and rice for sensitive stomachs.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast (no skin or bones)
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1/4 cup plain cooked carrots, mashed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, cooked rice, mashed carrots, coconut oil, and water or broth. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated. The mixture should be moist but hold its shape when pressed.
- Place the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Press the mixture down firmly and evenly to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Cut the mixture into small, bite-sized squares or use a small cookie cutter to shape the kibbles.
- Return the cut pieces to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are dry and firm.
- Turn off the oven and leave the kibbles inside with the door slightly ajar for 1 hour to dry out completely.
- Store cooled kibbles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Ensure the chicken is fully cooked and unseasoned before use.
- You can substitute white rice with cooked oatmeal if preferred.
- This recipe makes small, soft kibbles suitable for gentle digestion.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: Pet Food
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: General
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 0.5
- Sodium: 40
- Fat: 6
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 18
- Cholesterol: 60
Keywords: chicken, rice, dog food, homemade kibble, sensitive stomach, gentle diet