Making kibble at home is a fun way to offer your cat a crunchy, wholesome snack, free from the preservatives and additives found in many commercial products. These chicken bites are baked until golden and crumbly — perfect as a treat, as enrichment during playtime, or crumbled over wet food to make it more appealing. Chicken provides protein and taurine, the egg yolk binds the dough and adds healthy fats, while rice flour gives structure without being heavy.
Ingredients
- 200 g cooked, blended chicken breast
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons rice flour (or oat flour)
- 1 teaspoon salmon oil or fish oil
- 2–3 tablespoons unsalted chicken broth, if needed
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C in conventional (static) mode and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cook the chicken breast in unsalted water for about 15 minutes, then blend it finely with a few tablespoons of its cooking liquid.
- In a bowl, combine the blended chicken, egg yolk, rice flour and fish oil. Mix until you have a firm, pliable dough. If it is too dry, add one tablespoon of broth at a time.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about 0.5 cm.
- Using a knife or a pastry wheel, cut out small squares of about 0.5–0.8 cm — the size of a kibble piece.
- Arrange the squares on the tray, well spaced apart, and bake for 18–22 minutes, until golden and dry.
- Turn off the oven and leave the kibble inside with the door slightly ajar for another 10 minutes, so they dry out further and become crispier.
- Allow to cool completely before serving just a few pieces.
Notes
These homemade kibbles are intended as a snack or treat, not as a complete food: they do not contain the precise balance of taurine, vitamins and minerals found in a formulated commercial cat food, which is essential as your cat's daily diet. Offer them in small amounts — a few pieces per day. You can substitute the chicken with turkey. Never add salt, sugar, onion, garlic, yeast or cow's milk. If your cat is overweight, reduce the portions further, as baking concentrates the calories.
Storage
Once cooled, store the kibble in an airtight glass jar. They stay crunchy for about 5–7 days at room temperature, or up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. They freeze very well: simply thaw only the pieces you need. If they soften, pop them in a hot oven for 5 minutes to restore their crunch.