~ These simple Homemade Dog Treats are the doggy version of that classic comfort food, chicken and biscuits! They’re also the perfect way to use up leftover chicken that might otherwise go to waste. With just 4 ingredients, they’re ultra quick and easy, and they store beautifully in the freezer for weeks! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Freezable • Make Ahead •
Our Finny is a seriously pampered pooch with a pretty (ahem …) doggone good life. He’s got a doggy door so he can head out to sun himself on the deck whenever he pleases. He sleeps cuddled next to me, under the covers, every night. And you know he’s my favorite running buddy.
It’s good to be him.
Homemade dog treats, though? Really?
As though I have a whole bunch of extra time on my hands for that little indulgence, right?!?
But actually, I do! These dog treats take just moments to mix together, and with only four ingredients (because we’re not counting that freebie water!), they’re a total breeze!
They’re like home-style chicken and biscuits, in a pup-friendly, treat form!
What makes these dog treats totally THK-terrific, though, is the make-ahead, ready-and-waiting-when-you-are tip on how these treats help you use up chicken that would otherwise go to waste:
Stockpile (and Freeze) Your Bits of Leftover Chicken
As I mentioned in our post for Frozen Dog Treats, here at THK, we have a lot of recipes that start with a rotisserie chicken (such a simple shortcut!). But, when I’m working with a rotisserie chicken, I really hate not using up every morsel of the bird – including the little bits of meat stuck to the bones, and the cartilage and connective tissue that most people don’t eat. It often adds up to more than a cup of chicken I wouldn’t otherwise use! These homemade dog treats are the perfect way to put those extra little bits to great use! I’m so happy to feel like not one bit of the animal went to waste – that I used all I could.
So, instead of preparing chicken just to make this dog treat recipe (now, that really would be a pampered pooch!), I stockpile leftover bits of chicken any time we have some from our own (human) meals. I measure it out and keep it in labeled zipper bags in the freezer.
When I have enough chicken, I can whip up a batch of these homemade dog treats. And Finn is a happy, happy boy!
Chicken You Don’t Want to Use
When you’re chopping or shredding leftover chicken, be careful that you don’t include any bones. And go easy on including too much fat, particularly the fatty skin. I actually don’t recommend including the skin at all, if the chicken has been roasted with a lot of spices or salt that’s still clinging to it.
Similarly, if you’re using leftover chicken meat from a recipe (rather than using up a rotisserie chicken), and the meat is heavily sauced or deeply flavored from cooking spices or marinades, you should probably skip that, as well. To avoid upsetting your pup’s tummy, it’s best to keep things simple.
But What About Cute Shapes?
I see so many darling recipes for homemade dog treats that have been lovingly shaped into things like hearts or doggy bones. But it all just seems like a lot of fuss simply to make people happy. I’m pretty much 100% certain that Finn loves these treats just as much in a plain-old round shape, as he would if I’d spent loads of extra time making them into bones or hearts.
They’re basically just simple drop biscuits you plop onto a baking sheet – as easy as easy gets!
And all that time I saved?
Hey – it’s a few more minutes he and I can spend out running, or just cuddling on the couch. He’d vote for that any day!
Trust me – skipping the cookie cutters keeps these homemade dog biscuits lightning-fast and easy-peasy! And your dog won’t even notice (or care). Dogs don’t judge! They just gobble these down … and ask for more!
Which is exactly why I’m off to make another batch right now …
4-Ingredient Chicken and Biscuits Homemade Dog Treats
These easy Homemade Dog Treats are the perfect way to use up leftover chicken! They're quick to make, and store beautifully in the freezer for weeks!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Freezable • Make Ahead •
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (see note)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1 (5.3-ounce) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until thoroughly incorporated. Batter will be very thick and sticky.
- Drop batter by level tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (Because these dog biscuits spread very little during baking, I crowd them together more than typical cookies, and get all of them onto 2 baking sheets.) Using the back of a spoon, flatten the dog treats slightly.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
- Cool completely on wire racks. Store in refrigerator or (for longer storage) in zippered freezer bags in freezer (thaw before serving).
Notes
Chicken: As discussed in the post, this recipe is an opportunity to use up leftover chicken, and we often utilize the bits of unused rotisserie chicken that we have left after making other recipes. Any cooked, chopped chicken will work for this recipe, but be very careful not to include any bones. Also, don't use too much of the fatty chicken skin, particularly if the skin has spicy seasonings or a lot of salt on it. Once you've finely chopped your leftover chicken for this recipe, you can pre-measure it and store it in a labeled, zippered freezer bag in your freezer until you have time to make this dog treat recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 48 servings Serving Size: 1 treatAmount Per Serving: Calories: 33Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
I’m going to try these! I have made homemade treats for my dogs in the past using baby food, flours, etc but they didn’t like them.
What I started doing, which they LOVE, is to dehydrate chicken breast (when they are on sale I buy several trays of them). I use the bone-in and skin on. While I am cutting up the strips of chicken I throw the bones, skin, celery, carrots and onion in a crock pot (I have both cooking right now) and I make my own stock. Once stock is done, I separate all the veggies (they like the cooked carrots), bones and skin. I pick all remaining small bits of chicken from the bones (nets me about 2 cups of chicken) throw away the skin and bones (I am going to start making fertilizer with the bones). Now I am going to try your treats with the chicken bits! Oh what we do for our furry kids!
You are so right – oh, the things we do for our puppies LOL! I hope your dogs love these homemade treats as much as Finn does! He’s so much picker than our last dog, but he never seems to grow tired of these and eagerly comes running when he hears me digging one out to stuff in a treat ball for him to play with! 🙂 I love your idea about dehydrating the chicken and making your own stock – so wonderful how many food scraps are being used up in that process (even going toward fertilizer – how awesome!), rather than just going to waste. Thank you for sharing your method – I really think other readers will find that informative and helpful, too! ~Shelley
Hi there! Do you think this recipe would work with brown rice flour?
Thank you so much!
Hi Ditte! I honestly don’t work much with brown rice flour, but I did a little research for you that I thought might help.
Arrowhead Mills (http://www.arrowheadmills.com/blog/flour-substitutions) states that rice flour can typically be substituted for all purpose flour in baking, at a ratio of 1 cup of all purpose flour to ¾ cup of rice flour. However, they go on to add that you should add a starch or binding component such as ¼ cup tapioca flour to the rice flour, in order to prevent a crumbly consistency. Anitas Organics (http://anitasorganic.com/products/organic-flours/brown-rice-fresh-ground.php) gets a bit more specific about the binding components, and suggests that, to substitute brown rice flour for 1 cup of wheat flour you should, use: 2/3 cup rice flour plus 1/3 cup potato starch or flour, or 3/4 cup rice flour plus 1/4 cup cornstarch. Livestrong has an article about substituting rice flour in cookies (http://www.livestrong.com/article/463804-how-to-substitute-rice-flour-for-all-purpose-flour-in-cookies/, which explains that, “Rice flour on its own results in a crumbly, gritty product, so you have to mix it with other ingredients to get a good result,” and goes on to recommend a combination of 1/2 cup brown or white rice flour, 1/4 cup tapioca starch and 1/4 cup cornstarch … and Livestrong further suggests adding a 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum for each cup of flour used in your recipe, to further bind all ingredients together during baking.
I hope that helps! If you give it a try, I’d be really interested in hearing what ratios you used and how it worked for you – and I bet other readers might enjoy hearing about your experience, too! ~Shelley
Can I use ground chicken for this? ?
Great question, Jayne! My first thought is: probably. I’ll bet that’s not the definitive answer you were hoping for, but since I’ve never actually tried it myself, I hesitate to give you a definite “yes.” I’ve made these time and time again (seriously – Finn just never gets tired of them, and there’s a huge stockpile in my freezer at this very moment!) … but I’ve always used leftover bits of rotisserie chicken. However, having made these dog treats so often, I can tell you that I’ve definitely observed that it sure seems like they’d work well with practically any other cooked bits of meat, too. Of course, you would want the ground chicken to be cooked (not raw), and you’d want to be sure that it wasn’t left over from some recipe that had onions mixed in, or some really heavy spices (like maybe taco seasoning). But beyond that, I do think it should work just fine. And I’d really love to know if you give it a try and how it turns out! Have a lovely week! ~Shelley
What a lucky pup! I love that there are no fillers in these – so much better than most store-bougt brands.
I really do feel great giving these as treats – I know exactly what’s in them! Plus, they keep so well in the freezer, it’s really quick to make a batch and then keep them stashed and at-the-ready for weeks! 🙂 Yay! ~Shelley
Such a great idea! Your dog is the CUTEST!
Awwww … thanks, Trish! 😀 I sure do like that little guy! ~Shelley