Amazing March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

Oh, I totally get it—wanting the absolute best for our furry family members is just instinct, right? I started looking into homemade dinners after noticing my little guy reacting weirdly to store-bought stuff. It felt less complicated than I thought, honestly! That’s why I’m so excited to share my go-to, super low-stress weeknight meal: this **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food**. It’s balanced, it’s packed with good stuff, and trust me, the whole thing comes together in about an hour. We make a big batch, and that lasts us a whole week. It’s real food, and you can see exactly what Buddy is eating!

Why This March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food is a Winner

Listen, anyone can make this recipe, and that’s the best part about it! I swear it’s the perfect starting point for anyone nervous about cooking for their pup. The nutritional payoff is huge for the tiny amount of effort required.

Here’s why I keep coming back to this specific mix:

• It’s incredibly balanced, hitting protein, fiber, and essential vitamins just from chicken, lentils, and carrots.
• Prep time is seriously fast—I get everything diced while the lentils are coming up to temperature.
• You can batch cook for the entire week, which saves me so much time on busy weeknights. If you want to see more ideas like this one, check out my post on healthy homemade recipes!

Gathering Ingredients for Your March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

Okay, gathering everything is my favorite part because this is where we decide the quality goes in! Remember, since this is the foundation of your **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food**, don’t skimp on the quality of that chicken breast. This recipe makes about seven days’ worth of food, so it’s worth getting the good stuff. I always double-check that I have my rinsing bowl ready for the lentils. If you’re aiming for other vet-approved options later, you can check out this guide on vet-approved chicken lentil carrot dog food recipes for future inspiration!

Main Components

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast: You need 1 pound of it, and make sure it’s cooked and then either shredded really fine or chopped up small—no big chunks!
• Brown or green lentils: Grab 1 cup, but make sure you rinse them well before they hit the pot.
• Carrots: Two cups of carrots, peeled and diced tiny. We want them soft for easy eating.
• Water or low-sodium chicken broth: Use 3 cups. Broth adds a little flavor, but water works great too.

Optional Additions for March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

This part is just a little booster shot for healthy skin and coat. I always throw in 1 teaspoon of fish oil right at the end because those extra fatty acids are great for my pup!

Step-by-Step Instructions for March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

This is where the magic happens, though honestly, it’s mostly about letting the pot do the work! Timing is everything, especially to make sure those lentils break down nicely and the carrots are melt-in-your-mouth soft—we don’t want anyone straining their cute little jaws!

This whole process is meant to be super hands-off. If you want to get ahead, you can check out my tips for big batch cooking using a slow cooker, but the stovetop method here is faster when you need a batch ready soon!

Cooking the Lentils and Carrots

First things first: Grab that large pot. You have to place your rinsed lentils straight into the pot and cover them with the 3 cups of water or broth. Get that going over high heat until it’s bubbling hard, that boil is important!

Once it’s boiling, just knock the heat down low, cover it up, and let those lentils simmer for about 20 minutes. They won’t be done yet, but they need a head start. Next, toss in your small-diced carrots. Keep it covered, keep simmering for another 15 minutes. You’re done cooking when the lentils are fully soft and the carrots give easily when you poke them with a fork.

Combining Ingredients for Your March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

Once the lentils and carrots are perfectly tender, pull that pot right off the burner—we don’t need any more heat on them.

Now, stir in your cooked chicken until it’s all mixed in and nice and warm from the residual heat. If you’re feeling flashy and decided to add that fish oil for fatty acids, this is the moment! Stir it in thoroughly. The absolute last, and most important, thing is to walk away! You must let the entire mixture cool down completely before you portion it out. Nobody likes hot food dumped into their Tupperware, right?

Tips for Perfect March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

Okay, nailing this recipe isn’t about complicated steps, but about making sure the texture is just right for your pup. The biggest thing I learned fast is to make sure those carrots are really soft—like, mushy-soft. If they are still slightly firm after the cook time, your dog might have a harder time digesting them, so let them simmer an extra five minutes if needed!

When it comes to the chicken, I’ve found that shredding it works better than chopping if you have a smaller dog. Shredded pieces mix right into the lentils and carrots, making every spoonful feel complete. Don’t even *think* about adding salt, pepper, or any of those onion powders we humans love; our dogs don’t need that extra sodium!

This recipe is a fantastic base, and if you want slightly different ideas for larger dogs using similar ingredients, I’ve got a great breakdown over here on homemade dog food for large dogs that might give you some extra confidence in your technique!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

I get asked all the time about swapping things out, and generally, for this simple **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food**, you can be flexible—but always with a huge caveat!

If you can’t find brown or green lentils, red lentils work too, but wow, they cook down *fast*. You’ll need to cut that cooking time way down, or they’ll turn to paste! Also, chicken thighs are fine instead of breasts if you don’t mind a bit more fat content; they’re almost always juicier, which isn’t a bad thing here.

However, I need to stress this: This recipe is fantastic for a tasty, supplemental meal, but it’s just a base. If you plan to switch your dog entirely to homemade food, you absolutely *must* chat with your vet first. They can help you figure out if you need to add minerals or supplements to make sure your sweet pup is getting every single nutrient they need over the long haul. For more general tips on switching diets, you can browse my latest blog posts!

Storing and Serving Your March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

This is the part where you get to relax because you just made a week’s worth of meals! The cooling step is not optional—I learned that the hard way when I sealed a warm container and ended up with soupy mush. You have to let this **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food** mixture cool completely down to room temperature before you even think about putting a lid on it.

Once it’s totally cool, airtight containers are your best friend. Since this recipe yields about seven days of food, I use small, labeled containers—one container per day’s serving. That way, I just grab one container in the morning, and I’m done!

You can comfortably keep these fresh containers in the refrigerator for up to five days. If you made a huge batch and know you won’t get to the rest soon, pop those extra containers into the freezer right away. Frozen, this food lasts for ages, and thawing is easy

Just pull a frozen portion out the night before you need it to thaw in the fridge. If you want some excellent pointers on maximizing your batch cooking and freezing techniques, I have a great guide on freezer-friendly homemade dog food recipes using a slow cooker that has some crossover tips!

When it’s serving time, just warm it up slightly if your dog prefers room temperature food, but don’t make it hot! Remember, we’re keeping it simple and natural here.

Essential Equipment for Making March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

You know, when I first started, I thought I needed all sorts of fancy kitchen gadgets, but honestly, this recipe is about as basic as it gets. If you can boil water and chop a vegetable, you are already set for this **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food**!

It really only requires three main things you probably use every day. No immersion blenders or stand mixers needed, which makes cleanup a total breeze, which, let’s be real, is half the battle when cooking pet food!

Here’s the bare minimum kit you need for stirring up a full week’s worth of deliciousness:

• A Large Pot: This is essential because you need room for the liquid, the lentils to expand, and the carrots to simmer without all that bubbling over onto your stove.
• A Cutting Board: Obviously, you need a safe surface for dicing up those carrots nice and small. Make sure it’s clean!
• A Good Knife: You’ll be chopping carrots, so having a knife that actually holds an edge will save your sanity. You don’t want to be sawing away at a tough carrot!

That’s literally it! Simple tools for great results. Sometimes simple is just the very best way, don’t you think?

Frequently Asked Questions About This Dog Food

We all have questions when we start whipping up homemade food, and that’s totally normal! Cooking for your dog is a big step, and I want you to feel 100% confident about your **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food**. Here are some of the things I hear most often from people who are trying out this recipe for the first time!

Is this recipe nutritionally complete for daily feeding?

Okay, be honest with yourself here: This recipe is built around fantastic whole foods—chicken, lentils, carrots—but it’s not quite a full AAFCO-approved diet plan, not on its own. Think of this as a super healthy, wonderful addition to their bowl or a temporary meal replacement, but if you plan on feeding this as your dog’s main source of food every single day for a long time, you absolutely have to check in with your veterinarian first. They might recommend a specific supplement blend to ensure your pup gets everything they need!

Can I use dried herbs in this March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food?

Please resist the urge to season this! I know it seems boring, but for our dogs, things like garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, or even too much parsley can cause digestive upset or worse. We are keeping the **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food** flavor profile extremely clean here. Stick to just the chicken, the lentils, and the carrots. If you want to sneak in some extra goodness for older pups, I have some great crockpot tips for senior dog food recipes that focus on easy digestion, but always ask your vet before adding anything new!

The only exception you might consider is that fish oil, like I mentioned, but otherwise, no seasonings!

Estimated Nutritional Snapshot for March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food

I always feel better when I have a rough idea of what I’m sending Buddy off with for the day, you know? It’s about transparency, even if it’s just a best guess! Since this batch is designed to give you about seven nice, healthy portions, these numbers are based on one daily serving.

Remember, this is just an estimate based on the core ingredients. If you add more oil or use fattier chicken, the numbers will shift! This is why checking in with your vet about full-spectrum supplements is always key for long-term feeding.

For a single serving of our **March Chicken, Lentils & Carrots Dog Food**, here’s what we’re generally looking at:

• Calories: Around 150 per serving. Perfect for maintaining a healthy weight!
• Protein: About 15 grams. That chicken and those lentils pack a real punch here.
• Carbohydrates: We’re looking at roughly 20 grams, mostly coming from those lovely lentils and carrots.
• Fat: Just about 3 grams in the base recipe—nice and lean!

These proportions give us a great mix to fuel up our best friends every day. If you want to see how these numbers compare to other meal ideas, I’ve got a breakdown in my post on ten healthy homemade dog food recipes that you might find interesting!