What’s actually in Stella & Chewy's Chick Chick Chicken?
Chick Chick Chicken is Stella & Chewy’s single-protein freeze-dried raw flagship for cats. The ingredient panel reads: chicken (with ground bone), chicken liver, chicken gizzard, pumpkin seed, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate, choline chloride, fenugreek seed, four probiotic fermentation products (pediococcus acidilactici, lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium longum, bacillus coagulans), taurine, mixed tocopherols (preservative), dandelion, dried kelp, zinc and iron proteinates, and a complete vitamin-and-mineral tail (vitamin A, E, niacin, copper proteinate, riboflavin, selenium, pantothenic acid, biotin, manganese, thiamine, B6, D3, folate, B12).
The freeze-drying step happens after the SecureByNature HPP pathogen-control treatment, which removes water while preserving the raw nutrient structure. Feeding requires light rehydration with water or broth — the morsels expand and soften. AAFCO substantiation is formulation-based: formulated to meet the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages, which makes this appropriate for kittens, adults, pregnant queens, and seniors. Guaranteed analysis: 45% crude protein minimum / 25% crude fat minimum / 5% crude fiber maximum / 5% moisture maximum, with guaranteed taurine at 0.20% minimum. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The animal-ingredient density is the headline: chicken muscle at position one, chicken liver at position two, chicken gizzard at position three. Three named chicken ingredients in the first three slots is exceptionally rare outside the raw and freeze-dried-raw categories. For obligate-carnivore cats whose dietary taurine, vitamin A, vitamin B12, arachidonic acid, and preformed vitamin D requirements are met primarily by animal tissues (not plant matter), this opening is as close to prey-model nutrition as a shelf-stable product can deliver. The added taurine on top of the organ-meat baseline provides a meaningful safety margin — taurine deficiency causes dilated cardiomyopathy and central retinal degeneration in cats per Pion 1987 landmark findings, and the belt-and-suspenders approach here is reassuring.
The pathogen-control story is what separates this product from unlabeled raw competitors. Stella & Chewy’s SecureByNature process is explicitly high-pressure processing (HPP), and the company documents it publicly on product pages and in marketing materials. Under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0, raw-format products earn a +5 bonus when HPP or test-and-hold protocols are documented (versus "unknown" pathogen control). This is the first cat-format product in our catalog to clear that bar — the documentation is the difference between "probably safe" and "manufacturer has publicly committed to a specific FDA/USDA-recognized process."
The probiotic stack is substantial and category-unusual: four bacterial strains at a guaranteed 50M CFU/oz minimum. Most dry kibbles that advertise probiotics add one strain post-extrusion with poor survival rates; freeze-dried raw preserves viability far better, and four strains provides real microbiome diversity. Pumpkin seed at position four contributes zinc, magnesium, and plant-derived fiber. The trace mineral set (proteinate forms of zinc, iron, copper, manganese) chelates better than sulfate salts for feline bioavailability. No peas, no lentils, no potatoes, no rice, no corn, no wheat, no soy — an exceptionally clean legume-free and nightshade-light panel for DCM-cautious households and cats with food sensitivities.
The not-so-good stuff
AAFCO substantiation is formulation-only. The label meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages through formulation rather than validation via AAFCO feeding trials. Formulation-only is the industry default for freeze-dried raw cat food; feeding-trial substantiation in the raw category is effectively nonexistent.
Rehydration is a practical constraint. Cats tend to under-drink from bowls, and freeze-dried raw is extremely low in moisture (5% max). Serving the morsels dry misses the hydration opportunity that fresh-format cat foods exist to solve; rehydrating with water or low-sodium broth turns this into a moist meal (roughly 50-60% moisture after reconstitution). Owners who feed dry without rehydrating are leaving one of the main benefits on the table.
Raw-format pathogen risk is reduced but not eliminated. HPP substantially lowers Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli load, but CDC and AVMA guidance continues to recommend caution with any raw pet food in households with infants, immunocompromised adults, or adults over 65. If your household fits that profile, a cooked-fresh alternative like Smalls (A/90) carries no raw-pathogen risk at the same rubric tier.
Cost is typical for premium freeze-dried raw: roughly $3–6 per day for an adult cat fed as a complete diet, dropping to $1–3 per day when used as a topper on a premium dry base. As a complete diet this is one of the more expensive per-calorie cat options in our catalog.
How it compares
At A/90, Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken matches Smalls (A/90), Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets Cat (A/90), and The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Clusters Cat (A/90) at the top of our Fresh Food Rubric v1.0 cat catalog. Against the dry-rubric top tier — Orijen (A/91), Acana (A/90), Wellness CORE (A/90) — the freeze-dried raw format delivers higher animal-ingredient density and added rehydration flexibility.
See the head-to-heads: Smalls vs Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried Cat and Stella & Chewy's vs Primal Freeze-Dried Cat.
Buying guide featuring Stella & Chewy’s: Best Fresh Cat Food.
The bottom line
Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels earn an A grade (90/100) under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0. The 98% chicken-plus-organs-plus-bone panel, documented SecureByNature HPP pathogen control, four-strain probiotic stack at 50M CFU/oz, and clean legume-free formulation make this the benchmark A-tier raw cat food in our catalog. For cats without medical complications, this is a standout choice either as a complete diet (with rehydration) or as a topper on a dry base. If your household includes medically vulnerable members, Smalls (A/90) is the cooked-fresh A-tier alternative without raw-pathogen considerations. If you want the same raw approach with a multi-protein panel, Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets Cat (A/90) brings chicken-plus-salmon and organic produce. Shop on Amazon →