the speech therapist is probably concerned about retaining the ability to swallow more than liquids or cream of wheat consistency. I;m with DavidCPA on not picking chicken though despite the therapists recommendation.
Getting used to food being a chore with no taste in the first year for many of us was a common experience. I found I could taste garlic, lemon/citrus, olive oil which helped me eat solid food pretty quickly. However I should disclose that from childhood on to adult, I was never a picky eater and if something did not crawl off my plate, it was eaten (not counting the blueclaw crabs that scrambled across my family's table trying to escape the pot of boiling water my mother had going in the narrow kitchen)
You could ask the speech therapist to give him swallowing exercises. But the best exercise is to actually eat the food.
If he waits for his taste to come back, it'll be too long