What Is Ground chicken and How Can I Use It?
Wondering what to do with ground chicken? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 23 recipes to put it to work.
Key Points
- Lean, mild chicken mince that swaps for ground beef but dries out fast.
- Add fat and moisture (egg, grated onion, oil) so burgers and meatballs stay juicy.
- Season aggressively; the meat is a blank canvas that needs bold flavor.
- Cook to a full 165°F (74°C) with no pink, since grinding spreads surface bacteria.
- Choose a thigh-and-skin blend over lean breast grind for better flavor.
What is ground chicken?
Ground chicken is chicken meat run through a grinder, sold as a pale, soft mince. Depending on the cut, it ranges from very lean breast-only grinds to richer blends that include thigh meat and some skin.
It is the leaner, milder cousin of ground beef and pork.
That leanness is its whole story. It cooks fast and takes on seasoning easily, but it dries out the moment you stop paying attention.
Cooking With Ground Chicken
Treat it as a swap for ground beef in most recipes, with one adjustment: add fat and moisture. A grated onion, an egg, soaked breadcrumbs, or a spoonful of mayonnaise keeps burgers and meatballs from turning into hockey pucks.
For burgers, the mix stays loose and sticky, so chill the patties before they hit the pan and handle them gently. Tarragon-Mustard Burgers and Southwestern Chicken Burgers both season the meat well to make up for its mildness.
Meatballs and loaves are forgiving. Chicken Cacciatore Meatballs and Top Stove Meat Loaf bind the mince with egg and crumbs, and Polpette Di Pollo in Brodo(Chicken Balls in Soup) poaches it gently so it stays tender.
In skillet dishes, brown it hard and break it up small. Easy 10-Minute Chicken Chili and Chicken Sloppy Joes lean on a wet, well-spiced sauce that hides the meat's blandness.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Ground chicken is a blank canvas, so build flavor aggressively. Garlic, ginger, soy, fish sauce, mustard, fresh herbs, and a good hit of salt all wake it up.
Go bolder than you would with beef.
The big mistake is overcooking. Lean mince passes from juicy to dry in under a minute, and once it is gray and crumbly there is no fixing it. Cook just until it loses its pink and hits 165°F (74°C), then pull it.
The second mistake is treating it like beef. It will not hold a loose patty the way fatty beef does, and a fat-free breast grind needs help. Mix in a little oil or a fattier cut, or it eats like cardboard.
Substitutes
Ground turkey is the closest swap, near-identical in leanness and handling.
Ground pork is fattier and more forgiving, good when you want juicier meatballs or sausage.
Ground beef works in any savory dish but brings a stronger flavor and more fat. For a meatless version, crumbled extra-firm tofu or a plant-based grind mimics the texture, though both need extra seasoning to match even chicken's mild taste.
Buying and Storing
Check the label for the grind. Ground chicken breast is the leanest and driest; a plain ground chicken usually blends in thigh and skin for more fat and better flavor, which is what you want for most cooking.
It should look pink and smell clean, never sour or gray. Raw ground chicken is highly perishable, so keep it cold and cook or freeze it within a day or two. Frozen, it holds for three to four months.
Because grinding spreads any surface bacteria through the whole batch, always cook ground chicken to a full 165°F (74°C), with no pink center, even when you would happily eat a whole breast cooked a touch less.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 unit (yield from 1 lb ready-to-cook chicken) (197g)Quick facts
Where to find ground chicken: Ground chicken is usually found in the produce section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Ground chicken is a member of the Poultry Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 鸡肉
- British (UK) term
- chicken mince
- en français
- émincé de poulet
- en español
- pollo picada
How much does ground chicken weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 unit (yield from 1 lb ready-to-cook chicken) | 197 grams |
| ½ chicken, bone and skin removed | 329 grams |
Related
Poultry Products
Recipes using ground chicken
There are 23 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Amazing White Bean Chilli
Delicious, savory winter-recipe ingredients that will surely satisfy are white beans and Oso Sweet Onions, an onion grown at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Onions are not only believed to be a cancer preventative, their low-salt, low-fat health benefits are the proactive equivalent to superhero powers.
Chicken Cacciatore Meatballs
Tender chicken meatballs flavored with Parmesan and herbs, simmered in cacciatore sauce until they soak up all the Italian flavors. Serve over spaghetti for an easy weeknight dinner.
Top Stove Meat Loaf
Stovetop chicken meatloaf browned in a skillet and simmered in tomato soup with melted cheese on top. A lighter, faster twist on classic meatloaf with no oven required.
Tarragon-Mustard Burgers
Juicy ground chicken burgers seasoned with tarragon and tomato paste, grilled and topped with a creamy Dijon-tarragon sauce on toasted English muffins. Lighter than beef, bigger on flavor.
Hot Spaghetti Sauce
Quick spaghetti sauce made with ground chicken or turkey, white wine, tomato sauce, and fresh vegetables. A lighter meat sauce with basil and sage, ready in 30 minutes.
Light Swiss Enchiladas
Light Swiss enchiladas with ground chicken, green chilies, and tomato puree in corn tortillas topped with a skim milk sauce and melted Swiss cheese.
Low-Fat Chicken Meatloaf
Healthy chicken meatloaf with oats and applesauce instead of heavy binders. Lean ground chicken stays moist while poultry seasoning adds savory depth in just 1 hour.
Something Different on a Budget Meatloaf
Three-meat meatloaf blending chicken, pork, and beef with honey, topped with a sweet-hot apricot mustard glaze. Budget-friendly comfort food that feeds six.
Easy 10-Minute Chicken Chili
Easy 10 minute chicken chili recipe uses ground chicken, packaged chili seasoning, and tomato sauce for a weeknight bowl that's on the table fast. Three ingredients, big flavor.
Southwestern Chicken Burgers
Here's a lean cheeseburger sure to please even avid beef lovers. Jalapeno chiles, cilantro and lime give these thick, juicy patties plenty of kick--and because the burgers are topped with roasted bell pepper, they don't need much melted cheese to satisfy.
Mexican Green Chili Quiche
Mexican green chili quiche swaps pastry for a corn tortilla crust, layering cumin-spiced ground chicken, sharp cheddar, and green chilies under a custard of evaporated milk and eggs.
Chicken Sloppy Joes
Ground chicken sloppy joes loaded with bell pepper, onion, and rice in a tangy sauce, piled on toasted buns. A lighter twist on the classic that kids devour.
Savory Meat Filled Manicotti
Savory meat-filled manicotti stuffs pasta tubes with seasoned ground chicken, mozzarella, parmesan, and bread crumbs, baked in marinara with melted cheese. Italian-American comfort food, lighter version.
Boudin Blanc I
A white meat based sausage made in Europe and Britain, wherever blood sausage (black pudding) tends to be made. It is usually associated with Christmas time in France. The traditional Boudin Blanc in France dates back to the middle-ages. White puddings are also traditional in Spain, Ireland and some parts of Britain.
Abc Vegetables N' Chili
Kid-friendly chicken chili with ground chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, and alphabet pasta: mild, hearty, ready in 45 minutes for picky eaters.
Polpette Di Pollo in Brodo(Chicken Balls in Soup)
Polpette di pollo in brodo are Italian chicken meatballs simmered in broth with Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg, and parsley. A light, elegant soup ready in about 20 minutes.
Polpette Di Pollo in Brodo (Chicken Balls in Soup)
Polpette di pollo in brodo: Italian chicken meatballs with Parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg poached in chicken broth. A light, comforting soup ready in 30 minutes.
Chicken Dumplings with Orange Dipping Sauce
Crispy pan-fried chicken dumplings stuffed with napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger served with a sweet-tangy orange marmalade dipping sauce. A lighter homemade potsticker you can prep ahead.
Chicken Phyllo Wraps
Crispy phyllo triangles stuffed with seasoned ground chicken, rice, spinach, ricotta, black olives, and toasted pine nuts. Mediterranean flavors wrapped in shattering golden layers.
Chicken & Vegetable Terrine
A layered French terrine of pureed ground chicken, carrot batons, green beans, and black olives baked in a water bath until firm and sliceable. Elegant charcuterie-board worthy fare with a champagne finish.
Ground Chicken Salad
Ground chicken salad with seasoned sauteed chicken, avocado, olives, two cheeses, and a tangy red wine vinaigrette. A hearty taco-style salad ready in 20 minutes.
Ground Chicken & Rice Casserole
Quite easy to make, and it comes out delicious. The dish can be made in advance. Reheat it in the oven or microwave whenever the hunger hits.
