This Seasoned Ground Chicken is a must-have for meal prep! It’s easy to make, keeps well, and has just the right amount of seasoning. This ground chicken is full of flavor and can be eaten by itself with potatoes or as a quick start to any dinner that calls for ground chicken.
I love quick and easy recipes that I can use for any meal. This seasoned ground chicken is one of those recipes. It’s insanely simple to make and can really be used for any recipe…or served on its own!.
It is simple, cheap, and guarantees that you get the freshest, best ground chicken when you make it yourself. This guide will walk you through the whole process, from beginning to end, whether you want to save money, control the amount of fat, or just enjoy the ease of making your own.
Why Make Your Own Ground Chicken?
There are a few key reasons you may want to grind your own chicken at home
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Cost savings – Buying whole chicken breasts or thighs and grinding them yourself is cheaper than buying pre-ground chicken. You can also buy chicken on sale and grind large batches for freezing.
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You can change how lean the chicken is by mixing dark and white meat. For example, ground chicken made with only white breast meat is very lean.
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Freshness – Grinding your own ensures maximum freshness and flavor Pre-ground chicken at the store is often made from trimmings
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Avoid preservatives – Many pre-ground meats contain preservatives to extend shelf life. Making your own avoids these extra ingredients.
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Availability – Some stores simply don’t stock ground chicken. Grinding it yourself solves this.
What You’ll Need
Grinding your own chicken only requires a few basic supplies:
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chicken breasts and thighs without bones or skin; if you can afford it, choose an organic, free-range brand.
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A knife and cutting board for slicing the chicken. A sharp chef’s knife works best.
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A food processor for pulsing the chicken into a ground texture. Any model with an S-blade will work.
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Optional: A meat grinder attachment for a stand mixer. This makes for a finer, more uniform grind.
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Storage containers for refrigerating or freezing batches of ground chicken. Reusable deli containers work great.
And that’s it – you likely already have everything you need to get started with making homemade ground chicken. Now let’s go step-by-step through the process.
Step 1: Choose Your Chicken
The first thing you need to do is choose a type of chicken. This changes how much fat is in the ground chicken, as well as its taste and texture. Here are your options:
Chicken breasts – Very lean, around 99% fat free. Can be a little dry.
Chicken thighs – Dark meat is juicier and more flavorful. Around 93% lean.
A blend – Mixing breast and thigh combines the best of both. Ideal for most recipes.
For optimal flavor and moisture, I recommend doing a blend – try 3 lbs chicken breast and 2 lbs chicken thighs. This results in ground chicken that’s 97% lean.
Step 2: Cut the Chicken Into Pieces
Once you’ve selected your chicken, it’s time to slice it up in preparation for grinding:
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Partially freeze the chicken for 60-90 minutes until firm but not solid. This makes it easier to cut cleanly.
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Using a sharp chef’s knife, carefully slice the chicken into 1/2 to 1 inch wide strips.
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Cut against the grain for the most tender, shred-able ground chicken texture.
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Separate any large chunks of fat or connective tissue and discard.
The thinner you can uniformly slice the chicken, the easier it will be to grind and the better the end result.
Step 3: Grind the Chicken
Now that your chicken is prepped, it’s go time! You have 3 options for actually grinding the meat:
With a knife – Dice the sliced chicken until it’s minced into the desired texture. This takes some manual labor but works great.
In a food processor – Working in batches, pulse the chicken 4-6 times until ground. Be careful not to over-process into a paste.
Using a meat grinder – The fastest method. Pass the sliced chicken through the grinder for a very uniform ground.
Whichever method you choose, the process is the same: grind the chicken down until it’s smooth with a bit of texture. Get it as fine or coarse as you prefer.
Aim to maintain cold temperatures – work in batches and/or use a bowl over an ice bath to prevent the chicken from warming up too much as you grind. This preserves maximum juiciness.
Step 4: Store the Ground Chicken
Freshly ground chicken needs to be either cooked immediately or stored properly for later use. Here are your storage options:
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Refrigerate for 3-4 days – keep ground chicken in an airtight container at 40°F or below.
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Freeze for 4-6 months – form ground chicken into patties or logs, place in freezer bags, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Practice proper freezing techniques – single layer on a baking sheet before bagging, all air removed from bags, and minimal repeated thaw/refreeze.
Proper storage keeps homemade ground chicken fresh and ready to cook whenever you need it!
Ground Chicken Recipes and Cooking Tips
Homemade ground chicken is extremely versatile. Here are some tasty recipes and cooking tips:
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Greek chicken burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf
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Chicken chili, tacos, burrito bowls, or quesadillas
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Add to pasta dishes, stir fries, frittatas, etc.
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Substitute in any recipe calling for ground turkey or lean ground beef
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Season aggressively – it takes seasoning well. Use bold flavors.
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Cook to 160°F minimum internal temperature to ensure safety and juiciness.
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Freeze cooked ground chicken for easy re-heating later on busy nights.
With a little practice and creativity, your homemade ground chicken opens up endless quick, healthy, and delicious meal possibilities for your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the shelf life of homemade ground chicken?
- 3-4 days refrigerated; 4-6 months frozen
Can you use only chicken thighs or breasts?
- Yes, 100% thighs or 100% breasts will work. For best flavor and moisture, I recommend a blend.
Do you need to trim the fat off chicken thighs?
- Most of the fat will get ground up. But yes, removing large chunks of fat will yield a leaner ground chicken overall.
Is ground chicken healthier than beef or turkey?
- It’s quite healthy due to being very lean, particularly when made from breast meat. Slightly healthier than beef or turkey overall.
What recipes use ground chicken?
- Burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, stuffed peppers, burrito bowls, casseroles, soups, chilis, and more. Gets creative!
The Takeaway
Grinding chicken at home gives you total control over the ingredients, fat content, flavor, and freshness of the meat. All it takes is a sharp knife, food processor, or meat grinder attachment to turn chicken parts into healthy, versatile ground chicken ready to cook anyway you like. Pre-ground chicken can’t compare to the quality, customization, and cost savings of DIY.
How to Serve with Seasoned Ground Chicken
Meal prep is my favorite way to use the seasoned ground chicken. It’s great for making meals for one person or for the whole family as a base for many other dishes.
- Pair with sweet potatoes and BBQ sauce.
- Pour teriyaki sauce over the top of the rice and cabbage shreds after adding a scoop.
- Add corn, black beans, salsa, and cheese, and mix well.
- Toss with pasta and marinara sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Put the mixture inside pasta shells and top with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.
There are a lot of great flavors in this protein-based dinner, so it goes well with a lot of different classic side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
- Herb Roasted Potatoes—This recipe for herb-roasted potatoes is a family favorite and one of my go-to sides for any meal. They’re golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They only take a few minutes to put together.
- Garlic Cheese Bread—A garlic bread with cheese is always a good idea. And this recipe is as good as it gets. Soft, chewy French bread is topped with garlic, herbs, butter, and cheese. It is then baked until crispy, melty, and delicious.
- Green Bean Casserole—Green bean casserole goes well with a lot of different meals. This recipe only takes 5 minutes of work, and it cooks up bubbly, creamy, and gooey, with the perfect crispy top.
If you make this recipe and have leftovers, you’re in luck! They freeze and reheat well and can be used to start another tasty meal.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to 3 months
Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- Try it in my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta instead of chicken cutlets. This pasta is rich, creamy, flavorful, cheesy, and delicious.
- Cheese Bay Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie—This chicken pot pie is a classic with a twist! It has a creamy chicken and vegetable filling and fluffy cheddar bay biscuits on top. It’s also a great way to use up leftover ground chicken!
- Chicken Burrito Casserole—This recipe for Chicken Burrito Casserole calls for chopped or shredded chicken, but you can definitely use this seasoned ground chicken instead! It has chicken, corn, beans, on top of a creamy sauce.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- It’s very easy—just chicken, onion, and some spices.
- As quick as it gets – Seriously. In just 15 minutes, this chicken is ready to eat.
- Amazing taste—This chicken tastes great, but it’s also flexible enough that you can use it for many different meals.
- This recipe makes a LOT of ground chicken. It starts with 2 pounds of chicken and makes that much.
This seasoned ground chicken recipe is as simple as promised! Just 15 minutes for a family friendly meal and a meal prep dream-come-true.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make seasoned ground chicken to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
- Chicken: You will need 2 pounds of ground chicken, either fresh or frozen and thawed.
- If you want to make the best flavor base, use yellow, white, or sweet onions.
- Mix of salt, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and dried thyme are used as spices. Making a lot of my ground chicken seasoning can save you time if you’d rather have it on hand.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Mexican Ground Chicken: To make this recipe more Mexican, use my chicken taco seasoning instead of the spice blend.
- To make Italian ground chicken, just add a few more dried herbs. It will taste just like Italian food!
- Spicy Ground Chicken: Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to make it hotter.