Grinding chicken in a food processor is a simple and affordable way to create your own ground chicken at home. By following these steps and tips, you can ensure that the chicken is ground evenly and that the food processor doesn't get overloaded. With freshly ground chicken, you can create a variety of delicious recipes that are sure to impress your family and friends.
If a recipe calls for ground chicken that is ground and you only have chicken breasts you're in luck. You can grind it in a food processor. Of course, you can always just buy the meat already ground up in the store but this is a quick hack or tip to do to save a quick trip to the store.
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Why You Will Like This Recipe
I admit, that I have a meat grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and I NEVER use it. Got it as a gift from someone years back. Using a food processor to grind meat is so much easier and MUCH easier to clean. Have you ever tried to clean one of those meat grinder attachments? It's not fun.
Grinding meat in a food processor is really easy. I have only ever done this with chicken breasts before but you can definitely use whatever type of meat you like.
If you like making your own recipes from scratch try Easy Homemade Pickles or this recipe for How to Make Homemade Almond Extract
Ingredients Needed for this Recipe
- Optional seasoning
Salt, pepper, or garlic powder can be added after grinding if you plan to use the chicken right away. It is usually best to keep it plain for flexibility in recipes. - Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
The main ingredient. Chicken breast is leaner, while thighs provide more flavor and moisture. You can use one or a mix of both depending on your preference.
How to Grind Chicken in a Food Processor
Step 1: Choose the Right Cut of ChickenWhen it comes to grinding chicken, you want to use the right cut of meat. Chicken thighs are generally the best option, as they have a higher fat content than chicken breasts, which makes for a more flavorful and moist ground chicken. However, if you prefer leaner meat, you can use chicken breasts instead.
This is just some Perdue chicken I picked up at Aldi.
Step 2: Cut the Chicken into Small Pieces Before you start grinding the chicken, you need to cut it into small pieces.
This will make it easier for the food processor to grind the meat evenly. Cut the chicken into pieces that are about 1 inch in size. You can also remove any excess fat or gristle from the chicken at this point.
Step 3: Chill the Chicken: Chilling the chicken before grinding it can help to keep the meat from getting too warm and becoming mushy. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes before grinding it. (this is an optional step)
Step 4: Grind the Chicken in Batches. It's important to not overload the food processor when grinding the chicken. You should grind the chicken in batches, putting about ⅓ to ½ of the chicken in the food processor at a time. This will ensure that the chicken is ground evenly and that the food processor doesn't get clogged with too much meat.
Step 5: Pulse the Food Processor.
When grinding the chicken, you want to pulse the food processor instead of running it continuously. Pulse the food processor for about 10-15 seconds at a time, and then check the consistency of the ground chicken. You want the chicken to be evenly ground, but not too fine or mushy.
Pro Tips for How to make Ground Chicken
- Slightly freezing the chicken is the most important step for good texture
- Do not overfill the food processor or it will not grind evenly
- Pulse instead of blending continuously to avoid turning the chicken into a paste
- Clean your food processor right after use to make cleanup easier
- Use chicken thighs if you want a juicier result
- If the mixture looks too wet, it may have been overprocessed
Storage
Store ground chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 to 2 days.
For longer storage, freeze it. Divide the ground chicken into portions, wrap tightly, and place in freezer bags. It will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.
Equipment Needed
Here are some tools that will help will help you with the recipes. All links will open in Amazon. Yes I do get a small earning if purchase from the link
Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing, Shredding, Mincing, and Puree, 10 Cups - Spiralizing, Silver
Chef Knife, DDF iohEF 8 Inch Kitchen Knife In Stainless Steel, Professional Sharp Knife, Antiseptic Non-slip Ultra Cooking Knife with Ergonomic Handle Ideal for Kitchen / Restaurant
Recipe FAQS
Yes, but a food processor is one of the easiest methods. You can also use a meat grinder if you have one.
Both chicken breast and thighs work well. Thighs have more fat and flavor, while breasts are leaner.
The chicken should look like ground meat with small, even pieces. It should not look smooth or pasty.
Other Recipes To Try
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How to Grind Chicken in a Food Processor
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: American
Description
If a recipe calls for ground chicken that is ground and you only have chicken breasts you're in luck. You can grind it in a food processor. Of course, you can always just buy the meat already ground up in the store but this is a quick hack or tip to do to save a quick trip to the store.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 medium sized chicken breasts, cut into to large chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- When it comes to grinding chicken, you want to use the right cut of meat. Chicken thighs are generally the best option, as they have a higher fat content than chicken breasts, which makes for a more flavorful and moist ground chicken. However, if you prefer leaner meat, you can use chicken breasts instead.
- Before you start grinding the chicken, you need to cut it into small pieces. This will make it easier for the food processor to grind the meat evenly. Cut the chicken into pieces that are about 1 inch in size. You can also remove any excess fat or gristle from the chicken at this point.
- Chilling the chicken before grinding it can help to keep the meat from getting too warm and becoming mushy. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes before grinding it.
- It's important to not overload the food processor when grinding the chicken. You should grind the chicken in batches, putting about ⅓ to ½ of the chicken in the food processor at a time. This will ensure that the chicken is ground evenly and that the food processor doesn't get clogged with too much meat.
- When grinding the chicken, you want to pulse the food processor instead of running it continuously. Pulse the food processor for about 10-15 seconds at a time, and then check the consistency of the ground chicken. You want the chicken to be evenly ground, but not too fine or mushy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 750
- Sugar: 0g
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 10g
Linda Nealon says
Thank God I just learned this!! I’m making Chicken Piccata Meatballs and no one in town had ground chicken. (Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis). Thanks so much! Aloha
Kim says
Thank you for the simple idea on how to grind your own meat!! We eat a ton of ground chicken and turkey only if it’s mostly fat free. The stores have it for an astronomical price these days.
Just bought a food processor just for making ground meat. I don’t want to risk cross contamination with raw meat, so this one is strictly for that reason.
Amy says
This is AWESOME! I never thought to grind meats in the FP for some reason! I'm making knock-off P.F.Chang's lettuce wraps tonight and this means I can use chicken I already have on hand. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Jenna says
Yes definitely!
Lee says
I don't use my food processor much and I certainly never thought to use it to grind meat.
Many thanks for explaining how to do this! Gotta try it now.
Jenna says
Thanks for letting me know. I don't know why Google is showing it that way. I have fixed the title since then.
WP says
Hi - haven't tried this, but just wanted you to know that you spelled chicken wrong in the title of the recipe, so when you Google how to grind chicken, it comes up misspelled. (fee free not to post - I just thought you might like to know)
Tracy says
what is wednesday's recipe you referred to?
Jenna says
That is good to know! Thanks for the tip.
Granny m says
I clean my food processor blades with a clean toothbrush