Do you use ground turkey/chicken?

[maslex]

My hubby and I have decided to start eating healthier. And trust me....we are both overweight and have no idea where to start. LOL Sad but true. He has suggested using ground turkey or chicken in meals. How do I use these? Just sub them for ground hamburger? He's picking up ground turkey tonight so I can attempt turkey burgers. Any other ideas?

 

[Imzadi]

For each 1/4 pound of ground turkey burger, (regular ground turkey, not turkey breast,) mix with 2 Tbs of blue cheese dressing. Marinate 10 minutes or more. (More is better.) Grill.

Also, take 1/4 lb. ground turkey burger, mix with 2 Tbs of ranch dressing, 1 tsp melted butter & 1 Tbs of grated parmesan cheese and S&P. Marinate 10 minutes or more.

A third way is to mix it with a couple tablespoons of Italian dressing.

These grill great on the George Forman grill too. They come out as exceptionally juicy, flavorful burgers. Yum!

I've substituted Shady Brook Farms's ground turkey sausages for the ground beef in my spaghetti sauce. It tastes just as great, with less fat.

 

[Disney_Dani]

I haven't really had success with turkey burgers, but it might be because I haven't had the right recipe. They always seem to come out dry to me.

However, I love turkey in things like spaghetti and tacos. I can't really tell the difference. I also made a meatloaf that turned out really good where I mixed three parts ground turkey to one part ground beef. It was great because it got dark like the beef but was much healthier.

Just make sure when you buy the turkey that you get a brand that has the nutritionals right on it. I get the Jenni-o brand. I've heard that sometimes if you just buy it from the meat counter you won't know what's in it. And if they grind fat and skin in with the meat it can be worse for you than ground beef.

 

[Imzadi]

I haven't really had success with turkey burgers, but it might be because I haven't had the right recipe. They always seem to come out dry to me.

Try the various salad dressings. The extra liquid, makes it so it's not too dry after cooking. In fact, if I'm just cooking one burger, I place the meat in a ziplock sandwich bag, add the dressing, s&p, close the bag & squish the ingrediens together. It's quite moist, almost goopy. But after cooking, the turkey burger comes out a regular burger.

 

[piratesmate]

Years ago I only used turkey burger. I just did a straight up substitution - but I never made burgers at home so I can't speak to that. When making a meatloaf with it, I found that adding some granulated beef bouillon as part of the seasoning did a lot to satisfy us with the flavor. (It's like using Liption Onion Soup mix w/o the onions.)

We always preferred it in things with a sauce (like spaghetti, chili or sloppy joe's) to help disguise the flavor - and the addition of the beef bouillon helped most dishes.

 

[MazdaUK]

Can I just say if you're trying to lose weight avoid things like blue cheese dressing etc. unless its a low fat version. Otherwise, use really lean beef (5% fat) and drain after browning (in a sieve over a bowl) - you'll be surprised the fat that comes off! - then use in spaghetti sauces etc. Things which are 0 weightwatchers points are tomatoes, onions, courgettes etc. so use whatever of those suits you to af flavour and moisture. Corn, peas etc. have a points value so don't have so much of them. And have the burger with a plain green salad instead of in a bun or with fries etc I'd get a WW recipe book or two and work through those - or they have recuipes online too.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I use it as a substitution for any casseroles, chili, soups. I couldn't stand the texture of it in a meat loaf.

 

[DeborahA]

We use it alot to cut down on fat calories. Just make sure that it is lean turkey--some can have as much fat as hamburger--20% fat. The lean stuff should be about the same as ground sirloin or better--5% fat. We have Jennie-O or Turkey Store products here in our part of the country. Our favorite is to use the italian sausage variety in lasagna or meat sauce.
Deb

 

[BEASLYBOO]

DS(11) loves Zatharains (?) Dirty Rice but he does not like ground beef so I make it w/ ground turkey breast instead. It's less greasy and we like the flavor better. I also make ground chicken patties instead of beef, I season them with grated onion, a little milk, cumin, and an egg white and salt and pepper. Cook them on a griddle or teflon pan, he loves those too.

 

[Connie of Trenton]

I use ground chicken in the same recipes I previously used ground beef in. We actually prefer ground chicken over ground turkey. The only thing I could suggest if you make ground chicken patties (we grill them) is to add ingredients to spice it up otherwise they are rather bland. Some of our favorite add ins are onion, mushrooms, green peppers, and a package of Amazing Taste seasoning for burgers. Also, if your ground chicken is chilled before you make patties it is easier to work with.

 

[MazdaUK]

I read recently that intensively-reared chicken has more fat than lean beef (because the chickens just sit on their a**'s all day ) so you might be better just to go for a smaller amount of lean beef.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I much prefer ground chicken or turkey to beef. Be warned that its more expensive though. You can substitute it sometimes. It depends on the recipe. (I wouldn't use it in spaghetti sauce, for instance.) I would suggest looking up some recipes that call for ground turkey or chicken in the first place. That way, the other ingredients will complement the flavours of the poultry better. If you would like some recipes, just let me know and I'll help you out.

 

[loriandmatt]

my tip for keeping your turkey/chicken burgers from turning out dry....add some grated zuchinni or chopped up mushrooms to the mix. (i just use the meat, some onion soup mix, the veggies and a shot of worchestershire - for chicken i freeze the patties for about 30-45 min to keep them from falling apart while placing on the grill.) these veggies give off lots of liquid while cooking and keep the burgers moist.

we have recently done the same switch. (from gound beef to ground chicken and turkey) as well as cut back on our fats and portion sizes in general and switched to whole wheat breads and have certainly lost weight.

the only recipie that i still use ground beef for is my meatloaf....i use 1/3 lean ground beef and the rest turkey and add some beef bullion for flavor. when i tried staight turkey or chicken it was pretty tasteless. i tried it again wiht tons of veggies incorporated (roasted red peppers added the most flavor) but DH still was not happy. i gave in a bit and put some beef back in to keep him happy and and track.

most other recipes where there are sauces or mixed added to the meat (taco seasoning, spagetti sauce, sloppy joes....that kind of stuff) we are ok with the straight turkey (which generally has more flavor) or chicken. (not as flavorful or moist, but i got a GREAT deal on it and wasn't about to pass it up.)

 

[HunnyPots]

I do not like ground turkey at all! I don't like it's texture, taste, or color! That being said, I don't like ground beef much either but I much prefer it to turkey so I use 93% lean ground beef when I have to.

 

[shane&jakesmom]

I make the best turkey burgers, I use ground turkey (nothing is measured, approximate it) I add garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, salt & pepper,(a little of each) then i add some ketchup, a little mustard , Worcestershire sauce(spalsh) parsley and then I add soy sauce and some terriaki sauce. Mix well. Make patties Sometimes they are too soft to grill so I pan fry them, but let me tell you they are delicious, use can also mix in some pineapple juice. I also use all the same ingredients to make pork burgers also very delicious. I put it on a roll with some garlic mayo. MMMMMMM
Top it off with grilled pineapple slice

 

[shane&jakesmom]

This is my version of chilli I think it taste really good. I dont want to offend the really chilli makers out there. So this is just the way I make it and it is fast and easy.
To make turkey chilli, first I brown some minced onion and garlic.Then I brown the ground turkey, then I add chilli seasoning or if I'm out taco seasoning. Mix it all up then I add a can of baked beans , campbells, or any flavor bushes baked beans. (I have also made it using plain kidney beans, also good) Then I add a jar of tomato sauce I use either Prego meat sauce or ragu meat flavor. Add some hot sauce, stir it all up over med to low heat. You can eat it right away if you are time saving, but I leave to simmer stirring often over med to low heat for 45min to 1hr. It thickens up a little and all the flavors all mix well together.

 

[MickeynMinnie]

we use ground chicken and turkey all the time!! For dinner tonight my dad just made chicken burgers!! They are FABOULOUS!!! Not sure how he makes it but i can ask him next time.
we perfer the ground chicken to the turkey. I make meatballs, put it in chilil and tacos. I'll use it in spagatti sauce also. I love the taste of it. But thats probally because i don't like beef!

 

[butiflfeet]

Ground turkey or chicken are great substitutes with less cholesterol but like pp's have said, you still have to make sure you get lean ground meat, otherwise it will have as much if not more fat than ground beef.

For turkey burgers I saute some diced onion and bell pepper (I prefer red or orange, the green ones taste too bitter to me) with a bit of minced garlic in a teaspoon of oil until the veg is soft. Then I mix the sauteed veg in with the ground turkey along with either bbq sauce or terriaki sauce for some flavor. They cook up really moist from the vegetables and flavorful from the sauce. Don't go overboard with the sauces though, they usually have a lot of sugar and that will also add tons of unnecessary calories.

I also sub ground turkey or chicken in chilis and pasta sauces. If doing this though, I'll brown the meat then let it simmer a bit in the sauce, then I break it up by mashing the meat in the sauce with a potato masher. It really breaks up the meat and the texture is more like what you get from ground beef in sauces.

Meatballs can be good with ground turkey too but I usually do a 50/50 mix of lean beef and lean turkey for better flavor and texture.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I only buy ground trukey/chicken BREAST. These are VERY low in fat. Turkey has 1 gram and chicken 1/2 gram I think. I use then anyway I would use beef. The burger can be dry so you need to cook carefuly. Adding a egg white or a little egg beaters helps too. I add lots of differnt spices for flavor as well. This is NOT a budget choice but rather a health one. This week ground beef was 2.79 for 93% lean and the ground turkey/chicken was over 4.00

 

[TandT]

Here is our Turkey Burger recipe.....delicious!!!

1lb ground turkey
1 diced jalepeno pepper
6 fresh basil leaves chopped
1 clove garlic diced
dash of pepper to taste

Very Healthy and DELICIOUS!!!