WineLovers Discussion Group

There are occasions when I use ground turkey or chicken in place of ground beef. Around here these are the brands I see; Zacky Farms in So. CA, Jennie O in Minnesota, or Foster Farms in CA.
Do you have a brand you prefer or do you grind your own?

I regularly make one dish that calls for minced chicken (not quite as finely chopped up as ground chicken). That is pad prik gai bai grapao, Thai stir-fried chicken with chiles and holy basil. For that I buy boneless, skinless chicken and chop it up the traditional way with a Chinese cleaver.

-Paul W.

I have never used ground turkey or chicken but if I needed to I would buy parts from a good producer and grind my own preferring to know exactly what it is that is getting ground.

I do use it, Karen, and even often use the turkey Italian sausage in place of pork. When buying the ground turkey I always buy the leanest possible, and if additional fat is needed in the dish, I use olive oil, thinking at least I'm replacing animal fat with heart-healthy fat. I have bought both Jennie O and Zacky Farms. I prefer the Jennie O. There is also a brand here in Maine that I like, but I can't recall the name off hand. I'll look next time I'm shopping. Last week, Len was craving spaghetti and meatballs, and rather than buying pork, beef and veal, I just bought the turkey. It was a great substitute, and I found once I added the eggs, parmesan cheese, milk and a little EVOO, I didn't miss the higher fat meats. He liked them too but said he still preferred my traditional meatballs. Men.

Carrie, I like the Jennie O, also. Just used it last night in a taco bowl. I jazz it up with garlic, and other seasonings, and don't over cook it. It came out very tasty and juicy. I don't like the way Zacky Farms grinds the turkey....some of a ropey grind and I find it hard to break up.

Karen/NoCA wrote:There are occasions when I use ground turkey or chicken in place of ground beef. Around here these are the brands I see; Zacky Farms in So. CA, Jennie O in Minnesota, or Foster Farms in CA.
Do you have a brand you prefer or do you grind your own?

I use whatever the store has and don't pay attention to the brand. Foster Farms is probably the most common. But this is something I'd kill to have a Whole Foods around for: organic ground chicken and turkey devoid of saline and other preservatives. I buy a natural brand, Diestel, I think it is, when I'm at the Co-op, but it's too far away for me to be religious about it.