Sat 1 Mar 2008
Ground Chicken is a perfect substitute for ground beef in dishes such as spaghetti, chili, meatloaf, lasagna or even plain burgers. And ground chicken has fewer calories and less fat than ground beef. It will vary according to the individual manufacturer’s formulations, but ground chicken usually averages 60% less fat than the U.S. Department of Agriculture standard permits for regular ground beef. (Regular ground beef is about 30% fat.)
I was surprised to learn that there’s actually a double standard for the beef industry and the poultry industry when it comes to describing fat content. Beef can be classified as “lean” at 22.5% fat, while chicken is only “lean” if it contains 10% or less fat.
I was also surprised to learn how complicated it is to make ground chicken. If I weren’t connected with the industry, I would have thought that to get ground chicken, you just put it in a grinder the way you do to get hamburger, and that would be it. Ah, but it’s not so! The fibers of chicken meat are shorter and more delicate than beef. To get the right texture took a full year of experimentation and fine tuning at Perdue. The skilled and knowledgeable food scientists working on the project had to discover which parts of the bird tasted best in hamburger, what size holes the meat should be forced through in the grinding machine, what temperature would be best, and so on. A difference of a mere 2 degrees in the meat’s temperature meant the difference between a desirable texture and one that was merely passable.
I remember when the food scientists were first developing the ground chicken, that hundreds of people, including me, were involved in the taste testings. I also remember the first time Frank and I tried ground chicken outside of the laboratory. It happened at a barbecue at his son’s house. Jim and Jan Perdue had chicken hamburgers and beef hamburgers grilling side by side, and Frank beamed like a kid with a new toy when he saw how the chicken burgers stayed plump and didn’t shrink. Meanwhile the hamburgers, being 20% fat, were dwindling into hockey pucks.
Basic Cooking Guide for Burgers:
Saute: Shape one package fresh ground chicken into patties. Saute in a small amount of oil over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes on each side to brown. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side until thoroughly cooked and springs back to the touch.
Broil: Shape one package fresh ground chicken into patties. Broil on a rack 4-inches from heat 5 to 6 minutes on each side until thoroughly cooked and springs back to the touch.
Grill: Shape one package fresh ground chicken into patties. Place burgers on hottest area of lightly oiled grill 1 to 2 minutes on each side to brown. Move burgers toward the outside of the grill and continue to cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side until thoroughly cooked and springs back to the touch.
Chicken Recipes – The Perdue Chicken Cookbook
Copyright (C) by Mitzi Perdue – Used with Permission
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