Yes, it works well. Be sure to use the dark meat as the breasts alone will lack juiciness. Even for that, if your grinding, suggest that you add a little bit of the fat or skin to the mix too. Freeze as a big mass, or form into patties. I like to even make breakfast sausage patties out of this. Add some salt, and Bells Seasonings (sage, rosemary, thyme), black pepper, and coriander. These will make great sausages too.

I never freeze meat in the package it comes in from the store. I quick-freeze meat in portions I want to prepare it on a cookie sheet (freeze it just until it is solid - 30-45-minutes). Separate it using parchment or waxed paper, plastic wrap, or put portions in fold-top sandwich bags. Then I vacuum-seal it in FoodSaver bags. I can open a bag and take out what I need and reseal the bag and put it back into the freezer. FoodSaver bags eliminate freezer burn and I can purchase meat in bulk and divide it for our family of two. I quick-freeze patties and put two or three in a fold-top sandwich bag (an amount I would use for a meal), stack them and vacuum-seal the stack of patties in a FoodSaver bag. You can form perfectly nice patties with your hands. I have an ancient Tupperware Patty Maker and it still gets used for making meat, fish, gluten, and bean patties. The Cuisinart model at the link below is similar to my Tupperware Patty Maker. I measure the meat in a measuring cup, or on a kitchen scale, so I have patties that are the same size and the appropriate amount for a serving of meat. You can cut circles out of plastic container lids, plastic plates, etc. (use food-grade plastic items) and use them to separate your patties. It actually works really well. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Hamburger Patty Maker

How about a couple of different version of chicken patties: Asian Chicken Patties Note: I didn't measure anything when I made these. So I wrote up the recipe as approximate. Use the recipe as an outline and adjust seasoning to suit personal taste. 1 pound chicken breasts 3/4 cup fresh grated bread crumbs 1 egg 1 large clove of garlic Fresh ginger Asian chili pepper paste Splash of rice wine vinegar Green onions Cilantro Salt Grind chicken breasts in Food processor until it looks like ground chicken. Do not over process. Empty in to large bowl. Add fresh grated bread crumbs. Add egg, minced garlic clove and minced ginger to food processor and pulse. Add green onion, cilantro and splash of rice wine vinegar and chili pepper paste. Pulse to coarsely puree. Add to chicken and bread crumbs. Mix by hand. Fry a taste test piece and adjust seasoning as needed. Shape in to patties. Heat skillet, add peanut oil and saute until cooked. Patties should be lightly browned on both sides. Place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining patties. (I used a cast iron skillet). Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ========================================== Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli ========================================== * Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Tue, Jul 31, 07 at 8:38 Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli CAKES 2 (1 1/2-ounce) slices whole wheat bread 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large egg whites 2 teaspoons canola oil NOTE: I used real Helmans, not low-fat and I added a minced garlic clove and cayenne pepper in place of the cajun seasoning. NOTE: Made my own Aioli. A garlic Lemon Aioli using the extra egg yolks, and adding 3 large cloves of garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest salt, pepper and olive oil. AIOLI: 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon salt To prepare cakes, place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup (discard remaining breadcrumbs). Set breadcrumbs aside. Place chicken in food processor; pulse until ground. Combine chicken, chives, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, egg whites, and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl; mix well (mixture will be wet). Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. ---------------------------------------------------------- These meatballs work with ground chicken or turkey. Pork Meatballs seasoned with Garlic and Fresh Basil =================================================== 1 1/2 pounds ground pork *(or ground turkey or ground chicken) 2 cloves garlic, mashed 1/2 cup fresh basil 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 eggs 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly cracked black pepper salt Sauce olive oil 2 to 3 cloves of garlic 2 cans of tomatoes high quality dried basil salt and pepper 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil For the Meatballs Put the meat in a bowl. Tip: Using a microplane grate the garlic. This is the quickest and easiest way to make a garlic paste. Add the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper. Pulse the basil with the bread crumbs and add to the bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Tip: To check for seasoning by frying a small piece. Form into meatballs and brown in olive oil. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer about one hour. For the Sauce Add the garlic cloves to the oil and saute for 30 to 60 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, dried basil, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the browned meatballs and continue to simmer for about an hour or until the meatballs are tender. Just before serving add fresh chopped basil.

Although my recipe originally called for ground chicken, I use ground white meat turkey because it's much easier to find in stores these days. It's a take off on those delicious Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings. I make this about once every other month, and freeze portions for later. Very convenient! BUFFALO CHICKEN (TURKEY) CHILI Ingredients: 3 carrots, sliced into half moons 3 stalks celery, sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground white meat turkey 1 tablespoon chile powder 2 tablespoons flour 2-3 tablespoons cumin 2 cups vegetable or tomato juice 2 tablespoons hot sauce, or more 1 can cannelloni beans, drained 2 cups kale, chopped (if desired) Toppings: Plain non-fat Greek yogurt and/or Whipped blue cheese topping (recipe below) Chopped green onions Directions: 1) Liberally coat a medium pot with cooking oil spray, and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and celery and sauté , stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes; add water, a tablespoon at a time to prevent scorching. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. 2) Add the ground turkey, reapplying more cooking spray if needed. Sauté, stirring continuously and breaking up the turkey into small pieces, for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through. As turkey cooks, continue to scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any large bits. Sprinkle in the chile powder, flour, and cumin; stir quickly to distribute them evenly. Immediately add the vegetable juice, hot sauce and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, covered for about 40 minutes. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve with desired toppings. *Whipped Blue Cheese Topping: In a small bowl mash together 1/3—1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt. Serve as a topping for this chili. Top with chopped green onions. Great served with sliced tomatoes, avocados and slices of baked, breaded eggplant or other bread substitute. (This original recipe, before I changed it a bit, came from JoyBauer.com)