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 love your photo! I see no harm in them coming to your feeder. As you said there is no bird flu here yet. If it does come, they will be susceptible to it. I guess it affects big birds like them more readily than small song birds etc. For some reason I can't post this link. www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.htm GW thinks its not a web address, lol. It is the Center for Disease Control Bird Flu FAQ.

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.

Meatball are great! Giada de Laurentiis has a good recipe: Mini Turkey Meatballs * 1 small onion, grated * 3 garlic cloves, minced * 1 large egg * 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs * 3 tablespoons ketchup * 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves * 1/4 cup grated Parmesan * 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano * 1 teaspoon salt * 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper * 1 pound ground dark turkey meat * 3 tablespoons olive oil * 26 ounces Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce Directions Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a large plate or baking sheet. Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the meatball mixture to a serving bowl. Serve with toothpicks. Simple Tomato Sauce: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 carrot, chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 4 to 6 basil leaves 2 dried bay leaves 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors. Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months. Yield: 6 cups Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes Ease of Preparation: Easy [this is my favorite tomato sauce for pasta!] Also, these Feta Turkey Burgers are wonderful! Feta Cheese Turkey Burgers from AllRecipes.com 1 pound ground turkey 1 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced 2 teaspoons dried oregano ground black pepper to taste 1. Preheat the grill for medium high heat. 2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, feta cheese, olives, oregano, and pepper. Mix together, and form into patties. 3. Lightly oil the grate. Place patties on the grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through. [these can be cooked on a Foreman grill or in a skillet]