20+ Easy and Delicious Ground Chicken Recipes

Kelli Foster
Kelli FosterCulinary Producer at The Kitchn
I'm a recipe developer, food writer, stylist, and video producer (and The Kitchn's Dinner Therapist), with more than 10 years professional experience. Since graduating from The French Culinary Institute, I've authored 3 cookbooks: Buddha Bowls, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, and The Probiotic Kitchen.
updated Jun 3, 2021
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

When it comes to buying chicken, we’re quick to pick up a pack of chicken thighs, breasts, legs, or even a whole bird. But to do so would mean overlooking an inexpensive, delicious, and super-versatile item in the chicken case: ground chicken. Made with breasts, thighs, or a combo of both, this mild-mannered meat can be used in many of the ways you’d use other types of ground meat, particularly ground turkey.

As far as what to make with ground chicken, it’s fair game for everything from burgers to meatballs and a whole lot more. Similar to ground turkey, it’s also relatively lean and cooks in much the same way, so it won’t be too much of a departure. You might even surprise yourself by preferring ground chicken in the end. Here are over 20 totally delicious ways to put this chicken case gem to good use.

1 / 22
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
Juicy chicken meatballs baked in a velvety sun-dried tomato and Parmesan cream sauce.
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2 / 22
Egg Roll Skillet
Inspired by the tasty filling in Chinese egg rolls, this quick one-pan dinner is a weeknight win. The recipe calls for ground pork, though ground chicken is an easy substitute.
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3 / 22
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
If saucy, cheesy, and comforting is what you’re after, look no further. These weeknight-friendly chicken meatballs baked in marinara sauce and topped with lots of melted cheese.
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4 / 22
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Get a head start on dinner by cooking the restaurant-inspired meat filling during meal prep, so all that's left to do is reheat. Stick with the sturdy leaves of butter or Bibb lettuce to hold lots of filling.
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5 / 22
Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers
Cheesy chicken Parm meets stuffed peppers.
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6 / 22
Easy Chicken Potstickers
Starting with a bag of coleslaw seriously minimized prep work for a batch of chicken potstickers that's easy and quick.
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7 / 22
Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Meatballs
Tender chicken meatballs flavored with lemon pepper seasoning are finished in a creamy but not-too-rich sauce.
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8 / 22
The Juiciest Chicken Burgers
These golden and juicy chicken burger patties are made with Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and a panade that keeps them moist.
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9 / 22
Juicy Chicken Meatballs
These meatballs are everything you love about traditional meatballs. The trick is adding some extra fat to make sure this lean meat stays super juicy.
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10 / 22
Tsukune
A popular street food found in Japan, tsukune are chicken meatballs that are threaded on skewers, grilled, and brushed with a sweet and salty syrup-like sauce.
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11 / 22
Slow Cooker Chicken Parm Meatballs
Just like you'd expect from classic chicken Parm, these juicy, slow-cooked meatballs don't skimp on the sauce or the melted mozzarella. Serve them up on a roll or pile them on a plate of pasta.
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12 / 22
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Burger
If there's one thing to keep at the top of your list of things to make with ground chicken, it should definitely be burgers. And why keep it classic, when you can load up the bun with baba ganoush, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes?
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13 / 22
Spicy Thai Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls
These vibrant Thai chicken and brown rice bowls are topped with a rainbow of crunchy vegetables and drizzled with curried peanut sauce.
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14 / 22
Chicken Guacamole Burgers
Fatty avocado is our favorite ingredient to give these mild-mannered burgers extra flavor and keep them extra juicy.
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15 / 22
Thai Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
A slew of Thai-inspired ingredients — curry paste, coconut milk, ginger, and fresh herbs — bring big flavor to this batch of saucy chicken meatballs.
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16 / 22
Taco Salad
This loaded taco salad is a catch-all for produce from the market, and can easily be adapted year-round to feature seasonal ingredients - think, sweet corn in the summer and sweet potatoes in the fall.
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17 / 22
Chicken Tacos with Broccoli Slaw
These family-friendly chicken tacos are packed with Asian-inspired flavors: garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and lime. With a little prep, they're ready in 10 minutes.
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18 / 22
The Best Ground Chicken Meat Sauce
Remember, ground chicken makes a great substitute for ground turkey, and there's nowhere I love this swap more than a hearty meat sauce.
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19 / 22
Thai Basil Chicken
Gra pow, or holy basil, is the star ingredient in this quick dish.
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20 / 22
Skillet Chicken Parm Spaghetti Squash
This one-skillet dinner is our interpretation of classic chicken Parmesan on summer vacation. We’ve lightened up the family favorite by replacing spaghetti with spaghetti squash, and we’ve skipped the frying in favor of crispy browned ground chicken.
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21 / 22
Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl
Starting with bagged slaw keeps this stir-fry easy as can be, and the whole thing comes together in just 15 minutes.
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22 / 22
Chicken Chili
There's still plenty of time to get your chili fix. Just swap the turkey for ground chicken in this version!
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