Ground chicken substitutes

The closest thing on the shelf, sold as 93/7 or 99% lean.

Best for

meatballs, burgers, lettuce wraps, chili, pasta sauce, dumpling filling

Interchangeable in every recipe, which is why the two sit side by side. Turkey is slightly firmer and a little more strongly flavoured, so a delicate chicken meatball tastes marginally more savoury. Check the fat percentage rather than the bird: 93/7 turkey behaves like thigh-based ground chicken, while 99% lean turkey is as dry as pure breast mince and needs added oil.

Ground pork shoulder, usually 20 to 25 percent fat.

Best for

dumplings and wontons, meatballs, larb, stir-fries, bolognese, stuffed vegetables

In dumplings, meatballs and Thai larb this is arguably the better ingredient, not just a substitute, because the fat binds the filling and keeps it succulent where lean chicken can turn crumbly and dry. It tastes sweeter and richer and makes the dish heavier, and it releases enough fat that you should drain a skillet before adding sauce. A half-and-half mix of pork and chicken is a common professional compromise.

Boneless skinless thighs cut into chunks and pulsed until coarsely minced.

Best for

meatballs, dumpling filling, larb, burgers, lettuce wraps

The best result on this list and the answer when the store has none. Cut the thighs into one-inch pieces, freeze them for 15 minutes so they stay firm, then pulse eight to ten times in short bursts. Stop while the texture is still coarse: over-processing turns it into paste, which makes gluey meatballs. Thigh meat is fattier than most commercial ground chicken, so the result is juicier than what you would have bought.

Lean supermarket ground beef.

Best for

chili, pasta sauce, tacos, meatloaf, casseroles, burgers

Fine wherever the dish is heavily sauced or spiced, and it browns far better than chicken does, which adds real depth. The problem is dominance: in larb, chicken meatballs or a light stir-fry, beef's flavour swamps the fish sauce, lime and herbs that those dishes are built around. Drain the rendered fat before saucing, and note that ground beef is safe at 160F rather than 165F.

Ground lamb shoulder, fatty and assertive.

Best for

kofta, meatballs, stuffed vegetables, Middle Eastern and Greek dishes

A good idea in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking and a bad one almost everywhere else, because lamb stays gamey through any seasoning. In a Thai or Chinese recipe it fights the fish sauce and ginger. It is much fattier than ground chicken, so drain the pan and cut any added oil, and cut it with ground chicken or turkey if you want to soften the flavour.

The meat-free routes, both needing hard browning to work.

Best for

lettuce wraps, stir-fries, dumpling filling, pasta sauce, tacos

Press tofu thoroughly and crumble it by hand, or chop mushrooms very fine, then brown either one hard in a generous amount of oil until the moisture is gone and the edges catch. Skipping that step is why these usually taste watery. Neither has savoury depth on its own, so add soy sauce and a little sesame oil. Mushrooms give a chewier, meatier result; tofu gives a closer visual match.