Ingredients

Tyson All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast with Rib Meat: chicken and water.

Simple Truth Emerge Plant-Based Chick ‘N Grind: water, wheat protein, expeller-pressed canola oil, wheat starch, methylcellulose, white rice flour, natural flavor (maltodextrin, salt, hydrolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, sunflower oil, natural flavorings), salt, sugar, tetra potassium diphosphate, sodium carbonate, vitamin E (tocopherol), dehydrated onion, black pepper.

The Proteins

To see how real meat products compare to plant-based products when it comes to processing, we ran a side-by-side comparison. In the comparison, a pound of Tyson Chicken Breast and a pound of Simple Truth Emerge Plant-Based Chick ‘N Grind was used to make two separate brats with Excalibur Salsa Bratwurst Seasoning.

Inspecting the plant-based meat product in the package, the Chick ‘N Grind appeared to have a pasty-like texture but the ropes of the ground product resembled cloth strings or rope. Once it was removed from the package it felt sticky like a glue or caulking sealant.

Grinding

Because it appeared the Chick ‘N Grind was already ground once, the real chicken was ground first. After chopping up the breast into smaller pieces it was run through a 3/8 inch plate than a 1/8 inch plate using the Walton’s #22 Grinder.

After cleaning the grinder, the Chick ‘N Grind was run through a 1/8 plate. The real chicken left a little left-over product in the grinder, but the Chick ‘N Grind stuck to the inside of the grinder like wet cement, making clean up more difficult and losing significant weight of the product.

The chicken kept from smearing during the grind, however, there was a lot of smearing with the Chick ‘N Grind. The chicken kept some structure after the grind, where the Chick ’N Grind started to mush up.

Mixing

Mixing by hand because of the low quantity being processed, there was a noticeable difference between the real chicken and the Chick ‘N Grind. When mixing in the water and the Excalibur Salsa Bratwurst Seasoning with the Chick ‘N Grind it became more like a paste and stuck to gloves. The seasoning did mix into the Chick ‘N Grind well.

When mixing the chicken it was less adhesive but was more difficult to mix with the seasoning.

Stuffing

Using the 7 lb. Sausage Stuffer and 21 mm Clear Collagen Casings the Chick ‘N Grind and the chicken was similar, but the cleanup was not. Once again the Chick ‘N Grind adhered to the inside of the stuffer like wet cement. Both proteins were not difficult to stuff with the small batches. Once stuffed, the Chick ‘N Grind appeared to be almost white, where the chicken had an orangish hue.

Cooking

Using the Camp Chef Woodwind Wifi Pellet Grill both brats we cooked on the top rack at 225 F. It took about 15 minutes longer for the Chick ‘N Grind to get to 160 F than the real chicken. During the cooking process, the color of the two proteins changed. The Chick ‘N Grind became a light brown. The chicken lightened to almost white.

Taste

There was a significant difference in the taste and feel of the Chick ‘N Grind and the chicken. The Chick ‘N Grind brat had a spongy consistency to it and left an aftertaste. The flavor was dry and subtle. The chicken was a little dry but had some juiciness. The same amount of the Excalibur Salsa Bratwurst Seasoning was added during the mixing but the seasoning flavor stood out more in the chicken.

Conclusion

It would be hard to convince someone who enjoys real chicken that Simple Truth Emerge Plant-Based Chick ‘N Grind is an acceptable substitute, even though it is 44 percent protein. The taste and consistency of the Chick ‘N Grind is a major adjustment and would be difficult to overcome. The appearance and feel were also significantly different.

Processing the Chick ‘N Grind was also an adjustment, mainly because of the extra clean-up after using the equipment. Mixing the product was easier than the chicken but the pasty feel and adhesiveness were unappealing.

Overall if you enjoy eating real chicken, you will not be satisfied with Simple Truth Emerge Plant-Based Chick ‘N Grind. However, if you are a vegan or vegetarian looking for a source of protein, this product may be right for you.

Shop waltonsinc.com for Excalibur Salsa Bratwurst Seasoning.

Shop waltonsinc.com for Walton’s #22 Grinder

Shop waltonsinc.com for 7 lb. Sausage Stuffer

Shop waltonsinc.com for 21 mm Clear Collagen Casings

Shop waltonsinc.com for Camp Chef Woodwind Wifi Pellet Grill

Watch WaltonsTV Gamebird Gourmet: Sous Vide.