While I do enjoy cooking, I also enjoy a lot of other things and I get weary of planning dinner every night. Over the years, we’ve simplified things by having a couple of standing meals we order out and I’ll prepare a few things at the beginning of the week that can make quick lunches and dinners. That usually involves making soup (during the cooler months), cooking up a container of rice, prepping some fresh veggies for salads, and making this recipe for chicken patties.
I’ve made chicken patties over the years, but I never realized the magic of them until I made too many at one time and ended up with several that we reheated as leftovers. The real magic of the chicken patty is it keeps and reheats so much better than a cooked chicken breast. They stay juicy and can simply be reheated in the microwave. To me, food that reheats well is a winner. I can cook a lot at one time and the fridge is stocked with homemade, healthy food that’s ready in just a few minutes.
These chicken patties are also easy to make, versatile, tasty, high in protein, and under 200 calories per patty. I have a hard time getting a lot of protein in the day, so these are perfect for me.
We usually eat them as our main protein served with rice, potatoes, pasta, veggies, etc, but they are also great to slice and add to a salad, crumble and add to a bowl or wrap, or put on a sandwich. And, you can change up the flavors to make it lean towards different cuisines. My recipe for chicken patties leans Italian with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning, but those are easy to change if we ever want something different.
I make three pounds of ground chicken at a time, which makes twelve patties since they are easy and then we have plenty of leftovers. Ours are always eaten in just a few days, so I’ve never had to freeze them, but my mom says they freeze well. She cooks them following the recipe below, allows them to cool, wraps each patty, and freezes them in a gallon ziplock bag, She’ll then take them out to thaw in the fridge ahead of time or will slowly defrost and cook them in the microwave.
Just dump all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl…
Combine the ingredients. I use my hand and fold the ingredients in the bowl, almost like bread dough. I want to be gentle with it so I don’t overmix and the meat doesn’t get tough.
Some chicken patty recipes I found called for shaping the patties, refrigerating them, and breading them before cooking. I skip all of that and make “drop” chicken patties. I scoop up a patty-sized spoonful and drop it in a hot non-stick pan…
…and press it down and shape it with the spoon.
I leave the chicken patties alone to let them brown. I haven’t timed it, but it probably takes about 5-7 minutes per side. That’s another thing I like about this chicken patty recipe – I can sort of ignore them while I make other things.
Once I can see they are browning and the sides are starting to turn white (indicating they are cooking), I’ll flip them over once and let them brown on the second side. You only want to flip these once and leave them alone! It’s tempting to fiddle with food and keep flipping and pressing it with your spatula, but that pushes moisture out and prevents the patties from browning well.
Once both sides are browned, I’ll put them on a cookie sheet in a 400° oven until the middle comes up to temp. This prevents overcooking (or raw centers) and means less time standing at the range.
I use an to check the internal temperature of the chicken patties to ensure the patties are cooked properly. The internal temperature for chicken should be 165.
The crispy edges are my favorite part. They really are so good!
We’ll usually eat these chicken patties fresh for dinner and then I’ll put the rest in containers to have as leftovers. Especially with a teenage son who is a bottomless pit and wants to get more protein, these are great to have in the house. He’ll eat these up for snacks or a quick meal.
This is the recipe for chicken patties I make, but the foundation of the recipe is the ground chicken, eggs, and breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs can be replaced with almond flour for gluten-free chicken patties. You can also swap out the cheese and spices for different flavors. Let me know if you try any combos you like!
Chicken Patties
Equipment
- nonstick frying pan
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 3 lbs fresh ground chicken (I use 92% lean)
- 1 cup original bread crumbs
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- splash of Worcestershire
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ground black pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- preheat oven to 400
- Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl, folding in gently by hand to prevent meat from getting tough
- drizzle olive oil in a non-stick skillet and preheat the pan on medium-high heat
- Add four chicken patties to the pre-heated pan and allow them to brown on one side, about 5-7 minutes. (You can either shape the patties by hand or drop them into the pan and flatten with a large spoon.) Flip patties and brown on the second side.
- Once both sides of the patties are browned, transfer them to a cookie sheet and put them in the oven until they reach an internal temp of 165 or higher. (I check it with an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge and reheat as leftovers. The patties can also be frozen and reheated.
I don’t sit around creating and testing new recipes, so when I share one, it’s something I make a lot and our family loves. You can find more recipes HERE.
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27 Responses
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve been making dinner for many years and sometimes I want something that’s fast but still healthy. I’m going to add this to my repertoire. Any help you can give us with dinner ideas is always appreciated.
Yes, I’ll have to share more of these recipes because I feel the same way. Sometimes I want to experiment, but most of the time I just want something fast and healthy that doesn’t require much planning and thought!
Will give this a try—it sounds really good and I usually have these ingredients on hand. Thanks for sharing it 🙂
This recipe looks great! I love the idea of meats that reheat well. Do you have a recommendation for the fat content of the ground chicken? Like does it work as well for white meat ground chicken that’s 98% lean as it does for dark meat ground chicken that’s 92% lean?
Good question! I have always used 92% lean, but I’ll have to try it with 98% to see how that goes. I’m guessing the added chicken fat does help with keeping it moist, though.
I don’t eat red meat so make these using 92% lean turkey or chicken. I find that the 98% is too dry and does not have the flavor of the of the 92%.
I make very similar patties with Tuna. My mom always made tuna patties with parmesan noodles and peas so I do the same. My kids don’t love tuna though so I’m going to try the chicken. I don’t know if it’s the same for the chicken but the tuna ones are great cold and travel really well. Great for road trips or even a day out on the boat. Just throw in a baggie in a cooler and eat cold. Great share!
This looks very good ! And I bet the grandkids would like it. I think to reheat them I would put them in the air fryer. I don’t use a microwave very often and the air fryer will crisp them up I think.
Looking forward to making these next week, thanks for sharing !
Wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to try them. If I don’t have an oven thermometer, about how long do you bake them?
You can always cut into one a bit to make sure the middle isn’t pink. As far as time, though, I probably leave each batch in for 10-14 minutes.
Like the gal who makes similar patties with tuna, I have for many years made a similar thing using either canned or leftover salmon. The same ease and benefits apply. I have never bought ground chicken before, and I will plan to try these. Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you for a new way to prepare ground chicken (or perhaps turkey). I’ve cooked all my life and enjoy doing that; however, I’m burned out with ideas on how and what to prepare. I’ve not done this. I believe my family will enjoy a change like this.
I have recently discovered ground chicken and we loved it! I brown ground chicken and ground turkey together and keep in the freezer in quart baggies for rice bowls ( either Mexican or Asian) or nachos. I will for sure try these patties!
Do you use ground white chicken or dark please? I really prefer white but know dark is usually more moist. I want to try this recipe soon so thanks for sharing with us.
I have been cooking dinners for 50 years and getting a little tired of it. I like making special dinners but not every night dinners. Thanks for the recipe, looks like an easy and good one. By the way, is it fun to cook in your gorgeous kitchen now?!
I’m definitely going to try this. I like having leftovers that are quick and healthy for lunches during the week. Thanks for sharing!!
These look and sound really good. I am definitely going to try them. They reminds me of my grandmother’s salmon croquets. Canned salmon, one egg, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, salt & pepper (I use a dash or so of cayenne for a little bite), roll in saltine cracker crumbs, letting the cracker press into the pattie. Fry until crispy on the outside and cooked through. These are so good and keep well in the refrigerator. I sometimes eat them cold from the fridge with a squeeze of lemon!
These look and sound really good. I am definitely going to try them. They reminds me of my grandmother’s salmon croquets. Canned salmon, one egg, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, salt & pepper (I use a dash or so of cayenne for a little bite), roll in saltine cracker crumbs, letting the cracker press into the pattie. Fry until crispy on the outside and cooked through. You could probably finish off in the oven like you do but these cook quickly so really not necessary. These are so good and keep well in the refrigerator. I sometimes eat them cold from the fridge with a squeeze of lemon!
I make these often from your recipe but I don’t think it’s this recipe. Didn’t you make a chicken patty with avocado in it? That’s the recipe I use and it’s wonderful. I’m going to try these!
That’s a ground turkey patty, but they are certainly interchangeable!
I make something like this but buy chicken breasts and easily grind them in the food processor to make my own ground chicken – almost always cheaper. I add sautéed onions and carrots and a dollop of ketchup and use a little oatmeal as binder (I should probably add egg after seeing yours). They are delicious and easy to reheat for sure.
On my next meno week for sure. But this has to make more than 4 patties? Can you give an idea how many you get from 3# of chicken? Maybe 12? Thanks
Yes, it makes 12 patties.
Came here for the chicken patties recipe; stayed after I saw your Thebes stool! How have I not come across your site before! What a treasure! 🙂
This is great! My husband is an avid fisherman so we have TONS of fish that I need to make, but I don’t really like fish (sadly) so I am always looking for a different protein for me. This could be just the ticket to have on hand and he can have his fish and I’ll have a chicken patty!
Made these for dinner tonight – since it’s just the two of us and I had a lb of ground turkey on hand, it was easy to split the recipe by a third. Husband put a raw onion slice on top – loved it. How do you reheat – I’m thinking the oven may dry them out.