If you love chicken burgers and chicken croquettes you'll want to try these homemade crispy breaded chicken patties! These crispy patties are loaded with the delicious flavor of lean ground chicken, zucchini, carrot, spices, rice, and coated in breadcrumbs that lock in the juicy flavor inside.
Serve them as they are with dipping sauces, mashed potatoes, or soft hamburger buns with tomato slices, hot sauce, and other toppings to make a tasty chicken sandwich for an easy dinner or school lunch.
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Ingredients
Whenever I'm short on time or ideas for dinner (and this happens a lot, trust me!) I like to make patties or fritters for dinner.
From our juicy and tender salmon burgers to crispy potato pancakes, these are the secret to making any dinner effortless yet incredibly flavorful.
- Lean Ground Chicken mince - Use high-quality white meat chicken for the best flavor and texture. Just the healthy and protein-rich stuff without processed ingredients. You could also mince boneless chicken breast for this breaded chicken patty recipe.
- Onion - Brown onion, diced. Unless you enjoy big chunks of onion in your patties, it’s best to dice the onion into fine pieces. Onion powder could be used instead if you don't enjoy chopped onion in patties. You can easily substitute this with green onions but I love the light crunch onions add here.
- Carrot - Once grated, press the carrot between two clean kitchen cloths to remove excess liquid.
- Zucchini - There are various kinds of zucchini that you can choose from depending on where you’re located in the world or what’s available. Feel free to use summer squashes that you are familiar with. Once grated, press the zucchini between two clean kitchen cloths to remove excess liquid. Here's a quick guide to different ways you can grate and wring out moisture from a zucchini.
- Breadcrumbs - Feel free to make your own breadcrumbs or use packaged breadcrumbs such as Panko breadcrumbs. Since I’ve added my own seasoning to this recipe, I didn’t feel it necessary to purchase seasoned breadcrumbs but you could as a way to adapt the recipe.
- Rice - Use cooked rice for this ingredient. Short-grain rice like sushi rice or arborio is a better option as it helps the patties to stick together. Although I've made these ''croquettes'' without rice they hold together quite well.
- Seasoning - I’ve used ground sweet paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to season these patties. Feel free to adapt the seasoning to suit your preference.
- Oil - Use cooking oil like olive oil, vegetable oil, Canola oil, or Soybean oil. The oil must have a high smoke point.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
Instructions
Prepare zucchini. Wash and peel zucchini. Medium grate it into a bowl and wrap it in a thin kitchen towel or cheesecloth to squeeze out the excess moisture. Set aside.
Optional: Before mixing everything together I like to sautee the onions and carrots but if you are in a rush, feel free to mix these in raw. Sauteeing makes the veggies tender and brings out more flavor.
Combine: In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, cooked rice, zucchini, carrots, onions, Italian herbs, red chili flakes, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
Roll: Shape the mixture into medium-sized balls using your hands (make your hands wet before shaping the balls). I like to make thicker patties which is about 1 ½ tablespoons of mixture.
Prepare a smaller plate/bowl for your breadcrumbs and dip each chicken patty into crumbs right before transferring them to the pan (use a spoon as the croquettes are very soft and tender).
Fry: In a medium skillet, heat olive oil (medium-high heat) and transfer the chicken croquettes to the skillet gently pressing them down to flatten slightly.
Cook untouched, for 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 4 minutes.
Then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to remove the excess moisture.
Serve with dippings, sauces, and your favorite sides. We love mashed potatoes (try Irish style or sweet potato mash), potato soup, quinoa, leafy salad or fries.
Can You Make Chicken Patties In Oven?
Yes, you can also use the oven for these.
Follow the recipe instructions by mixing everything together, shaping into patties, and instead of frying in the skillet preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
Transfer the patties to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown flipping the patties halfway through. Let cool before serving.
Tips
- Don't overcook the croquettes. 4 minutes is enough for these to cook through which keeps them nicely moist and tender. If you make burger-sized patties, add an extra couple of minutes to cooking on each side.
- Place the patties on a side dish with a paper towel for a minute or two so that any excess oil is soaked up to prevent soggy chicken patties.
- Use a good nonstick skillet which helps with perfect browning and crispiness without burning the patties.
- Serve these breaded chicken patties with ranch sauce, avocado crema or another delicious sauce. I provide some ideas below!
- For a little spicy kick I've added red chili flakes, but feel free to double the amount or use chili powder or cayenne instead.
- Leftover chicken croquettes will lose some moisture once cooked, stored in an airtight container, and then reheated on medium-low heat or in an air fryer basket.
- These patties are fragile but once coated with breadcrumbs, they will be easier to transfer to the skillet.
- I haven’t added eggs as a binding agent because the chicken mince and grated zucchini keep the patties intact.
- You can achieve an even more crispy exterior by air frying these patties. It's a great way to reduce the hot oil used, and air fryer chicken patties taste as good as the pan fry method. However, after testing, I found that cooking patties in skillet makes them more juicy and moist inside.
- The use of a meat thermometer is a good idea to test whether the internal temperature of the patties has reached 165F.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Once the patties are cooked, let them cool completely and store them in a food-airtight container for 3-4 days.
- 🔥To Reheat. Reheat in the oven (best results), air fryer at 400 F for 5 minutes, microwave, or in a nonstick skillet with very little oil. If patties are getting too brown in the oven, cover them with aluminum foil or reduce the heat.
- 🥶Freezing. This is what I love about patties, they freeze beautifully! Once cooked, let them cool completely. To freeze leftover croquettes spread them out on a baking sheet and ''flash freeze'' for 15-20 minutes until they harden. Once done, transfer to a freezer-friendly bag or container, label, and freeze for 1-2 months. When ready to reheat, let them thaw in the fridge and follow the reheating instructions above.
The following method can be used to freeze uncooked patties as well.
Can You Make Chicken Croquettes Ahead Of Time?
You can combine the chicken mixture, keep it tightly covered in a food storage container, and refrigerate it for up to 2 to 3 days before frying.
Variations
Chicken patties are pretty versatile, I like to use simple veggies like zucchini and carrot but feel free to swap things out according to seasonal produce.
- Buffalo chicken patties: mix in spicy or buffalo sauce into the mixture.
- Spicy: add cayenne, chili powder, more red chili flakes, fresh or jarred jalapenos, green chiles, and fresh chili pepper. About ½ teaspoons to start with.
- Vegetables: you can make a good chicken patty with just one type of veggie, either zucchini or carrot. I used both for extra nutrition and flavor. I also love adding bell peppers, fresh garlic, and green onions or parsley.
- Sauces: need extra flavor? Add homemade pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, or enchilada sauce to the mixture. You only need a little for flavor. Some popular variations include adding sour cream or mayonnaise but I don't find it useful here as the patties are already quite moist.
- Meat/Protein options: ground turkey is an excellent and lean substitute for chicken, or use lean ground beef, or pork.
- Breadcrumbs: regular or wholewheat breadcrumbs, panko, or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Easy Patties Recipes
Our family loves easy dinner recipes, especially fritters and patties. Try my juicy and tender Salmon Patties, classic all time favorite Russian Potato Pancakes, kids favorite Zucchini Corn Fritters or Green Patties for a wholesome vegetarian meal. And don't forget the dips:
- Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Dip
- 10-Minute Roasted Pepper Hummus
- Avocado Crema With Jalapenos
- Cold Spinach Dip
Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!
📖Recipe
Breaded Chicken Patties With Zucchini and Carrot
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound ground chicken mince or sub with turkey
- ¼ cup diced onion
- ½ cup medium grated carrot
- 2 cups large grated zucchini
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs or panko
- 1 cup cooked rice short grain better
- 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil I used olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Prepare zucchini. Wash and peel zucchini. Medium grate it into a bowl and wrap it in a thin kitchen towel or cheesecloth to squeeze out the excess moisture. Set aside.
- Optional: Before mixing everything together I like to sautee the onions and carrots but if you are in a rush, feel free to mix these in raw. Sauteeing makes the veggies extra tender and brings out more flavor.
- Combine: In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, cooked rice, zucchini, carrots, onions, Italian herbs, red chili flakes, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Roll: Shape the mixture into medium-sized balls using your hands (make your hands wet before shaping the balls). I like to make thicker patties which is about 1 ½ tablespoons of mixture.
- Prepare a smaller plate/bowl for your breadcrumbs and dip each chicken patty into crumbs right before transferring them to the pan (use a spoon as the croquettes are very soft and tender).
- Fry: In a medium skillet, heat olive oil (medium-high heat) and transfer the chicken croquettes to the skillet gently pressing them down to flatten slightly. Cook untouched, for 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to remove the excess moisture.
- Serve with dippings, sauces, and your favorite garnishes. We love mashed potatoes, grains, leafy salad or fries.
Video
Notes
- Place the patties on a side dish with a paper towel for a minute or two so that any excess oil is soaked up to prevent soggy chicken patties.
- Leftover chicken patties will lose some moisture once cooked, stored in an airtight container, and then reheated on medium-low heat or in an air fryer basket.
- You can achieve a golden crispy crust by air frying these patties. It's a great way to reduce the hot oil used, and air fryer chicken patties taste as good as the pan fry method.
- These patties are fragile but once coated with breadcrumbs, they will be easier to transfer to the skillet.
Nutrition
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Frequently Asked Questions
Don't handle the patties too much; otherwise, the meat can become dense, which makes it easier to fall apart once cooked. You could also chill the coated patties before frying them to keep them firm for cooking.
Ingredients that act as binding agents will also help to prevent the patties from falling apart. While egg and wheat flour are typically used, I’ve found chicken mince and grated zucchini sufficient for binding.
Consider using crushed crackers, crushed cornflakes (or unsweetened cereals), pretzel crumbs, or even regular rolled oats.
To prevent your patties from bulging in the center, make a small indent with your thumb in the center of each patty.
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