Wondering how to make chicken patties that’ll blow store-bought versions out of the water? Been there! After burning through countless packages of frozen patties (and my grocery budget), I finally nailed a homemade recipe that’s changed our dinner game forever. These chicken patties are very easy, crazy-versatile, and—I’m not even kidding—my 7-year-old actually requests them. Whether you’ve got fresh ground chicken or leftover roast chicken gathering frost in the freezer, I’ll walk you through turning it into something magical in about 30 minutes. Grab an apron—things might get messy!
What Are Chicken Patties?
OK so chicken patties aren’t rocket science, but they’re not just flattened nuggets either! They’re basically seasoned ground chicken shaped into discs and cooked till golden. My husband calls them “chicken burgers’ little brothers” cuz they’re smaller, but honestly they’re way more versatile. My mom always confused chicken fritters with patties, but fritters usually have more veggies and batter.
Since 2019, I have probably made more than fifty batches of chicken patties. The best chicken patty recipe requires the ideal balance of moisture and texture; if it is too dry, they look like hockey pucks, and if it is too wet, they crumble when you look at them. But before going through to know the process for how to make chicken patties, you should know why you should make these chicken patties at home.
Why Make Homemade Chicken Patties?
I started making my own after reading the novel-length ingredient list on the frozen box. Yikes! Here’s the honest truth about why homemade wins:
- My picky eater actually said, “these don’t taste” fake”—highest praise ever
- No weird ingredients I can’t pronounce—just real food from my messy pantry
- Making 8-10 patties at home costs roughly what 4 frozen ones do (I tracked this on my sad little budget spreadsheet)
- You can adjust seasonings based on what your people will actually eat
- Works for everything from “mom I’m starving” after-school snacks to proper dinners
My friend Elif (meal prep queen) figured out her family saves around $340 yearly making these instead of buying frozen. Plus, when she got her bloodwork done, her doc mentioned her sodium levels improved—probably from ditching all those preserved foods!
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Chicken Patties
Here are the basic ingredients required for how to make chicken patties.
Basic Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken (dark meat = juicier patties; thank me later)
- Half a cup of flour (surprisingly, regular sandy flour works better than panko here)
- 1 small onion, minced into oblivion (my kids “hate” onions they can see)
- 1 egg (the glue that holds our chicken dreams together)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped (or 4 if you’re me and fear vampires)
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill—whatever’s turning slimy in your produce drawer)
- Salt and pepper (more than you think you need, seriously)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying (butter burns too fast; learned that the smoky way)
Optional Flavor Boosters
- 1/4 cup Parmesan the fake stuff in the green can actually works BETTER than fresh here
- One teaspoon of Dijon mustard gives a “what is that?” taste without being overtly “mustard!”
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika game changer I discovered during the 2020 lockdown boredom cooking phase
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne my husband sneaks this in when I’m not looking
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. I still pronounce this wrong after 15 years of cooking with it
How to make Chicken Patties Step-by-Step
Here is an easy recipe for how to make chicken patties. Lets start.
Step 1: Prepare Your Mixture
Dump ground chicken in a mixing bowl big enough that you won’t slop raw chicken goo all over your counter (been there). Toss in breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion, minced garlic, and an egg. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you need to use up. Now for the fun part squish it all together with your hands. Yes, it feels gross and cold and your rings will get gunky, but a spoon just doesn’t cut it. Stop mixing when everything looks combined—overmix and you’ll get tough patties that bounce when you drop ’em.
Step 2: Form the Patties
Scoop up blobs that are roughly the size of a small lime or a ping-pong ball. Roll each blob into a rough ball, then smoosh it between your palms. Go for about 1/2 inch thick—any thinner and they turn into chicken crackers, any thicker and the outside burns while the inside’s still raw (learned this while serving undercooked patties to my in-laws; still haven’t lived it down). Press your thumb in the middle to make a belly button indent—it stops them from turning into little chicken balloons.
Step 3: Chill the Patties
This step is NON-NEGOTIABLE! Put the patties in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes after lining a plate with parchment. I use this time to clean raw chicken gunk off everything and scroll TikTok. The chilling firms them up so they remain firm in the pan. I skipped this step once when the kids were screaming hungry and ended up serving chicken scramble instead tasty but definitely not patties.
Step 4: Cook to Perfection
Get your skillet pretty hot; flick water in; it should sizzle. Add oil and let it get shimmery before gently laying patties in. Don’t crowd the pan! These babies need personal space; overcrowd them, and they steam instead of getting that gorgeous crust.
Cook roughly 4-5 minutes per side, but time means nothing; color and firmness are your guides. They should be golden brown and feel firm when pressed. Always slice one open to check; it should be totally white inside with no pink spots, or 165°F if you’re fancy and own a meat thermometer (I finally bought one after the in-law incident). When its done you can serve them with crispy fries.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Patties
Want that extra crispy chicken patty recipe? After probably 20 mediocre batches, here’s what actually works:
Panko breadcrumbs are technically better for crispness, but you have to double-coat. Give this absurd but worthwhile approach a try: Create patties, then coat them in panko, roll them in flour, and dip them in beaten egg.
Make sure your oil is properly hot before the patties hit the pan—not smoking, but definitely shimmering. DON’T TOUCH THEM! Seriously, leave them alone for a full 4 minutes before even thinking about flipping. Pat your ground chicken with paper towels first—I learned this from my butcher, who saw my sad, soggy patties on Instagram
Variations to Try
You can try these delecious patties in different variations.
Gluten-Free Chicken Patties
My sister has celiac and I got tired of making separate meals. Crushed rice crackers work SHOCKINGLY well as breadcrumb substitutes—they get even crispier! Processed gluten-free oats are decent too. Just watch for sneaky gluten in seasoning mixes—I found this out the hard way when my sister got sick from my “gluten-free” patties that had soy sauce in the mix. Now I’m paranoid about reading labels.
Keto Chicken Patties
My neighbor went keto and almost cried when I made her these. Replace breadcrumbs with crushed pork rinds (sounds gross, tastes amazing) or almond flour. Add extra cheese to help bind everything. These keto chicken patties got so popular at our block party that the non-keto folks were stealing them from the special dietary needs table!
Spicy Chicken Patties Recipe
My husband dumps hot sauce on everything, so this version was inevitable. Mince up a jalapeño with seeds if you’re brave, add cayenne, and don’t forget a splash of hot sauce in the mix. WARNING: Label these clearly! My kid grabbed one thinking it was regular and nearly breathed fire. Now I use toothpicks with different colored tops to mark the spicy ones.
Chicken Patties Without Breadcrumbs
Ran out of breadcrumbs during a snowstorm and discovered this hack—2 tablespoons of cornstarch works surprisingly well! Even better is grated zucchini that you’ve squeezed the living daylights out of with a kitchen towel. The texture’s a bit different but still holds together great. My picky eater actually prefers the zucchini version—he has NO IDEA he’s eating vegetables, and let’s keep it that way.
Air Fryer Chicken Patties
I got an air fryer for Christmas and it sat in the box for 2 months until I tried making chicken patties in it:
- Preheat to 380°F—takes like 3 minutes
- Spray patties lightly with oil—those oil misters are worth buying; the aerosol ones make your patties taste like chemicals
- Don’t overcrowd! I do batches of 3-4 depending on size
- Cook for 8 minutes, flip ’em, then another 5-7 minutes
- Always check by cutting one open—nobody wants surprise pink chicken
The air fryer chicken patties come out with this ridiculous crispiness and a healthy version that’s nearly impossible in a pan. Plus, my kitchen doesn’t smell like fried food for days, and my smoke detector doesn’t have an existential crisis. My teenager says they taste “like the good frozen kind but better,” which I think was a compliment?
Serving Suggestions
Now you’ve got these golden beauties—what next? Here’s what flies in my house:
- Classic chicken sandwich setup with toasted buns, mayo, pickles and lettuce (tastes like fast food but better)
- Mini versions for my kid’s lunchbox— came home with an empty container and three friend requests for playdates
- Chopped up on salads when I’m pretending to be healthy
- With mashed potatoes and gravy when I’m absolutely not pretending to be healthy
- Cold from the fridge at 11pm while standing in the dark like a raccoon (my personal favorite)
Meal Prep and Storage Tips
Sunday meal prep saved my weekday dinner sanity. Here’s my chicken patty strategy:
- Make double batch while catching up on trashy reality TV
- Let them cool COMPLETELY on a rack—if you skip this, they steam themselves soggy in storage
- Keep in glass containers that have those fulfilling clippy lids.
- For freezing, put parchment between patties or they’ll form a chicken patty glacier
- Reheat in toaster oven for best results— microwave works but makes them kinda rubbery
They last about 3 days in the fridge before getting weird, or roughly 3 months in the freezer. Though honestly, they never actually make it that long before someone eats them all. Usually my husband is “midnight snacking.”
Conclusion
There you have it—everything I know about how to make chicken patties after five years of trial, error, and a few smoke detector incidents! Whether you’re going classic, trying the air fryer chicken patties route, or experimenting with gluten-free chicken patties, homemade beats frozen any day of the week.
They’ve saved me on hectic weeknights, impressed my judgy mother-in-law, and somehow satisfied both my health-conscious husband and my son, who thinks anything green is “suspicious.” My current favorite is still the slightly spicy version with extra garlic and smoked paprika. What twist will you add to make them your own? Drop me a comment if you try these—I’m always looking to up my chicken patty game!
FAQs
How to make chicken patties?
Mix ground chicken with egg and breadcrumbs, form into patties, chill, then fry until golden and 165°F internal temperature.
How do you make 3-ingredient chicken patties?
Combine ground chicken with egg and Parmesan cheese, shape, and cook until golden.
What are chicken patties made of?
Chicken patties contain ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasonings like garlic and herbs.
How to make chicken patties stick together?
Chill chicken patties for 15 minutes before cooking and use enough egg as a binder.
What helps chicken patties stick together?
Eggs bind chicken patties while breadcrumbs absorb moisture for better structure.
