These healthy chicken patties made without breadcrumbs are a delicious protein rich dinner recipe! Made with ground chicken, flavorful spices, green onions, and fresh herbs. Perfect on their own or served with a big green salad or side vegetable. Whole30, gluten free, dairy free, keto, low carb.
The best homemade chicken patties
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what to make with ground chicken that is both healthy and delicious, these chicken patties win my vote every time!
They are good for the whole family and absolutely perfect for meal prep. An easy-to-follow recipe that can be eaten as a burger, with a salad, or a variety of side dishes.
Our favorite way to serve them is with a little bit of spicy mayo, but the garlic aioli from this recipe would also be SO delicious!
Why you’ll love these healthy chicken patties
They are:
- Juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside
- Super flavorful
- Made with healthy ingredients
- Whole30 compatible
- Low carb / keto friendly
- Protein rich
- Filling + satisfying
- An easy ground chicken recipe
- & SO delicious!
Ingredients and substitutions
These chicken patties are made with just a handful of healthy and fresh ingredients. There are a few substitutions that could be made that I’ll share below.
Here’s what you need for the chicken patties
- Ground chicken – I typically grab ground chicken thigh over ground chicken breast to keep the patties more juicy but you could use either. You could also substitute ground turkey for the ground chicken.
- Green onions – Thinly sliced green onions are added to the chicken burgers and used for garnish as well. If you don’t have green onions you could substitute 2-3 cloves of chopped or grated garlic or 1/3 cup finely diced white onion.
- Fresh parsley – Chopped parsley adds a nice fresh herbaceous flavor and bright green color. You could substitute cilantro or leave it out all together.
- Egg – One egg is used to help bind the ground chicken patties together and adds some moisture.
- Coconut flour – Coconut flour is a healthy flour alternative to use instead of all purpose flour to keep these patties gluten free, grain free, and paleo. I love to use it in recipes like this because it’s super absorbent and you don’t need much to hold everything together.
- Dried spices – Garlic powder, onions powder, and paprika add a lot of flavor.
- Salt and pepper – Salt and pepper bring all the other spices and flavors together.
- Olive oil – You can use olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, or coconut oil to pan sear the patties.
Here’s what you need for the spicy aioli sauce
- Mayonnaise – For a Whole 30 and paleo option you should look for an avocado oil mayonnaise or make your own.
- Hot sauce – Again, choose a Whole30 compatible option to keep this recipe Whole30 – any brand you like will work! We love the sugar free Yellowbird hot sauce or Cholula.
Can you make these chicken patties spicy?
The spicy aioli adds a nice little kick to these ground chicken burgers, but you could amp up the heat a little extra by adding a generous pinch of chili flakes or a bit of ground cayenne pepper to the patty mixture.
How to cook healthy chicken patties
Making healthy chicken patties at home is easier than you think! They are ready in just 4 simple steps in about 30 minutes or less.
Here’s the step-by-step
- Mix the together the patty ingredients. Add all chicken patty ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes so the coconut flour can absorb some of the moisture in the mixture.
- Form into patties and cook. Form into 8 small patties using clean hands – wetting your hands can help keep them from getting sticky. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Fry the patties – in batches if necessary – until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. A splatter screen can help keep the stove top mess at a minimum.
- Make the spicy mayo if using. Mix mayo with hot sauce until well combined.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve patties with spicy mayo and extra green onions and herbs if desired.
How to keep the chicken patties from sticking to the pan
There’s nothing more frustrating than having your protein stick to the bottom of your pan while you’re cooking. This happens more frequently with stainless steel pans, but it can also happen with other types of pans.
Here’s my top tips to keep this from happening:
- Choose a non-stick or cast iron pan. These two options tend to perform the best to keep the patties from sticking. If you don’t have either, make sure to follow the tips below.
- Bring you pan fully up to medium heat before adding the oil. This can take up to 2 or 3 minutes depending on your cook top. You can test it by dropping a tiny bit of water on the surface. If it sizzles and evaporates immediately it’s ready. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and swirl around to fully coat the entire surface of the pan. Wait a minute to add the patties until the oil is hot and shimmering.
- Don’t disturb the patties after adding them to the pan. Allow them to cook undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes before flipping. When they’re ready to flip they should easily release from the bottom of the pan.
Serving suggestion
One of my favorite things about this easy dinner recipe is how versatile it is! There are so many different ways you could serve these chicken patties.
Here’s some of our favorite ways to make a meal out of them:
- On top of a big green salad.
- With a side vegetable like roasted asparagus, sautéed spinach, mashed cauliflower, or roasted sweet potatoes.
- They would also be delicious with white rice and veggies or as the base for a chicken burger!
Storage and re-heating
Refrigerator: These patties are great for meal prep and will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days in a sealed container.
Freezing: They also freeze really well! Can be frozen after cooking with pieces of parchment paper separating each one. If you want to freeze them before cooking place them on a large parchment lined baking sheet or cutting board without touching and allow them to fully freeze before transferring to a container or plastic bag.
To re-heat: To re-heat, gently warm them on low in a skillet for several minutes on each side, or in the microwave until warmed through.
Did you love this chicken recipe? Try these other easy dinner ideas!
- Whole30 Salmon Cakes
- Roasted Veggie Protein Bowls
- Classic Whole30 Meatloaf
- Super Easy Whole30 Chicken Salad
- Creamy Whole30 Smothered Pork Chops
- Whole30 Beanless Chili
- Nourishing Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Garlicky Grilled Shrimp Skewers
If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review the recipe below. It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe! Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK! We’re so grateful you’re here.
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Healthy Chicken Patties – Made without Breadcrumbs
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These healthy chicken patties made without breadcrumbs are a delicious protein rich dinner recipe! Made with ground chicken, flavorful spices, green onions, and fresh herbs. Perfect on their own or served with a big green salad or side vegetable. Whole30, gluten free, dairy free, keto, low carb.
Ingredients
For the chicken patties
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced, some reserved for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
- Green onions, parsley, and lemon wedges to garnish (optional)
For the spicy aioli
- 1/3 cup avocado oil mayo
- 1 tablespoon Whole30 compatible hot sauce
Instructions
- Mix the together the patty ingredients. Add ground chicken, green onions, parsley, egg, coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper to a large bowl and mix to combine. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes so the coconut flour can absorb some of the moisture in the mixture.
- Form into patties and cook. Form into 8 small patties using clean hands – wetting your hands can help keep them from getting sticky. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and tilt the pan to fully coat the bottom. When the oil is hot and shimmering cook the patties – in batches if necessary – for about 4 minutes per side (undisturbed to keep them from sticking – see notes above in blog post for more tips) until golden brown and cooked through. A splatter screen can help keep the stove top mess at a minimum.
- Make the spicy mayo if using. Mix mayo with hot sauce until well combined.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve patties with spicy mayo and extra green onions and herbs if desired.
Notes
See notes in the blog post above for tips on how to keep the patties from sticking to your pan.
To store in the refrigerator: These patties are great for meal prep and will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days in a sealed container.
To freeze: These patties also freeze really well! Can be frozen after cooking with pieces of parchment paper separating each one. If you want to freeze them before cooking place them on a large parchment lined baking sheet or cutting board without touching and allow them to fully freeze before transferring to a container or plastic bag.
To re-heat: To re-heat, gently warm them on low in a skillet for several minutes on each side, or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: american
Snnie says
Hi there, these look so yummy! Can’t wait to try, but can I sub regular flour for coconut flour?
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi hi! I haven’t tested this recipe with regular flour. Coconut flour tends to be more absorbent than most flours though, so if you give it a try you may need to add more than 2 tablespoons. Breadcrumbs could work as well. I would suggest starting with 2 tablespoons and increasing by a tablespoon as needed – the chicken mixture should be fairly soft, easy to form into patties, but not fall apart. Hope that’s helpful! I’d love to hear back if you give them a try. Happy cooking! – Nyssa