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Chicken parmesan patties are a canned chicken breast, parmesan cheese, and baby spinach all mixed together and pan fried to perfection! Low in carbs and full of flavor, this quick and delicious recipe is the perfect use for canned chicken! 1 gram net carb per pattie.
When it comes to quick and easy low carb dinners, I’m partial to broccoli beef, chicken tenders, or these chicken parmesan patties.
My definition of a quick and easy dinner is one that can be whipped up in under 10 minutes, taste good, and leave me feeling satisfied after. This recipe came into play by accident.
I bought a can of what I thought was tuna, which turned out to be canned shredded chicken. I love sardines and love pretty much all tinned seafood, but chicken? Really?
After returning home from university one night, I was craving my curried tuna patties and reached for the can….of chicken.
This clearly wasn’t tuna and that is what I had set my heart on. Not one to ever waste food, I decided to adapt my curried tuna patties recipe and switch a few of the herbs, spices and added some cheese, and voila- what was a skeptical grocery item soon became my weekly staple.
These patties are so easy to make, and the chicken, once recooked, makes you forget it was earlier on, in a can. These patties are loaded with shredded vegetables which add texture and a nutritional punch. The parmesan cheese adds a golden, melted crust on the outside and a salty bite on the inside. The combination of spices is the final touch to make such a simple meal seem that much more.
Not only are these patties so easy to make, but they just happen to be keto, gluten free, and low carb, too!
How do you make chicken patties
The Ingredients
- Canned chicken breast– Use the plain canned chicken breast, the kind that is in springwater. Using flavored canned chicken will affect the flavor and texture of the chicken patties. Be sure to drain the chicken breast completely.
- Parmesan cheese– Gives the patties a delicious punch of flavor, and pairs well with the chicken.
- Shredded zucchini– Adds a boost of veggies to the recipe, but also helps hold the patties together. Squeeze out all extra moisture.
- Baby spinach– Chopped finely, the spinach provides extra nutrients, but also a delicious flavor to the patties.
- Egg– Binds the patties together. Do not omit.
- Salt and pepper– Only a little bit, as the parmesan cheese provides plenty of saltiness already.
The Instructions
Start by mixing together all your ingredients, until completely combined. Heat up a frying pan with oil on medium heat. When hot, form 4-5 patties and place on the hot pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, before carefully flipping the patties and cooking for a further 3 minutes, or until golden brown on either side. Remove from the pan and enjoy.
Can I use shredded chicken breast?
Yes, if the thought of canned chicken breast skeeves you out, you can certainly use shredded chicken breast.
For this recipe, I’d recommend half a pound (250 grams) of cooked chicken.
Can I make this in the air fryer?
If you’d like to make air fryer chicken patties, you can do so!
Simply prepare the patties as normal, but place them in the air fryer rack. Cook at 200C/400F for 12 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through.
Tips to make the best patties
- Be sure to remove as much excess liquid as possible, from both the chicken and the zucchini. These patties have no flour or grains to bind it together, instead, relying on the egg.
- Do not cook the patties on super high heat, as you risk the patties burning on the outside, but being super soft on the inside.
- If you’d prefer thicker and sturdier patties, you can add 1/4 cup coconut flour or almond flour.
- Chicken patties taste delicious hot or cold!
Storing and Freezing Patties
- To store: Leftover chicken patties can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Freeze leftovers by placing the patties in a shallow container and storing in the freezer for up to 6 months.
What to serve patties with?
- Bread– For a low carb meal, serve patties with keto bread, keto biscuits, and keto tortillas.
- Salad– Pair a few patties with some broccoli salad, couscous salad, or a crunchy noodle salad.
- Vegetables– Cauliflower mac and cheese, roasted brussels sprouts, and even some buffalo cauliflower bites
Chicken Parmesan Patties
Ingredients
- 2 12.5 oz cans chicken breast
- 1/2 medium zucchini grated and liquid squeezed out
- 1/2 cup baby spinach finely chopped
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the shredded chicken breast, grated zucchini, baby spinach, and parmesan cheese, and mix well. Slowly add in the egg. Form 4-5 patties.
- Coat a frying pan with oil and heat up on medium. When hot, add your chicken patties and cook for 4-5 minutes, before carefully flipping and cooking for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Can I use ground chicken in this recipe?
Yes you can!
Very good. although I make them into meatballs. and bake 20-25 mins
What spices did you add Arman? I don’t see any spices in the recipe above.
Hi Reece- it’s super versatile, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, basil, etc are all fab additions.
I threw a a little gluten free flour in mine also. They taste good, my family loves them. I froze some for taking when I’m away from home. I have alpha gal & gluten allergy. Have to be so careful eating especially away from home. These are easy, great and a perfectly simple solution.
I threw a a little gluten free flour in mine also. They taste good, my family loves them. I froze some for taking when I’m away from home. I have alpha gal & have to be so careful eating especially away from home. These are easy, great and a perfectly simple solution.
Made this last night and it was fabulous! Served with mashed potatoes and salad. I enjoyed how easy it was to make, and the sauce while admittedly a bit oily, was very tasty!
Made this last night and it was fabulous! Served with mashed potatoes and salad. I enjoyed how easy it was to make, and the sauce while admittedly a bit oily, was very tasty!
Wow, I just made these chicken patties and they were really good! I did add a bit more zucchini, a bit of grated carrot & and extra egg (my egg’s were small) and it turned out really good and so easy! almost like a potato pancake but with chicken and veggies! Thanks for the recipe!
These were so good! I’m trying to use up random food (as in I’m way too lazy to go grocery shopping any more) and thought I’d do something with chicken and rice. Hubby’s not supposed to have milk products and they all have lots of cheese.
I came across this and we love salmon patties from canned salmon. I keep canned chicken on hand as a filler for soup or chili. I had one dry, cooked breast which I shredded so I only used one can. And I didn’t have zucchini so I used some shredded carrots with the spinach I had to pick out of my spring mix (lol). My party mix was really dry even with the tablespoon or so of mayo left in the bottle and didn’t stick well. Probably needed a second egg. ( I was already subbing in pumpkin for 2 of 4 eggs in the brownies I had to make for work tomorrow so I couldn’t spare another. Again, I found this recipe bc I have to go to grocery store)
Anyway, the point is the flavor was great and even though I wasn’t hungry at all there are no leftovers for lunch tomorrow and I will definitely make these again. I’ll also check out the other recipes. Maybe curried salmon patties will be next.
These are excellent!! I know I will be trying more of your recipes.
Thank you!
These were surprisingly delicious! I needed a quick recipe and didn’t even have most of the suggested ingredients! I had few greens, so threw in diced tomatoes, bell peppers, celary, shredded Italian cheese combo, fresh parmesano, and oregano.I used everything else as suggested. I barely coated the frying pan for the first batch, and slightly more fried the second batch, both tasted amazing. My daughter who despises canned chicken was shocked when I told her! This is a great recipe! It felt like a gourmet meal made in 10 minutes! Canned chicken, go figure! Try this!
Very easy. Tasty. Next time I might add onions. I’d add a picture if it’ll let me.
While I noticed some substantial differences, there was also some consistency.
These were very easy to put together and good too. Instead of spaghetti sauce I used pizza sauce. It gives it more of a tangy taste than the spaghetti sauce does. I also used 2 slices of mozzarella per patty. And to top it off I sprinkled chives on top. ��
Ok, so my husband bought about 6 cans of chicken. I took one look and thought “what in the hell am I supposed to do with this?”
Found your recipe but I kind of put my own spin on it. Letting you know up front that I didn’t measure anything, I just kind of threw it together and it tasted fantastic!
Canned chicken
Fresh cilantro
Ginger
Garlic
Chopped onion
Turmeric
Cumin
Black pepper
Breadcrumbs
Egg
😀 That sounds delicious!
Made this tonight. Came out very good. Bought the cans thinking it’s chicken of sea and realized too late it’s chicken:) thanks cz now I have a go to recipe for my canned chicken!
Hahahaha love it! THAT DARN NAME!!!!!! The number of times I have made that exact error…..
Hey! Could I use a different cheese? Could I swap out Parmesan and use low moisture mozzarella? This recipe looks amazing!
Hi Emily! 🙂
Absolutely- Although I’d add a dash of salt (if need be!) as I found using mozzarella to be a little lacking compared to parmesan 🙂
Thank you so much!
Hey, chicken in a can is good all you naysayers! I have massive allergies, so I keep use it for emergency food when traveling (can’t eat at most restaurants). It’s good for chicken salad lunches at home too… and available at all grocery stores, Sams and Costco
These look delicious, quick and easy. Yum!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nataliya- hope you try them out!
Just found your blog. These sound really good! As do a lot of your other recipes. Unusual in a good way and healthy! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Jan- Hope you enjoy them 🙂
Love this! Love all the veggies…love the cheese…and hell, I’ll even love the chicken in a can, but only because you got creative with it! 😉 I can’t help but think though…what would have been wrong with using the chicken with the curry spices?? Haha!
I tried it with the curry spices but because the canned chicken is always salted (Even when it says springwater) it just made the whole thing overly salty, and also the moisture…okay that sounds really appetising :p
Saying that, I tried these with canned tuna and nup..chicken takes the bait. Baha. Tina fey, get back in your box.
One of the things I loved about your cheesy savory pancakes was all the fabulous veggies you loaded in there as well. It’s the same with these. The hot sauce doesn’t hurt either. Well done Arman.
Dude. Expect a message tomorrow with a strangebutgood recipe I came up with tonight…i’d message you now but I’m in bed with my laptop and my phone is charging.
Dirty birdie. Sending me responses in BED!
I totally use chicken from a can. No shame here. It’s great for soup.
My go-to savory recipe is stir fry. Always. Obsessed. Also since blogging… I eat kabocha squash like it’s going out of style.
Dude they just took kabocha off our shelves because it’s ‘not in season’. Urgh. Looks like it’s back to butternut for the next 8 months.
Totally making these! Except for the chicken, I always have the rest of the ingredients on hand so what a great and easy recipe. Thanks!
Of course! and you don’t even need bread crumbs to hold them together! I made them last night with coconut oil- try it with something more neutral if you have on hand like olive!
Exactly why I liked them! Good to know about the oil, thanks. 🙂 I’m gunning to make these in the next few days so I’ll let you know how they go!
Can I just say these are perfect and call it a day? 😉
I’ve never had chicken from a can.. It seems a bit risky…
My eating has changing, because I am eating all.the.food. 😀
You. Are. Doing. Awesome.
Try it with pulled chicken- even better 😉
Dinner in 10 minutes?! I’m in – pretty sure my boys will love these!
Truthfully, my diet/eating habits haven’t really changed since I started blogging.
So good and so easy, Kim! Especially for days when anything more than 10 minutes is too long in the kitchen 😉
Minus the cheese and I will dive right into these patties! Every time I think of the word PATTY – I think of Patty Mayonnaise. And now I want to watch DOUG. Well, there goes my Friday night!
Hahahahahahahahaha Patty Mayonnaise. We need to watch that when we hang out, Helga.
You can definitely omit the cheese- try my curried tuna patties but sub the tuna for the chicken…just as good 😉
LOVE!! It has to be easy for me!!! 🙂
YES! It has your name all over it- no excuses now Jody!
I’ve never had chicken from a can…I don’t think I can do it lol
Your dish looks great. Love parm. Yum yum.
Relaxing and slowing down for the next week 🙂
You can do it…FU REAL! It tastes like pho… :s
Haha why is everybody freaking out about chicken in a can? I don’t buy it myself, but you can find it at everrrrrry grocery store. We can’t all shop exclusively at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and places where the mark up is 100%!
That being said, these look great! I can totally see how you’d mistake canned chicken for canned tuna. My problem with canned meats (and most canned things) is the sodium, but otherwise I find that you’re right – if you cook them, they don’t really taste that much different. Plus it is a pain to shred chicken breasts. One thing that comes to mind for those who are lazy (don’t want to take the time to cook/shred chicken breasts)/snobby (which I say with love, meaning those who don’t want to try canned chicken) is to try this with ground chicken. I bet it would work!
Yes…the sodium tends to be quite high in most canned goods (Even ones in ‘springwater’) but I made sure not to add salt to these- also the parmesan cheese is a salty touch 😉
I’ve made it with ground chicken before- If you do it with that, add an extra 2 T or so of parmesan- it tends to get lost in the denser meat!
Go to recipe? Stir fry. Always stir fry. I would have said oatmeal or cereal, buuuuuuut you just had to toss in the savoury bit, didn’t you? 😛
Not gonna lie… chicken in a can kind of skeeves me out. But then again, so does tuna. These do sound fabulous, though. Parmesan makes anything win.
And I’m pretty sure I was a veggie when I first started blogging, so yeah… I’d say my eating habits have definitely changed over time.
Stir Fry? No wonder you suggested it to me when I asked for a mince recipe! lol!
Next time you have a leftover chicken boob, shred it and you’ll be good as gold!
I’ve never had chicken canned! I have tuna on hand though… I may re-tuna this recipe for dinner!
Canned chicken is so flipping good! I have an obsession of mixing that with tomato paste!!!
Just chicken and tomato paste? Really?
SO GOOD! So good! 😉
It most definitely works with tuna- I’ve done it that way before too!
OK, I have to admit that I buy chicken in a can too! It sounds SO gross and I was scared to try it, but it’s good! Smells a little funky, but other than that – such a cheap and convenient option! You know I’ll be making these soon!
This was for you- the canned stuff- you just need to find the right brand! We have one here which is so gross and slimy!
Just put them on my meal plan for Tuesday. THANK YOU for sharing 🙂
You’re my #1 recipe taste tester. 😉
Love these Arman! They look so tasty! I actually just started using shredded chicken from a can. I was opposed to it for so long because I thought it’d be gross, but then my co-worker informed me she found this brand at a local wholesaler and it wasn’t gross at all. So, I bought it and now I’m hooked!
That’s so good to hear, Holly- Some of them can be hit and miss….we have one brand here which is like slime! So gross!
Ummmmmm not sure about the canned chicken. I’m still trying to get on board with mince. Just kidding I like ground beef when I’m not the one making it.
DUDE!!!! Pop your canned chicken cherry – ASAP!
What kind of a chef in the making are you? I demand mince beef when I’m there…from a can.
These actually look pretty tasty. I keep some canned chicken on hand- it’s handy for quick chicken salad, but that’s all I’ve ever used it for. You had me at step 5 with these- sriracha and a side of potatoes. Sold!
Sriracha and potatoes are the standard sides on this neck of the woods 😉
Although compared to Chef Riley’s creations….I’m not sure. :p
I remember I used to use chicken in a can for chicken salad once in a while…it’s definitely been a few years though. And since my first days of blogging, there have definitely been differences in my eating – more snacks, more sugar/desserts, more but butters, more food in general. All good changes 😉
yeah blogging made me like but butters too 😉
You created butt butters.
I’ve made it for a chicken salad too, but it came out a taaad too salty.
But Butters? Did Davida create those :p
lmao oops. thaaaat’s awkward. :-p
Chicken in a can eh? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. Or maybe I have and I’ve just never paid attention. ANYWAY, these look super easy, which I love. My go-to ummmm eggs, recently it’s been overnight oats for breakfast and sometimes dinner too heh or pasta.
So easy and so good- perfect for grab and go!
Not kidding but you’ve made me crave eggs and chicken sausage..although Australia’s chicken sausage contains like 2% meat.
So, the YouTube community freaked me out n I bought waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much canned chicken, like waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much. Prepper pantry nightmare post Convid. But I’ve wanted to make zucchini fritters this week anyway, so I’m using your recipe as adding spinach sounds delish. I may add Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-1 flour as well as I need to use that up. I think these would be great with the addition of some Herbamare (it is an all organic herbed veggie salt and is also AIP), but it seems you thought the parmesan would add enough saltiness. I’ll make them your way and add Herbamare if needed! K, thanks for the inspiration!
Oh, and Wild Planet makes a canned organic rotisserie chicken that is a great way to get people poppin’ that canned chichen can!
Not gonna lie, chicken in a can kind of skeeves me out. But made with shredded chicken, these look awesome! You can never go wrong with chicken and parmesan.
I started blogging 4 years ago, so my eating has changed a LOT since then! More snacking, more butter, a lot more dessert, more eating out, and more almond butter. All good changes, I’d say!
Corn syrup skeeves me out so we’re even.
More butter? You are amazing. Continue to inspire, Chelsea. Try not to perspire.
My chicken. In a can. Really?? Ok. So since I eat tuna in a can, chicken can’t be that bad either – and the combo of these patties sound so good, I mean cheeeeeeese!! These would make a perfect appearance in my ugly tupperwares – they would definitely make them look good.
My strongest consistency in my staples are eggs. And chicken. This is getting out of hand. 🙂
Happy Weekend Dearest!!
YES- Lucie, they work really well during food prep, and are perfect for grab and go- also eaten cold!
I’ve eaten so many eggs lately…I think I need a crackin’ break!
Wow, chicken in a can, yep definitely never seen that one! Although you can get a full English cooked breakfast in a tin here in the UK, urgh it’s nasty! Would take chicken in a tin any day!
Recipe looks good! Will definitely try it out. Would be a good cook up item to grab and go for during the week – veggie and protein winner, perfect for a snack! Have you tried it topped with almond butter???
WHAT?! Please tell me that’s a joke, Jenn…I wonder how long the ingredient list is on that!
YES- They work really well for grab and go- I’ve made a batch before during prep! Never tried it with almond butter though…Intrigued!
I am totally serious! Not joking! Oh I wish I was!
Okay, I am trying it out next time…..
To be honest, chicken from a can kinda reminds me of a horror movie or something. Like, Edgar Allen Poe stuff. I’ve never tried it though, so I can’t really say much about it. Nevertheless, you have totally won me over with these patties of savory delight!
My go-to recipe: omelet with veggies and cheese, topped with ketchup + avocado toast on the side. That’s not a recipe is it?……… 😐
I’m going to be a co-emcee at my school’s talent show tonight and I’ll be saying lots of corny jokes, which will result in either nervous laughs or boos. Or both. (Corny jokes are the tradition for this show, so people are expecting them.)
How rude…what did the chicken in the can ever do to you?
That most definitely counts as a recipe…I always get avo-envy when I see your avocado toasts! Hope your talent show MC hammer-ing went well!
I guess I shouldn’t discriminate since I’ve many things from a can before…
MC hammering totally went well! That makes me wish I actually did the MC hammer dance across the stage.
yummmm I can’t wait to try these!! Thanks!
Hope you enjoy them, Ashley!
Bahahahaha. Chicken of the sea? Love that J Simpson reference! In any case, they sound really freaking good! I used to buy canned chicken pretty frequently, but now I started cooking it in the crockpot to shred!
Yes…with shredded chicken from a crockpot it would be amazing and more flavourful! Jessica Simpson wouldn’t approve though.
Haha I haven’t spotted canned chicken before but I’ll try anything once! I have a serious problem in getting any kind of ‘patty’ I form to stick together. Seriously – even burgers turn to just ground beef scramble in my pan. So canned chicken scramble it is! (This might need a rebrand…)
Dude, you’re one of my favourite adventurous bloggers…you need to get onto it! These actually stick really well, especially for one without bread crumbs!