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My chicken patties combine simple ingredients and make for crispy, golden brown patties with a tender, cheesy center. They’re ready in minutes and are a family favorite!
Need more FAST chicken dinners? Try my air fryer chicken thighs, ground chicken burgers, and rotisserie chicken salad next.
If it’s a weekday, you can probably bet I’m cooking chicken for my family. It may not be the fanciest, but it’s easy to cook and works wonders in every form.
Inspired by my tuna patties, I swapped the canned tuna for canned chicken. Paired with a host of spices (and, of course, plenty of parmesan cheese) and then fried till golden brown, they’re addictive after the first bite.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Easy weeknight dinner. With one bowl and just 8 minutes of cooking time, you can have these patties on the table in minutes.
- Versatile. Serve them over a bed of greens, with dipping sauces, or in a sandwich. The options are limitless, and I’ll be sure to give plenty of suggestions later on.
- Convenient. Like my air fryer chicken patties, these pan-fried ones come together with mostly pantry staples, and they freeze and reheat like magic.
- Perfect texture. A little oil goes a long way, giving the patties a crispy, crunchy exterior while the inside stays juicy, tender, and cheesy.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken. I used canned chicken for maximum convenience, but leftover shredded chicken works just as well. I recommend making my Instant Pot shredded chicken or shredding up some air fryer chicken breast.
- Mayo. To bind the patties and add moisture.
- Shredded cheese. I used finely shredded parmesan cheese, but cheddar, mozzarella or a mixture of both works.
- Large eggs. To bind the patties.
- Panko breadcrumbs. For texture.
- All-purpose flour. To absorb moisture. Use gluten-free flour if needed.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
- Italian seasoning. One of my go-to seasoning blends for chicken.
- Parsley. For freshness and color.
- Cumin. My secret ingredient for adding a subtle savory flavor.
- Oil. For frying. I used canola oil, but any neutral-flavored cooking oil with a high smoke point will work.
How to make chicken patties
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the chicken mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine everything except the oil. Mix well to combine.
Step 2- Shape. Using your hands, shape the chicken mixture into patties.
Step 3- Fry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, place the patties in the pan. Fry the patties on each side until golden brown and crisp.
Step 4- Cool. Once the patties are cooked, remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack to remove excess oil.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Sneak in some veggies. When I’m making these patties for kiddos, sometimes I’ll sneak in some shredded zucchini. Trust me, they won’t be any the wiser!
- Make them spicy. Add cayenne pepper or red chili oil for a spicy kick.
- Swap the spices. Try garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, or ranch seasoning.
- Shape mini patties. If I’m making these to share as an appetizer, I like to make mini patties and serve them as is or as chicken sliders.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover chicken patties should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
To freeze: Allow the leftovers to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to separate each patty with a layer of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.
To reheat: Heat the patties in an oven or air fryer at 350F until warm, or place them in a skillet over medium heat and cook, flipping periodically, until reheated. I wouldn’t recommend using a microwave since the patties will turn out mushy.
Frequently asked questions
These patties keep their texture without falling apart thanks to the balance of binding agents, in this case, eggs, breadcrumbs, and flour. Please do not omit or substitute any of them!
Your patties may be dry if they were overcooked or if there wasn’t enough moisture added. Make sure to cook them for only 4-5 minutes per side or once they look golden brown. The chicken is already cooked, so you don’t need to worry about any doneness.
Yes! If you’d like to save some of the patties to cook later, simply shape them, wrap them in sheets of parchment paper, and freeze for up to 6 months. Let the patties thaw overnight in the fridge, or add more reheating time.
More easy chicken recipes to try
Crispy Chicken Patties
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken or canned chicken
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese or Cheddar cheese or Mozzarella cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil to fry
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded or canned chicken, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs, flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, cumin, and parsley. Mix well until everything is evenly combined.
- Take a portion of the chicken mixture and shape it into a patty using your hands.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken patties in the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy.
- Once cooked through, remove the chicken patties from the pan and place them on a wire rack to remove excess oil.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published September 2020, updated and republished November 2024
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!