Chicken and Pork Katleti (Russian meat patties)
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We just got back from a visit to Cali where my husbands Mama showed me how to make the BEST Chicken and Pork Katleti!! If you have a meat grinder, it’s best to grind your own pork and chicken.
I ate at least 7 of these right away, then snuck about 5 more. I’m still thinking about them. These are so tender and making them smaller like this means you don’t have to bake them after sautéing.
Kotlety are so awesome, they can be served with toothpicks as appetizers or for lunch with mashed potatoes. These are sure to please.
Ingredients for Chicken and Pork Katleti:
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1 Tbsp mayo
1 medium onion, grated or super-finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp water, optional – if your meat mix feels too dry
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs for meat mix
1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs to coat meatballs
How to Make Chicken and Pork Katleti:
1. Cut chicken and pork into strips and put through a meat grinder using the medium/large disk.
2. Mix together ground pork & chicken, egg, mayo, diced onion, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 Tbsp water if meat seems too dry – My meat was pretty lean so I added it.
3. Form 1-inch balls with the katlety mixture. and roll them in bread crumbs. They should be just a bit flattened and not a perfect ball (see pic below).
4. In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup canola, grape seed or sunflower oil over medium heat. It should be enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Saute meatballs in batches, turning them over a couple times during the process. Add more oil as needed for subsequent batches. Katleti are done when they are golden brown and cooked through.
Chicken and Pork Katleti (Russian meat patties)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp mayo
- 1 medium onion, grated or super-finely diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp water, if your meat mix feels too dry
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs for meat mix
- 1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs to coat meatballs
Instructions
- Cut chicken and pork into strips and put through a meat grinder using the medium/large disk.
- Mix together ground pork & chicken, egg, mayo, diced onion, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 tbsp water if meat seems too dry.
- Form 1-inch balls with the katlety mixture. They should be just a bit flattened and not a perfect ball. Roll meatballs in bread crumbs.
- In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup canola, grapeseed or sunflower oil over medium heat. It should be enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Saute meatballs in batches, turning them over a couple times during the process. Add more oil as needed for subsequent batches. Katleti are done when they are golden brown and cooked through.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Would give it a 5+
Melt in your mouth. And oh so tasty.
I used a home grown rooster and a pork shoulder ground up together.
Awesome! Thanks for the perfect feedback and review, Cyndi. I’m happy that you loved this recipe!
I followed recipe faithfully and was not disappointed. To me, flavor was reminiscent of McD chicken nuggets. I paired it with plum sauce for dipping. If baking, i recommend you are conservative on your cook time, as I did overcook one batch, based on a comment here. I baked at 350 covered for 45 min, and at 300 uncovered for 20 and the bottoms were a tad overcooked. Keep in mind size of balls as it will be a factor in bake time. Better to undercook and add extra time than to burn them
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
OMG, thank you so much. Love learning recipes from different countries. This one is over the top delicious!!! I might not even share them with any of my guests… ahah
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying this recipe, Marie!! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Hey Natasha! Would ground pork and ground chicken already packed work? Also, if made a day ahead, would they taste as great if reheated last right before serving? Thanks!
Hi Natalie! These do reheat well! I hope you love that!
I should have made a double batch because I was eating them as they were cooking! So good! I’m never going back to beef and pork, these are so tender. Easy to pack for kids for lunches too. I will try baking them next time as some other reviews suggested, although I always fried kotleti before. Thank you for another great recipe!!
Sounds like you found a new favorite Tatyana!!
This is the 2nd time I made them and remembered why I loved them so much!!! I also baked them in the oven because I am not big frying and much less fat too! I used Italian bread crumbs for the meat mixture and Italian bread crumbs with Italian panko bread crumbs and percorino ramano cheese to roll the balls in and they came out perfect and so yummy! I made 4lbs for 4 adults and 3 small children and only have about 1lb left over EVERYONE ate and loved them. I made my balls smaller so the kids would eat them and they did!!! Thanks for the recipe, will be making them often and sharing as well!
That’s so awesome, Desiree! Sounds like you found a new family favorite! Thanks for sharing the bread crumbs tip with all of us 🙂
I am making these for 40 people. With mashed potatoes and salad. How many times should I multiple this recipe by to feed 40?
Hi Olena, it depends on what else is going to be on the menu and how much each person will eat. This normally serves 10 as a meat on the side for dinner. If it is the only meat, you might consider quadrupling the recipe but that is going to be alot of katleti!
Natasha, my husband can’t have anything fried. Do you think oven would work for this recipe?
Hi Diana, one of my readers, Antonina wrote in with a very helpful review on baking: “I shaped the mixture into 12 balls similar to meatballs (they turned out to be bigger in size than picture above shows but less in quantity respectfully), greased a glass baking dish with olive oil and baked them instead of frying. I baked them covered with foil for 45-50 min at 350F and then additional 15-20 min without a foil at 300F. They turned out to be so soft and nicely and evenly browned, a restaurant quality!”
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your response Natasha
My husband is obsessed with everything garlic so i think im gonna add some to the recipe, would you reccommend fresh or garlic powder?
I’m always partial to fresh garlic but you could probably do either one 🙂
These are quick and easy. I buy my pork and chicken already ground or ask the butcher to grind. Oh so good!
Thanks !
This is going to sound silly but I’ve never thought to ask the butcher to grind it for me! I mean, I have a meat grinder at home so I always did it myself but that would save me some time! Ha! Thanks for sharing that with me :). And I’m so happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Natasha, i been making all of the kotleti recipes from your blog and i love it, but recently learned that i am allergic to onions, what would be your suggestion to substitute onions for in this recipe to keep them moist? thank you
Yuliya, you can add little bit of water to moisten the meat and just omit the onion. Hope this helps :).
I just found your blog as I have been trying to find a good katleti recipe and I really love how it turned out! I used beef but otherwise all the same ingredients. I also tried your meatball soup which turned out great. Thank you for sharing all these great recipes!
I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes! Thank you so much for the great review 🙂
Hello Natasha! I love reading your blog and really enjoy the food and recipes from the Ukraine. I hope I said that correctly? But I am wondering about these meat patties. You have used many different spellings in an assortment of recipes…kotlety, kotleti, katleti???? Also, using milk to soak the bread will enhance moisture in the meat. Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes and sharing them with all of us!! God Bless.
I use the different versions because there are all different ways to spell it and if someone searches for kotleti when they come to my blog and spell it differently, I want them to be able to find the recipe :). I call that “strategerie” lol. Thank you so much Lori! God less you too :). Thanks for the tip! I’ve tried that with chicken katleti before and I agree it was wonderful!
Can I make a batch of these and freezer them or you think it won’t taste as good after being frozen?
We usually freeze them raw and then thaw in the fridge before sauteeing them, which would yield the freshest tasting results. I think it could also work to cook them and then freeze them cooked.
Hi Natasha, I’ve made these twice in a span of 2 weeks and they were super yummy!!! Thank you for the recipe. I was wondering, do you have a good sauce/podliva/gravy recipe to add to these or potatoes? Thank you!
You are welcome Victoria and thank you for such a good report. Here is the link to the gravy :).
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Made it yesterday for my son’s third birthday today and it was a hit! I love ur site, I’ve made 4 dishes from your recipes (nalesniki, cottletes, gravy and the prune cake) for today’s party. Everything turned out Amazing! Thank you Natasha, ur recipes and site are a dream come true!
Just wanted to say these turned out absolutely delicious! Have u ever made a large batch of these the day before for a party? What temp would you suggest heating them up in and for how long? Thanks 🙂
I’ve done that with another breaded chicken skewer recipe. I believe it was 400˚F for 15 min or until they are just hot to the touch.
Natasha, thank you for the recipe. I just made these kotletki and they turned out really good.
They get eaten very quick in our house :). I’m glad you like them.
Amazing Katleti! Delicious!
Thank you SO MUCH!
You are welcome, I’m glad that you like them :).
Thanks for this recipe! I tried it tonight and my fiance loved it! Even said it tasted better than his mother’s, wow, what a compliment! Thanks again!!! 🙂
You are a great cook Jenn 🙂 Looks like you just raised the bar for your mother in law 😀
Wonderful recipe, a definite winner – thank you for sharing. I have never made any other katleti better than these turned out to be. I followed the recipe closely but I did add a bit more water ( and I used mineral water as someone suggested – Perrier brand) – 3 tbsp or so. Also, I shaped the mixture into 12 balls similar to meatballs (they turned out to be bigger in size than picture above shows but less in quantity respectfully), greased a glass baking dish with olive oil and baked them instead of frying. I baked them covered with foil for 45-50 min at 350F and then additional 15-20 min without a foil at 300F. They turned out to be so soft and nicely and evenly browned, a restaurant quality! I like baking as it is a healthier way of cooking and saves a ton of time! We all loved it, – my 2 and 4 year old kiddies ate these like nobody’s business 😉 Thank you!
Thanks for sharing how long and at what temp you baked them. I’ll definitely try baking next time along with your other tip for the mineral water. Thank you Antonina!!
Can I use ground turkey instead of ground meat in this recipe and in your Tefteli Recipe? Would it affect the taste or anything?
Turkey is great alternative as well. It still should taste great.
Thanks for such a quick response! I will try it with turkey because that’s what I have in my fridge.
great recipe … I steamed them after frying , comes out so soft and juicy,, my kids don’t like meat, but these kotletas they eat without any problems… Thank you Natasha for your web site.. it’s a gem..
Thank you so much Helen! It means so much to hear your kind words:).
Hi quick question… How many katleti does this recipe make?
It depends how big (or small) you make them. I’m guessing 40-60. I never really counted them, but I’ll try to remember to next time I make the recipe 🙂
These are so good. I think the mayo helps a lot with the moistness. I make my katletli (also golubtsi) with pork, turkey, and chicken. I also chop half the onion and the other half I grate so it’s more juicer. I also like the tip of soaking the bread in milk instead of water..my aunt also suggested adding a lil bit of baking soda to make them more plump. My aunt also fills a small pot (depending on how much katletli you making, I use a 1 quart) with enough water just to cover the bottom, and you keep it on a very very low heat, then as I’m frying the katletli I place them in that pot so they tushyatsa and are very moist. Try it out:)
Thank you so much for those tips. We will have to try that out! 🙂
Hi,
What are italian breadcrumbs? Can I just use fresh breadcrumbs (white bread blizzed in my foodprocessor) or is it store bought packaged dry breadcrumbs?
They are store bought packaged dry breadcrumbs that are seasoned. You can buy the progresso or store brand. Both work well. They are very fine bread crumbs and they work better. I’ve tried using my own or even panko and it just doesn’t coat the meat as well.
whatare they we don’t have them in Australia
Hi Betty! What are what? Are you referring to what the patties are?
Hey Natasha, I only have ground turkey at home. Would that work?
I think so. They may not be as juicy since turkey is leaner than pork, but it should still work. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I love your blog. A Russian food blog in English- i am beyond thrilled!
What do you think of the kitchen aid meat grinder- i recently got the 6quart kitchen aid and the meat grinder is an attachment i really want but i read some of those bad reviews about the oil/grease from the machine getting into the ground food- have you experienced this at all?
I have it and use it. I have seen trace amounts of that. Im not sure if there is a solution for that. You have to keep the metal parts nice and clean. Overall it’s a good meat grinder. The only thing that kinda stinks is its not at working level if your kitchen aid is on the counter (it’s kinda high up).
My mother-in-law Ludmila is famous for her Kotlety – and I second the suggestion above of soaking bread in milk, squeezing out the excess and then adding it to the mixture and regrinding it. Its traditional in her family, and in Poland (where I live and it is called Kotlety Mielone) to use Kaiser/Bread Rolls. I think the proportion of crust to bread has something to do with it.
If you get a chance try Kotlety from Egg (kotlety z jajek) a common Polish preschool meal on meat-free days – and very delicious!
Made these last night, they were amazing! thanks for the recipe Natasha! 🙂
Got it fixed. Tnx for the tip
Thank you so much for this recipe. First time my katleti turned out sooo good. I made my katleti w/ chichen it was great………….
My husband loves all the foods I make off of your website.
Thank You.
God Bless You.
Keep posting Natasha…………………………………….
Thank you Tanya. I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. I’ll have to tell my mama-in-law her recipe is well loved 🙂 God bless you too Tanya.
These look so mouthwatering!!! Where can you buy a cheap kitchenaid meat grinder? any idea?
We purchased ours on Amazon. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SGFH/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=natashaskcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B00004SGFH
These were delicous! I’ve tried to make my own version before without a lot of success and stumbled upon your blog. Yay! So, glad I did. My husband is Polish and he always talked about meat patties that his grandmother made. These were divine– maybe the mayo in it gave it a little something extra? Even the kids had seconds. Thanks again!
Hi Natasha,
Your husband Vadim gave me your blog address. How exciting! I make Katletki almost weekly (ground chicken or turkey), so was glad to see your recipe. I was also impressed by your Kievski Tort recipe. That used to be my favorite cake as a kid. My mom would buy it for my birthdays. Now I can make it myself…
One comment about katletki. I always start with milk and breadcrumbs (in the old country they used old bread and would break it into small pieces and let them absorb all the milk). One of my cousins uses soda (yes) instead of milk and doesn’t mix very much. It makes katletki “puffier”. The beauty of the recipe is that it can be used with any kind of ground meat or poultry or even fish. Yes, I make salmon cakes using the basic recipe only I add chopped celery and mayo. You can also add spinach to the chicken katletki mix and serve them with a mustard sauce. Anyway, possibilities are endless. Looking forward to reading and trying your recipes.
Hi Irina! Thank you for all of your katleti suggestions. I’ll try your variations next time. I’m especially interested in making the salmon cakes!
I loved making these!! They were delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Natasha,
Great Recipe!
Do you know what diruni are ? they are a finely shredded potatoe mixed with flour and fryed on pan..
I have a recipe from watching someone do it, but wanted to if you know what this dish is?
Yes, its something I have to post. My mom makes them all the time!
So I made some yesterday and my family like them a lot! I found some ground chicken at Winco, usually they have some, but not always. Thanks for such a yummy recipes!
Your sister Sveta told me about your blog and so I went and I really like your recepies! I want to make katleti today, but I don’t have grinder so I will have to use ground pork and chicken from the store. Do you think its going to be the same taste or different?
Thank you Natalya :). That should work just fine! You might have a hard time finding ground chicken. If you do, substitute it with ground turkey.
And by the way your website is inspiring! Keep posting the good yummy food you make!
i just made my 1st batch, made them mini katletki ummm they sooo good and so juicy!
i made several attemps in the past making katletki and was dissapoined but these are defenetly a hit!
Thank you so much!
Natasha, I just found your bog and I love it!!!
I was wondering what kind of chicken and pork do you use? Chicken breast?? Pork loin??
Chicken breast and pork loin chops. I trimmed the fat on the chicken but not the pork. If your meat is completely fat free, it turns out a little dry.
You can use a couple tablespoons of softened butter if using fat-free meat to counteract the dryness. 🙂
Hahahahaha… I do need some extra cash..LOL..
Natasha quick question… the title of recipe says chicken and turkey but recipe calls for pork and chicken… did u use pork in these ,or turkey?
Sheesh, Its pork. I must have been thinking of my other recipe when I typed that out. The recipe is correct, I fixed the title to say chicken and pork Katleti
I should hire you on as my editor 🙂
Where did you buy the grinder?
It’s an attachment for my kitchenAid stand mixer. I think my husband bought it online – amazon or maybe ebay?
Tina, Bass Pro Shops, Gander Mountain, Cabelas, and Sportsmans Guide all have grinders. Both electric and hand powered. Some places have hand grinders with two or three cutting plates for under $30. Also, check yard sales, rummage sales, and thrift stores. You may be able to find small ones for under $10.
A very useful tool. Grind meat, vegetables, and nuts. Make your own sausage. All sorts of things. I have a very small one, but I can grind about 2 pounds of meat a minute, which for most home uses is fine.
If you like things like deviled ham or other potted meats and you have a grinder, you have a great way to use up scraps and leftover bits of meat. Grind it, season it up, add your mayo and/or mustard, and you have your potted meat spread.
Will definitely try them this weekend… Thanks for the recipe.. Instead of the water, my mom told me that back in Ukraine they would put mineral water. The saltzer mineral water just makes them fluffier. I havent tried it yet though but plan to.
That sounds very interesting. I’ll have to try it.
Sounds like another winner. A little hint – since you have the grinder going, run the onion through it. That will give you the onion the same size as your ground meat.
I’ve been running onion and potatoes through my grinder for potato pancakes or to mix with ground beef for meatloaf.
That’s a great idea!! Much better than getting more tools dirty. Thank you!