This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 mayonnaise
- 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.
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 🙂