Everyone loves these Chicken Patties, even the pickiest eaters! They are crisp on the outside with a juicy, cheesy center and it’s a genius way to use leftover Rotisserie Chicken.
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Chicken Patties Video Tutorial:
We love making these anytime we have leftover chicken and no one would ever guess you used leftovers. The chicken becomes super tender and tasty when combined with the batter and the panko crust seals in the moist center.
Years ago, we shared our favorite Cheesy Chicken Fritters recipe and it was an instant hit. So many of you let me know that it works just as well with cooked chicken so we tested it and loved it, then this Chicken Patties recipe was born. So, thank you for making this recipe happen!
Ingredients for Chicken Cakes:
Chicken cakes are super easy to make. All you need is a rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken meat, a simple batter, mozzarella cheese, and Panko bread crumbs (or use whatever bread crumbs you have on hand). The lemon zest and dill seem insignificant, but they completely transform these chicken patties.
Can I Substitute the Chicken?
- Canned Chicken – make sure to drain well and use (3) 12.5-oz cans of chicken.
- Raw Chicken – If you want to use raw diced chicken or even ground chicken, check out our chicken fritters recipe.
The Easiest Way to Shred Chicken:
There are three basic ways to shred the chicken: by hand, with 2 forks and our favorite is to use a stand mixer.
To shred chicken with a stand mixer: This method works best if your chicken is still warm. Break chicken breasts in half and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until chicken is shredded. Be careful not overmix since it takes seconds to shred. Try this method for Pulled Pork or Crockpot Pulled Chicken.
Can I Make Chicken Patties Ahead?
You can make these ahead up to any point in the process, even to bread them then refrigerate for a couple of days until ready to saute.
The USDA recommends refrigerating cooked chicken or leftovers up to 4 days so it depends on how long your leftover chicken has been in the refrigerator. I cook half of the batch on the first day and sautee a fresh batch a couple of days later.
How to Reheat Chicken Patties:
The air fryer is our favorite method since it makes the crust crisp again. The microwave is our least favorite method because the crust softens but the patties will taste great even microwaved. This is one of the few chicken recipes that we still enjoy reheated in the microwave.
- Air Fryer – you can re-crisp chicken patties in the air fryer at 350˚F for 4 minutes, flipping halfway
- Skillet – place on a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat and sautee until crisp and just warmed through
- Microwave – microwave 30 seconds at a time, or just until the center is warmed through.
How to Serve Chicken Patties:
Just like our salmon cakes, shrimp cakes, and classic crab cakes, we love serving these as appetizers or a light lunch. Here are some creative ways to serve a chicken patty:
- Chicken sliders – make a chicken sandwich or sliders on Hawaiian sweet rolls
- With a sauce – like the lemon aioli dip that we used for Crisp Zucchini Bites. You could use Avocado Ranch or plain ranch.
- Main Course – serve chicken patties as the main protein with mashed potatoes and a fresh salad.
More Leftover Chicken Recipes:
We love to repurpose leftovers and make easy meals out of them. We especially love recipes that make the chicken taste even better like these Chicken Patties. Here are more creative ways to use leftover chicken:
- Chicken Fried Rice – a family favorite easy dinner
- Avocado Chicken Salad – our most popular salad of all time
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwiches – a restaurant copycat with secret sauce
- Chicken Enchiladas – shred leftover chicken for easy enchiladas
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup – using pre-cooked chicken is just as good
- Chicken Noodle Soup – our easiest family-friendly soup
Chicken Patties (Easy Chicken Cakes) Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded chicken, from 2 large chicken breasts, (16 oz by weight)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1 Tbsp parsley)
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon zest, plus lemon wedges to serve
- 1 1/3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 Tbsp olive oil to saute, divided
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together: 2 eggs, 1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup flour, 3 Tbsp dill, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp lemon zest.
- Add in shredded chicken and 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella then stir until chicken is well coated in batter.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture at least 30 minutes (this will help with forming patties). Use a trigger release ice cream scoop to divide into 12-15 cakes then form into 1/2-inch thick patties. Dip both sides in Panko crumbs.
- Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and half of the chicken patties. Sauté for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Repeat with remaining patties.
- As soon as patties are off the heat, sprinkle with salt and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the patties. Serve warm.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I love this recipe. I do have a question. I shred home-cooked chicken. The cakes don’t stay together when I cook them. Not sure if I need to shred the chicken smaller or add something to bind the mixture better. Thanks for you help.
the cakes fall apart when I cook them. I will welcome any suggestions you have. Many thanks
Hi Patricia, there should be enough binder in the recipe if you are making it as written with the same proportions. Make sure to use a good non-stick skillet so the patties don’t stick to the pan which cold make them fall apart easier.
Hello Natasha, greetings and thank you for this recipe. I’m in Kenya and married to a Canadian so he loves his breaded stuff. It was perfect! Made it with a side of mashed potatoes which I mixed with butter and all the raw veg in the fridge…tomatoes, spring onions, baby carrots, parsley. The patties were such an excellent zing to the mash potatoe salad. Asante sana (thank you very much in Kiswahili)
I’m so happy you both enjoyed that. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Thanks for the tip on shredding the chicken with the stand mixer. It was super quick and easy.
You’re welcome! Glad that you enjoyed making this recipe, Karen.
Natasha, these were soooo good!!! I had to modify the cheese for a family member so I used almond cheese and a small amount of regular. I air fried for about 7 minutes just to make sure the cheese melted; then finished off in the skillet to brown them. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Reenie!
Hi Natasha! I am one of your biggest fans, no joke. I have made so many of your recipes and always try new ones because I am 100% sure that whatever I make of yours will be delicious!
One quick question about this recipe, you say PANKO breadcrumbs. Iwhere I am there is no such thing, can I use just normal breadcrumbs?
Aww, thanks for sharing that with me Penn! Panko is a brand and type of breadcrumb. Regular breadcrumbs will work as well. One of our readers wrote “they were SO good! I didn’t have panko so I used plain Italian breadcrumbs.”
Hi Natasha, We made your chicken Patties last night. I live in Nm so we added some green chili and also made you zucchini bites it was all so good. Thanks again for the great recipes
You are very welcome, Linda. Glad you enjoyed the patties and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Hi. I would really love your garlic aioli recipe as I could not find it in the notes. Thank you
Hi Denie, you can find it HERE. We use the same lemon aioli dip that we used for Crispy Zucchini Bites.
What was the recipe for the garlic aioli? I didn’t e see it in the notes?
Hi Julie, you can find it HERE. We use the same lemon aioli dip that we used for Crisp Zucchini Bites.
I’m pleased to report that these do freeze well! I made them a couple of weeks ago, left them untreated and froze them 2 to a pack. Took them out to defrost a couple days ago and tonight breaded then with Panko and pan sautéed them in a tbspn of oil, 4 min per side and they were fantastic! So happy I froze more of them!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and feedback with us, Dana!
Dana, you made them up to the point where you dip them in the panko and saute them?
Would you say that your chicken patties and chicken fritters taste just about the same?
Yes, it has a similar taste.
Where did you use “ bread crumbs “ ? It’s not mentioned in the preparation steps .
Hi Eliza, we have it listed in step number 3 on the printable recipe card ” Dip both sides in Panko crumbs.” I hope this helps.
Great recipe. I was looking for something I could whip up without having to go on another food run, so it was great to be able to use canned chicken. Big crowd pleaser with the kids.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
I’m making these for lunch this week and can’t wait. Can I get away with not using all purpose flour? I’m keto therefore do not use APF. Thanks.
Hi Ana, I haven’t tested this but one of our readers mentioned almond flour works.
can you freeze them if you have too many??
Hello Marilyn, I haven’t tested this by freezing it to advise. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
I loved the way mine came out! Yummy! I substituted all-purpose flour for wheat flour. Substituted mayonnaise for vegan mayo. Only had parsley on hand & dried dill, so I used the amount of parsley you suggested & a pinch of dried dill. I used my air fryer, had some test runs. Found that cooking at 375° for 6 minutes and then turning them over & cooking for another 6 minutes gets them nice golden brown look. Plus the gooeyness of the cheese was just right. 👍
I love that you were able to make these successfully in the air fryer for 375F and 6 minutes. That sounds great!
I love, love, love your recipes using rotisserie chicken. This one I have just made for third time. I love your recipe short cuts with this stuff because it makes me look like I know what I am doing. Even the chicken spinach lasagna is in my freezer as we speak. Thanks.
Hi Susan, thanks for sharing that with us. I hope you love every recipe that you will try!
Question: any substitute you can recommend for the mayonnaise haters in our family?
Hi Joni, I have only made this using mayo, and searching through the comments I don’t see any substitution suggestion. I imagine yogurt may be an option but without testing it I can not advise.
I couldn’t find the recipe for the dill and lemon sauce you talked about?
Hi Carolyn, are you looking for this Aioli Sauce?
I made these for my wife and mother and now the requests keep coming in from them! Thank you for this simple yet awesome recipe! We love them with our imitation Chic-fil-a sauce and occasionally on a hawaiian dinner role as a slider.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful feedback. I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Daniel I’m so glad you mentioned the Chick sauce I was going through trying to find a sauce for them. They now sell that sauce in the grocery and its in my fridge. Thanks a lot!!!
Loved these Natasha!
I used 500g chicken mince as that’s what I had & they turned out delicious & crispy 🥰
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!