These easy keto chicken patties are crispy on the outside, tender inside, and one of my favorite ways to give leftover chicken a completely new life.
Made with just three main ingredients, shredded cooked chicken, eggs, and Parmesan cheese, these low-carb chicken patties need no flour or breadcrumbs.
A few simple seasonings add plenty of flavor, and the patties fry until beautifully golden.
You can make them with leftover chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, or even leftover turkey. Serve them as an easy keto dinner, lunch, appetizer, or make them smaller for keto chicken fritters.
Best of all, this is the kind of recipe that makes meal planning easier. Instead of serving leftover chicken the same way twice, you can turn it into an entirely different low-carb meal.
Looking for a ground chicken recipe? Check out our keto chicken burgers for a tasty, juicy option.
We have a complete list of Keto Chicken Recipes that I'm sure you will also enjoy.
Why You'll Love These Keto Chicken Patties
- Only three main ingredients: Cooked chicken, eggs, and Parmesan form the base of the patties.
- No flour or breadcrumbs: There's no almond flour, coconut flour, or traditional breading needed.
- Perfect for leftover chicken: Use cooked chicken breast, leftover rotisserie chicken, or turkey.
- Low in carbs: Each patty has only 1.6 grams of net carbs according to your current recipe card.
- Great for meal prep: Make a batch for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week.
- Easy to customize: Change the seasonings or add cheese, bacon, jalapeños, or other keto-friendly ingredients.
Ingredients Needed For Keto Chicken Patties
Note that the full printable card is at the bottom of the post. The full recipe includes a quick broth for those who are not using leftover chicken
- Shredded cooked chicken or turkey
- Spices
- Eggs
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Coconut, or avocado oil (for frying)
The Parmesan and eggs help bind the cooked chicken together without needing flour or breadcrumbs.
How To Make Keto Chicken Patties
Start by adding the cooled shredded chicken to a large mixing bowl along with the eggs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Mix until everything is well combined and the chicken is evenly coated.
Divide the mixture and firmly shape it into patties. Pressing the mixture together well will help the patties hold their shape as they cook.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until golden and crispy on the first side before carefully flipping them. Allow the second side to brown, then transfer the cooked patties to a plate.
For smaller keto chicken fritters, simply make the portions smaller before frying.
Tips for crispy chicken patties
For the best texture, you want the outside of these keto chicken patties to become golden and crisp while the center stays tender. A few simple tips can make all the difference.
- Drain off excess moisture. If you're using rotisserie chicken or very moist cooked chicken, pat it dry before shredding. Too much moisture can make the patties softer and more difficult to shape.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Make sure the eggs and Parmesan are evenly distributed throughout the shredded chicken so the patties hold together well.
- Pack the patties firmly. Gently press the mixture together when shaping each patty. If they are too loosely formed, they may fall apart when flipped.
- Preheat the skillet. Allow the oil and pan to heat before adding the patties. This helps them begin browning right away instead of absorbing excess oil.
- Cook over medium heat. Using heat that is too high can brown the outside before the patties are heated through. Medium heat gives them time to develop a crisp, golden crust.
- Don't flip too soon. Let the first side cook until it is nicely browned and releases easily from the pan. Once a crust has formed, the patties will be much easier to turn.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook the chicken patties in batches if necessary so they have enough room to brown rather than steam.
- Keep them evenly sized. Making the patties about the same thickness helps them cook evenly and finish at roughly the same time.
How To Customize These Keto Patties
Not only do these low-carb chicken patties come together quickly, but they are super easy to customize. You can really have fun adding any of the following combinations of ingredients for a different flavor profile.
With just a few add-ins, you can fully customize these keto chicken patties.
- Keto Bacon and Cheese Chicken Patties: Add 4 slices of cooked crumbled bacon, and ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the chicken mix before forming the patties and cooking.
- Tex Mex Keto Chicken Patties: By adding ½ teaspoon of cumin powder, ½ teaspoon of chili powder,¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, plus 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pickled jalapeños, you can have a Tex Mex version of these patties.
- Keto Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Patties: Add ¼ cup of sautéed mushrooms and onions as well as ¼ cup of shredded Swiss cheese.
Keto Chicken Patties vs. Keto Chicken Burgers
These keto chicken patties are made with already-cooked shredded chicken, while my keto chicken burgers start with raw ground chicken. That's an important difference.
Chicken patties are a particularly convenient option when you have leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator and want to turn it into another meal. If you're starting with raw ground chicken instead, try my keto chicken burgers.
Are Chicken Patties The Same As Chicken Fritters Or Croquettes?
These easy chicken patties are sometimes referred to as keto chicken fritters, chicken cakes, or keto chicken croquettes. The names can vary depending on their size and preparation. I usually call this version chicken patties, but you can make the mixture into smaller portions and serve them as bite-sized chicken fritters with your favorite keto dipping sauce.
How To Serve Low Carb Chicken Patties
These patties can be served as an entree with the side of your choice or as an appetizer by forming the patties into smaller portions.
Dip them in homemade marinara sauce or serve them with a quick salad. The choices are unlimited
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My cook once, eat twice approach
One of the ways I make keto meal planning easier is by looking for opportunities to cook once and get more than one meal from the effort. This recipe originally came from doing exactly that.
When making a large pot of chicken soup, you can reserve the cooked chicken breasts for these keto chicken patties and use the remaining chicken and broth for soup. You end up with two completely different meals without starting from scratch twice.
chopped low-carb vegetables for quick chicken soup.
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This recipe for keto chicken patties was submitted by our dear friend Martha Avila, the president of Heartbeat of Miami.
Since 2007, Heartbeat of Miami Pregnancy Help Medical Clinics has been providing "lifesaving help in a life-changing way" to women and couples with unplanned pregnancies.
If there is someone who has every reason to plan out her meals, it's Martha. As the president of this life-giving organization, her schedule is extremely demanding.
In fact, when I think of who FIT TO SERVE can assist, I always see the Marthas of this world.
These are the people who are always serving others and need to be reminded from time to time of the importance of taking care of themselves, too.
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Keto Chicken Patties
These easy keto chicken patties are made with cooked shredded chicken, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and simple seasonings. They're crispy on the outside, tender inside, and a great way to use leftover or rotisserie chicken. With no flour or breadcrumbs, they're naturally low-carb and gluten-free.
Ingredients
Keto Chicken Patties:
- 2 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken breast, cooled
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of onion powder
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup of refined coconut oil or avocado oil, for frying
Instructions
Keto Chicken Patties:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled shredded chicken, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, eggs, and grated Parmesan cheese. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Divide the chicken mixture into 10 portions and firmly shape each portion into a patty.
- Heat the coconut or avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken patties to the heated skillet, working in batches if necessary so you do not overcrowd the pan.
- Cook the patties for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and heated through. Repeat with the remaining patties, adding a little more oil to the skillet if needed.
- Transfer the cooked patties to a serving plate. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro, if desired, and serve with your favorite keto side dish or dipping sauce.
Notes
You can make these keto chicken patties with 2 ½ cups of cooked shredded chicken breast, leftover rotisserie chicken, or leftover turkey. Be sure the chicken is cooled before combining it with the remaining ingredients.
If the cooked chicken is especially moist, pat it dry before shredding. Removing excess moisture will help the patties hold together and develop a crisp, golden exterior.
For smaller keto chicken fritters, divide the mixture into approximately 20 smaller portions instead of making 10 larger patties.
Store leftover cooked chicken patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 weeks.
Optional Cook Once, Eat Twice Chicken Soup Method
This recipe was originally created as part of my “cook once, eat twice” approach. Instead of starting with leftover chicken, you can cook a whole chicken and use the two chicken breasts for the patties while turning the remaining chicken and broth into an easy keto chicken soup.
This optional method requires additional preparation and cooking time. Plan on about 15 minutes of prep time and at least 1 hour of cooking time before making the chicken patties.
This recipe was originally created as part of my “cook once, eat twice” approach. Instead of starting with leftover chicken, you can cook a whole chicken and use the two chicken breasts for the patties while turning the remaining chicken and broth into an easy keto chicken soup.
For The Chicken Soup
- 1 whole chicken, quartered
- 2 quarts water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 small green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chopped low-carb vegetables of your choice
Add the chicken, water, bay leaves, cumin, garlic, onion, green pepper, celery, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to a large stockpot.
Cook over low to medium heat for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Remove the chicken from the broth and allow it to cool enough to handle. Remove the two chicken breasts and reserve them for the keto chicken patties. You will need about 2 ½ cups of shredded cooked chicken for the patties.
Debone and shred the remaining chicken, then return it to the broth along with 2 cups of your favorite chopped low-carb vegetables. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender.
This gives you two keto meals from one chicken: a batch of keto chicken patties and a simple homemade chicken soup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 9.9gSaturated Fat: 6.9gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 1.7gNet Carbohydrates: 1.6gFiber: .1gSugar: 0.1gProtein: 15.8g
leonie hansen says
I just love low carb diet and all your recipes .my friends love dropping by to see what ive cooked up.i enjoy playing around and trying out my own recipes as welll dont know why i didnt go on thid eating regium before , its not at all like a diet its a new yummy way to invade the sensus and lose weight at the same time
fittoservegroup says
Hi Leonie, thanks for stopping by and commenting. It means so much to me that my little blog encourages you. Here to cheer you on???
TLR says
This was a huge hit! Very easy to make and super tasty. I mixed everything together except the eggs and put it in the fridge to cook later. I swear the flavors were able to really blend in to the meat. Made this with Mediterranean roasted veggies. Husband gave a 10/10 and is still talking how great dinner was!
Hilda Solares says
Yay! So happy it was a hit in your home.
Ana says
Can you freeze it? And if so, what point of the process (raw or cooked)
Hilda Solares says
Hi Ana, You can freeze these but I would do so after it's been cooked and for no more than 3 weeks. Hope this helps.
Beth Page says
I love chicken patties. I do add crushed pork rinds to my patties, in place of the bread or cracker crumbs in other recipes.
Hilda Solares says
Hi Beth, Yes the use of crushed pork rings works well as a coating.
Margaret says
Yummy!! Thank you!
Hilda Solares says
You are most welcome Margaret. Glad you enjoyed it.