Juicy Chicken Patties
Ingredients
2 servings
- Chicken breasts 2–3
- Stale white bread 2 slices
- Milk ⅔ cup (135 ml)
- Butter 100 g
- Breadcrumbs ½ cup (50 g)
- Butter for frying as needed
- Salt, ground white pepper, ground nutmeg to taste
Step-by-step recipe
Preparing the ingredients
I don’t know whether it was at an inn or at the count’s house. But apparently the snack was needed instantly, since nothing shortens life like waiting for the first shot of vodka, and self-respecting people chase it with hot appetizers, as Professor Preobrazhensky firmly taught us! Cooks or hosts rushed out with the food as if to a fire (pozhar), and of all the meats, chicken cooks much faster. So the name “Pozharsky” stuck. Or, given the cooking method of frying first and then baking, “Pozharsky” came from the first step, pozharit, to fry. Oh well. That’s philosophy.
But ground chicken patties aren’t philosophy, they’re awesome!!! Try making chicken patties in the oven sometime, without frying.
And let me say right away: no eggs, grated onion or garlic! You’ll need a meat grinder with sharp blades and a fine plate.
Wash the chicken breasts, trim off any remaining fat and membranes, and cut into large pieces.
Chicken breast, white meat, is a debatable product. I, for one, am not a big fan. I prefer legs and wings, meaning dark meat. But that doesn’t apply to patties. Today’s chicken breasts are approaching the size of a normal backyard chicken. Two hefty breasts will easily make ten patties. Chicken patties used to be made from a whole chicken, cutting all the meat off the bones. Now you can easily cut a kilogram of meat off a store-bought chicken. So just take breast fillets.
Soak the stale bread in warm milk. Why warm? Because in cold milk the bread will take until New Year’s to soften.
Stale bread was always around in the old days: the leftover loaves were dried in the cupboard, tempting the cockroaches. Now, with a modern no-frost fridge, it’s simpler. Just cut the loaf into pieces and put it in the fridge. In a few days, usually 2–3, the fridge dries the bread out as hard as a brick.
Take the butter out of the fridge in advance so it softens and spreads easily on bread. By the way, have a slice of fresh bread and butter.
Does anyone still remember real Vologda butter? Write to me, let’s be nostalgic together. Anyway, decent butter, not a spread of palm oil and emulsifiers, can still be bought. Buy good butter from a brand whose quality you know.
The mixture
Grind the chicken breast in the meat grinder. Add a piece of butter, about 30 grams. Squeeze out the bread soaked in milk and grind it too. Mix the ground chicken, butter and bread and put it through the grinder once more.
Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Mix very thoroughly with a fork. Don’t be lazy, mix it really well.
The spices, white pepper and nutmeg, are optional. I just like chicken with the aroma of white pepper and nutmeg. And you only need a tiny bit.
Gradually, while still mixing, add the milk left over from soaking the bread. Not all of it: ⅔ cup would be too much. The mixture shouldn’t be too runny; it should resemble thick mashed potatoes. Pour off the leftover milk.
If you did add a bit too much milk, which can happen, add some breadcrumbs to the mixture and mix well.
The mixture is ready. Now estimate how many patties it will make. Say, ten. Cut the remaining butter into that many pieces with a knife.
Shaping the patties
Lightly wet a cutting board and, with wet hands, start shaping the patties. Put a piece of butter into each patty and seal it in with the mixture on all sides.
Make the patties oblong and slightly flattened. Place them on the damp board.
Coat the patties thoroughly in breadcrumbs. Don’t skimp on the breading!
Frying and baking
Melt butter for frying in a skillet. As soon as the butter is hot, start frying the patties over medium heat.
Fry on both sides, making sure they don’t burn. Ideally you want a golden crust.
Turn the heat down to the minimum, cover the skillet with a lid and steam the patties for 10–12 minutes.
Put the patties, skillet and all, into an oven preheated to 180°C for 15 minutes so they bake through. Or, as a simpler and faster option, put the patties in the microwave for 4–5 minutes at full power.
Serving
For a side dish, chicken patties go well with plain boiled rice. Just boil the rice in salted water. Or make fried rice.
Put the rice on a plate and pour over the butter that has run out of the patties. Place the chicken patties next to it with some fresh herbs.
Calories and macros
1060 kcal
Serving ≈ 400 g
- Protein79 g30% of kcal
- Fat65 g57% of kcal
- Carbs34 g13% of kcal
100 g265 kcalProtein 19.7 gFat 16.3 gCarbs 8.6 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
How did you like this recipe?
To Get It Right
Which butter to use
For chicken patties, use good butter from a brand whose quality you know, not a spread of palm oil and emulsifiers. These patties use a lot of it: in the mixture, inside and for frying.
Cream instead of butter in the mixture
One reader skips the butter that goes into the chicken patty mixture and replaces some of the milk with cream instead. A good idea; the piece of butter inside stays.
With cheese inside
In chicken patties, you can add some cheese or mozzarella to the piece of butter inside, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top when baking in the oven.
Turkey patties
The patties turn out just as well with turkey breast: readers have made them, and it’s a great idea.
Have your own trick for this recipe?
Questions and answers
What do you add to ground chicken to make patties juicy?
Bread soaked in warm milk and a little butter, about 30 g, right in the mixture. Most importantly, a piece of butter inside each patty: it melts as they fry and bake, and the patties come out juicy. Readers have tried grating frozen butter straight into the mixture, but a piece inside plus baking gives juicier patties.
Do you need to add egg to ground chicken for patties?
No. These patties need no eggs, grated onion or garlic: just chicken breast, bread with milk, butter and spices.
What keeps chicken patties from falling apart?
The mixture should be thick, like mashed potatoes: add the milk left from the bread a little at a time, and not all of it. If the mixture is too runny, add a few breadcrumbs, and coat the patties thoroughly in breadcrumbs.
How long do you fry chicken patties?
Fry on both sides over medium heat until golden, then steam, covered, over the lowest heat for 10–12 minutes. After that, 15 minutes in the oven at 180°C.
How do you make chicken patties in the oven?
In this recipe the patties finish baking in the oven right in the skillet, after frying. And sometime, try making chicken patties in the oven with no frying at all.