Rotisserie Chicken Patties

                       

Rotisserie Chicken Patties

My grocery store often has sales on rotisserie chicken. I always buy two whenever they do. I remove as much meat as possible and then use it to make chicken salad, BBQ chicken sandwiches or chicken soup. I also make Chicken Patties. You can serve them as is with chicken gravy and mashed potatoes. I like to make Chicken Patty sandwiches.

You can use any kind of creamy salad dressing with this recipe. I used ranch because that is what was in the fridge. I have used Caesar dressing instead and it is just as yummy. I wouldn’t recommend bleu cheese dressing with this, even though I love bleu cheese.

Bacon is optional. One way to save time is to fry a whole package of bacon when you aren’t busy. Then crumble and freeze it. You will have no fuss bacon crumbles on hand whenever you need them. A tablespoon of bacon crumbles roughly equals one slice of bacon.

When you are shaping the patties, don’t be afraid to really mush them together. They are delicate and will fall apart easily if you don’t. Also, don’t throw away the cleaned chicken. You can save the chicken and the ends of carrots, onions and garlic and the tops of celery in the freezer in a bag until you are ready. Just throw the whole carcass and the veggie pieces into a pot of boiling water. Turn the pot down and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain everything and you have the base for a delicious chicken soup or gravy. (Discard the stuff you strained.)

Servings:  4
Time:  Cook time: 10 minutes, active time: 25 minutes, Dinner in about 30 minutes
Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, a mixing bowl, a cutting board and knives, a wooden spoon, a bowl or shallow dish, a skillet, a large spatula for turning, 2 plates, paper towels
Before you start: Read through the entire recipe. Pre-measure all of the ingredients. Have all of the required utensils laid out before you begin.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rotisserie chicken
• 1 green onion
• 2 pieces of bacon (optional)
• ⅓ cup dressing, maybe more (I used Marie’s Creamy Ranch)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, maybe more
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• Olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet
• Salt & Pepper

1. Remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin, fat and gristle. You only need two cups. Shred any large pieces.
2. Wash and slice the onions as thin as possible, use both the green and white parts. Crack the egg into the mixing bowl and beat it. Mix in the dressing.  Place the crumbs into the shallow bowl. Cover one of the plates in paper towels. Set aside.
3. Cook and crumble the bacon. Do not clean out the skillet.
4. Mix the chicken, onion, bacon and Parmesan in the bowl with the dressing mixture. Shape the mixture into 4 hamburger sized patties. If the mixture isn’t sticking together you may need to add a tiny bit more dressing or Parmesan cheese. Generously salt and pepper the outside of each patty. Then lay the patty into the crumbs. Mash it just a little to make sure the crumbs adhere. Flip the patty and cover the other side. You can lay the patties onto the empty plate while you clean your hands and get the skillet ready. Allowing the patties to rest will also help them hold together.
5. Use the same skillet you used for the bacon. If there isn’t enough bacon fat to cover the bottom of the skillet, add more. Heat the oil on medium. Sauté the patties until they are golden brown (about 5 minutes.) Carefully flip the patties and cook the other side. Drain on the paper towel covered plate. Serve warm.