Chicken Patties (Chicken Tikki)

These Chicken Patties are a show stopper! They are a flavor bomb with tender & juicy inside and crispy on the outside. These pan-fried patties go by the name Chicken Tikki and are a popular party appetizer from the Indian sub-continent. Whether you make them with fresh chicken or with leftovers they are going to be a sure hit with kids and grown-ups alike.

These Chicken Patties taste great on their own but they are usually eaten with mint chutney or cilantro chutney. But any other dip, ketchup or spicy schezwan sauce also goes great. Even more you can serve them as burger patties if you make them larger.

We love these breaded for a crisp exterior but they can be made without the breading if you want to save some time. They can be air fried or baked if you leave out breading. These chicken tikki can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for later use. Below are the ingredients and their substitutes. But note that, using some of the substitutes can alter the flavors but still they will be good.

Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts – I like to start with fresh chicken breasts but if you have any precooked chicken or rotisserie chicken (skin removed) you may use that as well.
• Ground spices – I use garam masala, red chili powder and turmeric (optional). But you substitute garam masala with any other preferred spice blend you want like the steak seasoning. For the red chili powder, you may use chili flakes or paprika (start with lesser amounts).
• Aromatics (omit if using steak seasoning) – For the aromatics I use fresh ginger and green chili for heat. They can be substituted with ¾ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper. Onions are an optional ingredient and they can be substituted with 2 tablespoons fried onions or ¾ teaspoon onion powder.
• Herbs – Fresh coriander leaves/cilantro add an herby flavor to the chicken patties. Feel free to substitute them with ½ teaspoon thyme if you want.
• To crumb coat the patties you will use bread crumbs and egg. You will dip the patties in the beaten egg before coating them with the bread crumbs. However I substitute the egg with flour. I make a slurry/batter with gram flour for the same. You can use any flour.
• Yogurt or buttermilk (optional) – For the most tender and juicy chicken patties I brine the chicken breasts in buttermilk/ yogurt. It is up to you if you want you may simply poach the chicken or cook in the pan as directed below.

Photo Guide

How to make Chicken Patties (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Place the chicken breast in a pan and cover it with broth or water. Optionally you may add 2 tablespoons yogurt. I prefer to brine the chicken in buttermilk (¼ cup yogurt mixed with half cup water) for 2 hours & discard the liquid before cooking. This makes the juiciest chicken. You may simply add broth or water good enough to cover the chicken.

2. Cook them on a low flame for 12 to 14 mins, until the internal temperature reaches 165 F (74 C). Turn them to the other side halfway through, after 6 to 7 mins.

3. When done, open the lid and strain the liquid to use later in soups. Cool down and roughly tear or cut the breasts to smaller portions.

4. Add the chicken to a food processor and process finely. Or alternately you may fine chop it like the way I did. Add finely chopped onions or onion powder, grated ginger or garlic powder, chopped green chilies, salt, coriander leaves, turmeric, red chili powder and garam masala.

5. Mix everything well. Begin to add bread crumbs or rice flour for gluten-free version, little by little only as needed. Start with lower amounts and add more only if required. Too much bread crumbs can make the mixture too dry.

6. Mix well until it comes together. Taste test and adjust the seasoning to your preference.

Make Chicken Tikki

7. Divide to 8 to 9 portions and shape to patties. These are good to air fry, pan fry or bake as is at this stage.

8. Break an egg & add salt to a bowl. Or you can also make a batter made with flour, salt and water. The batter must not be very thick or runny. Also take the bread crumbs in a bowl and place them side by side. Dip each patty in the batter or egg mixture.

9. Immediately place it over the bread crumbs. Coat it well.

10. Repeat the process of dipping all the patties in batter / egg and then in the bread crumbs. Set these aside for about 15 mins for the crumbs to set well. Gently press down each of these cutlets including on the sides so the crumbs stick well.

11. These can be deep fried or shallow fried or pan fried. I pan fried them. I added 2 tbsp oil to the pan. When the oil turns hot, tilt the pan slightly so the oil is on one side. Then slowly slide the patties, 2 at one time. When the patties are coated well with oil on one side, just move them aside and add 2 more.

12. This way make sure all the chicken patties are added to oil for even frying and coloring.

13. When they turn golden, flip them to the other side and fry. I added another tbsp oil now around the edges for the other side to fry well.

14. Since these are not deep or shallow fried in oil, the sides do not turn golden. If you are particular about the color, then I suggest deep frying or fry on the sides as well as shown in the pic below. But even pan fried patties turn very crunchy & delicious.

Serve chicken patties hot with onion wedges, tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Expert Tips

• Don’t process the onions after adding them to the mixture. If you further chop the onions in the food processor, they will release more moisture into the patties. If the patties are too wet, they may break.
• Test the batter for seasoning before you prepare it for frying. You won’t be able to taste test the patties for spice and salt after you dip them in egg or batter, so make sure the taste is to your preference beforehand.
• Use one hand to dip patties in the batter or egg, and the other hand to press it into the breadcrumbs.  Keeping one hand for wet ingredients (batter/egg) and one hand for dry ingredients (breadcrumbs) helps the breadcrumbs stick to the patty and not your fingers!
• Make sure your pan and oil are hot enough before you start to fry. If the oil is too cool, the chicken patties will absorb the oil and become greasy instead of light and crispy.

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