Chicken Rissoles (chicken patties!) (2024)

These chicken rissoles are golden on the outside with irresistible little pockets of oozy cheese inside. It’s my chicken mince version of the beloved Aussie beef rissole. There’s room for both in everybody’s life!

Chicken rissoles

Aussies love a good beef rissole. It’s right up there with other nostalgic Australian comfort meals like curried sausages, bangers and mash, and a good old-fashioned roast with all the trimmings.

In case you’re wondering what rissoles are, in Australia (and New Zealand) they are small meat patties that are usually pan-fried. And while we Aussies like to believe they’re exclusively ours (right!?) it turns out that actually there are different forms of rissoles all around the world made with other meats, fish/seafood and vegetables.

The classic Aussie version is made with beef mince, often mixed with grated vegetables, and flavoured with savoury seasonings such as Worcestershire sauce.

Today though I’m doing a spin on the classic using chicken. I’ve also doubled down on the non-traditional approach by adding cheese for much needed juiciness (because chicken mince = lean meat) as well as flavour.

But you know you’re going to love them. Look at these golden beauties!

Proof of oozy cheese pockets inside:

What you need for Chicken Rissoles

Here’s what you need to make these cheesy chicken rissoles:

• Chicken mince (ground chicken) – This recipe is created with chicken mince but turkey or pork mince would make great direct substitutes with no alteration to the recipe. For beef and lamb, it’s better to use the classic Beef Rissoles recipe which has seasonings suited to red meats.

  TIP: Chicken mince purchased in packets from supermarkets can be quite wet and soft. Pour off and discard any liquid pooled in the packet before using. If you are struggling to form patties because your mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs to absorb the excess moisture. But really try to avoid/minimise this as the drier the mixture gets, the less juicy your rissoles!

• Panko breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are necessary to absorb some of the moisture so you can form patties. I like to use Panko breadcrumbs because it makes the inside of the rissoles softer than using the fine regular breadcrumbs.

  Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods (crumbed tenders, schnitzel, Kiev). Find it in the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets.

  Substitute with 2/3 cup regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find panko. A reader also reported these worked great with gluten-free breadcrumbs!

• Cheese (shredded) – Adds flavour and juiciness to the inside of the rissoles. Chicken mince is very lean, so cheese really makes a difference to the tasty-factor. Pick a well-flavoured cheese that’s suitable for both shredding and melting. Colby, cheddar/tasty, Monterey Jack, gouda, and provolone are all good choices.

• Carrot and zucchini – To bulk out the patties as well as adding some goodness to our diet. Double up on one or the other if you want more veg, or just prefer one veg.
  Alternatives: corn, thawed peas or small diced frozen vegetables, or finely chopped cooked, cooled broccoli. You don’t want to use anything that needs cooking (like raw grated sweet potato) because the chicken mince will overcook before the vegetable cooks through.

• Egg – For binding. Just one. Any more and it will noticeably dry out the filling.

• Parsley – Optional, for lovely little flecks of colour.

How to make chicken rissoles

I need to share more recipes that are so straightforward I only need 6 simple step photos like below! Just what I needed after Friday’s Vegetable Dumplings, which totalled a whopping 30 process shots!!! (But it’s still a really easy recipe, I swear 😂)

1. Grate the zucchini and carrot using a standard box grater,

2. Mix all the rissole ingredients together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.

3. Scoop up just shy of 1/4 cup of mixture. TIP: An ice cream scoop with a lever is super handy for making patties and meatballs!

4. Wet your hand with water (so the mixture doesn’t stick) and place the ball of mixture on your hand.

5. Shape it into a patty.

6. Cook 5 to 6 patties at a time in a non-stick pan for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Keep cooked rissoles warm in a low oven, sitting on a rack set over a tray (this stops the underside from going soggy).

And that’s it! Pile them up on a platter with ketchup on the side for dipping. Rissoles are normally a meal eaten with knife and fork, but they’re also delicious as finger food. Either way, get your people stuck in while they’re hot!!

Before you ask, I did try baking them too. It works but I found that you can’t get the same amount of attractive dark colour on the surface without overcooking the inside. They’re still tasty, and I would do it if convenience was a priority (so I’ve included directions in the notes), but pan-frying really is better for these rissoles.

If baking convenience is what you’re after, try these Baked Chicken Broccoli Patties. The addition of broccoli protects the chicken mince from drying out in the oven so you can bake it for a bit longer and thus get more nice colour on it.

Oh and don’t worry. Those have cheese in them too. ☺️ – Nagi x

Did you know … you can fritter almost anything?

Watch how to make it

Life of Dozer

When Dozer has an upset stomach, it’s time for his “man buns”. They help keep parts of him – ahem – clean, shall we say. Practical – and hilarious. (PS He’s fine now! Don’t feel too sorry for him, it was no doubt self-inflicted, eating something he shouldn’t have.)