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 😂)
Grate the zucchini and carrot using a standard box grater,
Mix all the rissole ingredients together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.
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!
Wet your hand with water (so the mixture doesn’t stick) and place the ball of mixture on your hand.
Shape it into a patty.
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
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Chicken Rissoles
Ingredients
Rissoles:
- 500g / 1 lb chicken mince (ground chicken), excess liquid drained and discarded (Note 1)
- 1 carrot, medium , grated on a shallow angle (Note 2)
- 1 zucchini, medium , grated on a shallow angle (Note 2)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cup Colby cheese, shredded (or cheddar, tasty, Monterey Jack – see Note 3)
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Cooking & serving:
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- Ketchup – for dipping
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 100°C/210°F (all oven types), to keep cooked rissoles warm. Place a rack over a tray.
- Rissole mixture: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.
- Form patties: Wet your hands (stops the mixture sticking all over your hands). Measure out just shy of 1/4 cup and shape into a 6 cm wide x 1.5cm thick pattie (2.4" x 0.6" thick). See Note 1 if your mixture is too loose.
- Cook: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Cook 5 – 6 rissoles at the time, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until beautifully golden (as pictured). (Note 5 for baking)
- Keep warm: Transfer to the rack on the tray and keep warm in the oven. Add more oil as needed and cook remaining rissoles.
- Serve straight away with ketchup for dipping!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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.)
Trying these rissoles tonight, thanks! Oh my gosh, my Golden far too frequently suffers from what the vet calls “culinary indiscretions”–never thought to do buns. It’s genius!
These look delicious and I have some ground chicken in the freezer waiting to be used. What would you serve them with?
Poor Dozer! Happy to hear he’s ok now. When that happens to mine I wonder what did you eat YOU shouldn’t have. *L* Hugs to you both and I’m going to try this!
Hi, I have a commercial deep fryer, can I use that for frying and if so, how long do you think?
Thanks
Hi Nagi; Love your recipes, have tried a few.
This recipe would be wonderful for my 13 mon. old grandson who has a severe egg allergy. What would be your replacement for egg?
Canola Oil. ,no no no its a GMO Datt Rimes
Greetings and Salutations Chef ,goin in with ground turkey no ground chicken available just have to pick the one of two national brands the one that list turkey only the other has H2O ,yore recipe sounds delightful and some tips from others are good and again SO happy your back. ” Good Appetite “
To mix this, I would use a dough whisk. I use mine whenever I need to mix ANYTHING because it does the job very quickly. Cannot wait to try this recipe – love the idea of not always having to use red meat. Here in the US, ground chicken is very readily available fortunately. I’ve even used it to make a meat loaf and while it’s not all that great for that, it does make really good sandwiches. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and of course, letting us enjoy Dozer from a distance.
Do you need to squeeze the liquid from the carrots and zucchini so it isn’t soggy or does the added liquid from them help to keep them from drying out? Thanks!
looks Delicious! 🤗
Hi Nagi, what do you think about using chopped scallions [green onions] in this recipe? Onions and shallots might taste too raw to use, but could be precooked slightly before adding to mixture as an alternative. Have you tried any onions at all?
I haven’t but I use scallions in fritters all the time so I know it will be GREAT. 🙂 N x
Would this recipe go well in a air fryer, or would pan frying be ideal?
I haven’t tried in an air fryer April! But if you spray with oil before air frying it should work great, I just don’t know the best temp or time 🙂 N x
Dozer’s do looks just like one of the baristas at our local cafe!
😂😂😂
These look amazing! Any Gluten-free suggestions, if one can’t eat Panko?
Hi, I make my own GF breadcrumbs by drying out GF bread that’s a few days old and then use my food processor to grind it into breadcrumbs. There are also GF breadcrumbs available in stores where I am in Europe. Hope that helps 🙂
I just substituted GF breadcrumbs and they turned out great!
Great idea Liz! Thanks for the tip, I’ll update now 🙂 N x
I substitute lupin flakes for breadcrumbs. You don’t need as much, about half the volume. Additional benefits are an increase in protein and reduction in carbs.
What are Lupin flakes? Never heard of these in the US.
https://www.amazon.com/Carrington-Farms-Lupin-Milled-Ounce/dp/B087KC51G5/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=lupin+flakes&qid=1664373202&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjg5IiwicXNhIjoiMi40MSIsInFzcCI6IjEuOTgifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-18
Oh wow! Thanks, just ordered them. Can’t wait to try them.
Hi Nagi, made these but changed the cheese to Gruyere which in my opinion is the best cheese for this kind of thing (as used with French onion soup and many other dishes) Will make these again. Brill recipe Thank you.
John M (in the UK)
Using gruyere for anything raises the bar!!! You lucky thing, these would be AMAZING with gruyere. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them! N x
Nagi, these were SO good. The cheese gave them a lovely golden brown crust. Served with rice and a creamy mushroom sauce… mmm.
YUUUUUUUM!!!!!! So glad you enjoyed them Liz! N x
Do you think these could be made in an “air fryer”? I have a new one and absolutely loving it!
I’m sure they can be Elaine but I just don’t know the best temp or cook time! I will see if I can get someone to test this for me then will update the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Thank you very much love salmon patty’s this will work great also ground chicken,pork. Vicky
Something I can make for the grandkids (and adults) when they visit us in the US from Hobart.
And man buns–hilarious! Two goldens, and I never thought of that. 🙂
Didn’t make them yet but will sure do!!!
Thanks for another great recipe.
Hope Dozer feels better soon 🐾
Greetings from Thailand