by Ethan Johnson
February 2, 2007

Hey, I get it. Chicken is boring. Especially the boneless, skinless variety that doctors and diet gurus sigh and let you eat sparingly, if at all. How about something that gives you 100% of your daily recommended dose of E? As in, easy and exotic! Let's heat up a skillet for:

Spicy Chicken Patties

Recipe adapted from The Book of Curries and Indian Foods by Linda Fraser.

2 boneless, skinless chicken filets OR 1/2 lb ground chicken
4 green onions, finely chopped (white/light green parts only)
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped OR 1/2 can petite diced tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp cilantro (coriander), finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 egg, beaten OR 2 Tbsp plain yogurt
Up to 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
Kosher salt
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup pure olive oil for frying
1 piece (1 inch) ginger root, grated (optional)

(Serves 2 as a meal or 6-12 as a treat.)

Update 2/12/2007: This recipe is now available in video format.

1. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Set aside.

2. Finely chop the green onions by slicing them thinly, then rocking the knife over the slices. Scrape into a medium bowl.

   

3. Crush the garlic cloves into the bowl on top of the green onions.

   

4. If using, grate the ginger root and add to the bowl. (Note: The ginger root didn't seem to impart much to the patties, so if you want to skip this step all will be well.)

   

5. Peel, seed, and chop the tomatoes. OR, scoop out half a can of tomatoes and rock the knife over the pile to cut the tomato pieces finer. Add to the bowl.

   

6. Finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.

   

7. Add the cumin, kosher salt, garam masala, and cayenne pepper (as desired) to the bowl. (Note: In this example, I didn't use much cayenne, and really could have kicked it up with more. Use your best judgement.)

   

8. Trim the chicken breasts, slice them in half, and gradually mince the chicken finely. OR, use ground chicken if possible. Add to the bowl.

   

   

   

9. Add half of the bread crumbs and the beaten egg (or yogurt) to the bowl.

   

10. Stir the ingredients well. (Note: In this example, I could have cut the ingredients even finer. As you will see, it still turned out OK with larger pieces.)

    

11. Form the mixed ingredients into patties roughly the size of the cup of your palm. Dredge the patties through the other half of the bread crumbs to coat.

    

12. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the patties in small batches (I did 4 at a time) and fry until golden brown on both sides and juices run clear. (Note: It's hard to judge the doneness of the chicken, so 4 flips (2 full rotations - 1 flip every 3 minutes) per patty seemed to do the trick quite nicely.)

    

    

13. Drain the patties on paper towels. Serve hot.

14. Shabbash!

Note: This makes a great finger food, as fried foods go. Use a light oil (such as pure olive oil) for frying, not vegetable oil.

Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out. <EM>

(The full, ever-expanding In the Kitchen recipe list may be found here, if you take a notion.)