Guilt Free Chicken Patties
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast chopped into smaller than 1/2" pieces
- 1/3 cup diced bell pepper
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- whole wheat buns
- lettuce, tomato, cheese optional
Instructions
- Combine chicken, bell pepper, green onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in large bowl.
- Form 5 chicken patties and place on sheet pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
- Heat oven to a broil.
- Broil patties for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Flip the patties and broil for another 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
- (To Freeze: Form patties and place between two cooking spray sprayed pieces of wax paper and place in freezer bags removing as much air as possible. Let thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours prior to cooking.)
Last week Leigh and I celebrated the big 01 by co-writing 2 posts looking back over the past year and picking our favorites and our not so favorites. Yesterday, Leigh got us started with a guest post from her lovely friend, Chiarita Rose, detailing her miracle soup. I hope that by starting the new year with a guest post, Leigh has set a precedence for the new year and that guest posts will pepper the lineup all year long. I’m thinking that the precedence I am setting for the new year is stepping out of my comfort zone-
It just so happens that the week FTTDWYW celebrated its first blogaversary, I was asked to speak about blogging at my dear friend Jeanie’s MOPS group. Now, are the questions in your head just starting to get rolling? The first one might be who died and nominated me at a place to speak publicly about blogging? The second question running circles in your head might be what is MOPS? And the third, what has this got to do with chicken patties and comfort zones? Don’t fret my pet, I am going to answer all three questions.
According to their website, MOPS is an international support network of moms of children that have not yet started school. Jeanie started talking up MOPS to me when I was prego with Baby Bub and after my recent visit, I am 100% certain I will be pursuing a local group ASAP. Jeanie has been a FTTDWYW supporter from the start. She has even done a guest post (remember those skinny black bean brownies?) so when she asked me to speak about the blog to her MOPS group back in the fall, I didn’t hesitate to agree… But, I didn’t think she would actually remember to set the date.
Is now a good time to mention that public speaking sends waves of anxiety crashing over me. In the most recent months I have done lots of soul searching and lots of personal growth reading and introspection and with that lots of resolving to turn over new leaves. But, all the resolving in the world doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if I don’t put my money where my mouth is (you with me?) Speaking to Jeanie’s MOPS group was a perfect chance to go ahead and put my money where my mouth is and I knew that in the fall when I initially agreed to speak.
Baby Bub and I went over the night before the meeting so I wouldn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to drive to Mobile. Jeanie, even at 26 weeks prego, is a great host. She whipped up the most wonderful avocado-red onion-tomato-lime dip to nosh on while she cooked the rest of dinner- guilt free chicken patties. But, let me tell you this little side story because I have a great photo to go along with it.
You may remember, Jeanie has an (almost) four-year-old son and while she was cooking dinner, she decided he needed to take a bath. She ran his water, bubbles- the whole nine yards. He got in and was playing, having a great time. I decided I wasn’t going to bath Baby Bub that night just to make things simple. Baby Bub had other ideas.
Before I had any idea what was going on, Baby Bub had himself in the tub (fully clothed) with James. It really was funny… the first time. I got him out and into his jams, turned my back for 2 seconds and he was back in the tub fully clothed for the second time! Baby Bub is part fish.
Anyway, like I said, Jeanie cooked dinner and on the menu were these chicken patties. We chatted it up the entire time she was prepping. She just chopped up some chicken and bell pepper and green onions and molded these patties and put them in the oven. As she was forming the patties, I asked her if she was going to put any eggs in there to hold them together and she informed me she wasn’t… I was totally intrigued. What immerged from her oven were these wonderful little chicken patties that were so yummy I knew I would be sharing them here.
The recipe is not a bit complicated or hard to follow. You cut up a couple of chicken breasts into 1/2″ pieces, although next time, I will be cutting them up smaller than I did this first time. And you dice about 1/3 cup of bell peppers. Jeanie used red, I used red and orange. Chop 2 green onions. 3/4 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper. Jeanie added garlic, so I added 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix all that together and form patties. Jeanie made a 9 little patties, I made 3 big ones…
You set your oven on broil and put these in the oven on a cooking spray-doused pan for 8 minutes or until they are slightly browned, take them out- flip them over (yes, they stay together at this point) and put them back in the oven for another 6 minutes or until they are browned.
Jeanie and I both added cheese to these patties and served them on a wheat bun. I lathered it up with spicy mayo- it was the right amount of kick for Bub, a little too much for me- but, now I know.
The recipe that Jeanie gave me includes instructions for freezing which I will include in the recipe below.
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, chopped into smaller than 1/2″ pieces
- 1/3 cup diced bell pepper
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- (whole wheat) buns
- lettuce, tomato, cheese- optional
- Combine chicken, bell pepper, green onion, garlic, salt and pepper in large bowl
- Form 5 chicken patties and place on a sheet pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
- Heat oven to broil.
- Broil patties for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Flip the patties and broil for another 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
- (To Freeze: form patties and place between 2 cooking spray sprayed pieces of wax paper and place in freezer bags removing as much air as possible. Let thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours prior to cooking.)
I can happily say that the entire experience from the avocado dip to the chicken patties to visiting with Jeanie to the MOPS meeting was so awesome. I am so glad I pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone. When recounting how it went with Bub, I told him I probably wasn’t the best speaker those women had ever seen but thankfully Jeanie had a whole slew of questions to keep me talking and the women themselves were so welcoming and receptive. Bub responded that since I am not a seasoned public speaker, I probably did alright and that he was proud of me for not caving to my fear. What an awesome, nonchalant thing to say.
Have you stepped out of your comfort zone lately?
You did a wonderful job and we had a great time! Hopefully you will come back and speak again for your 2 year Blogaversary!
Thanks Jeanie! It really was fun- all the women were so nice & so welcoming! I’ll def come back for the 2nd blogaversary!
These look great. Even Jojo was interested! Does the chicken juice hold it all together?
Leigh, I also think these could be amended some too- add hot peppers or roasted garlic or whatever. I’m not sure what holds them together… Magic!
Josh and I had a long conversation about all the different variations this recipe could take. Really, the possibilities are endless.