Home Ground Chicken Patties

Wonderfully easy and delicious.
Why buy overpriced ground chicken that sometimes has as much fat thrown into it as hamburger?
Buy chicken breasts on sale and debone them yourself. There are tons of videos on YouTube demonstrating how to do this. All you need is a sharp knife (not serrated, smooth) and after practicing on one or two, you'll have it.
Cut your boneless, skinless chicken in large 2-inch or so cubes, toss into a food processor with the sharp blade (not too much at once, so not to overheat it, unless you have a large one).  I put in about 1 1/2-2 lbs of chicken chunks and pulsed it about 16-18 times.  Just until it was processed enough to form patties, but not pate`. There were still about 1/2 centimeter sized pieces mixed in.

Now you're ready to make some chicken patties!
for the patties you'll need:
about 2 lbs of  home ground chicken
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
salt and pepper

the coating:
2 cups plain bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese
pepper, enough so you can see the flecks in the bread crumbs
dash Italian seasoning, just a couple shakes, enough so you can see just a hint of the flecks in the bread crumbs

Mix the ingredients for the chicken patties and chill mixture for about 10 minutes.
Mix the coating ingredients.

Using a measuring cup, I used 1/2 cup measure but I didn't fill it all the way, scoop up some mixture and drop it into the coating mixture like this:

Then, using your hands, scoop crumb mixture on top of the chicken, patting it down gently and forming a rough pattie, like this:

Then carefully slide your hand under the patty, picking it up. The patties will be very fragile feeling. Turn it over once in your other palm and cupping your free hand, just go around the edges of the pattie to make it more uniform. It won't pack down and feel like a firm beef pattie, so just make sure it has a coating and is the thickness you like. Work quickly and if mixture gets too difficult to work with, chill a few more minutes.
I have found this way of making the chicken patties the easiest and less messiest.

Heat up a frying pan, over medium heat, with some vegetable oil.
Using a spatula, carefully set the pattie into the hot pan. Fry each side about 3-4 minutes, depending what size they are. If they are browning too quick, lower the heat a little. You may need to add a bit more oil as you cook.
Patties are done when deep golden brown and center feels firm, but not hard.
I like to sprinkle them with a little kosher salt at this point.

Serve on a bun like a chicken sandwich, or a chicken salad, or with mashed potatoes and gravy, or freeze for fast microwavable snacks and sandwiches. So crunchy on the outside, juicy in the middle and soo yummy!
And the best part is you KNOW what is in THESE chicken patties. :)