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.)
Made these for dinner last night. I didn’t have panko crumbs so just used regular. Everyone liked them including the kids. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am on staycation. I was cruising your recipes yesterday and saw this one. I saw Dozer’s man buns and thought it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. When I need a recipe I go to your site. I have your cookbook. I will be making this. I tell everybody about your recipes.
I was thinking of making these with pork mince and I wondered if they could be BBQ’d?
I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING. PORK HAS MORE FLAVOR. NO ANSWER?
Loved these!!!!!! I added garlic powder and onion powder to the mix and omg so yum! Even my fussy 6yo actually TOLD ME she loved them! She even wants me to teach her how to make them and she’s asked we have them every week haha. I made a seperate smaller mix for my 11 month old who has an egg allergy, so I used ground flax seed instead of egg and ommited the salt for him
Oh my goodness! These are the most amazing rissoles! The only variation to the recipe is that I added 2 small carrots. It was so tempting to add the old faithful garlic but they don’t need it. I make these rissoles once a week now and they are amazing on a sandwich for lunch the next day! They are a favourite of my husband and myself – oh and so easy to make!
Tonight I cooked the chicken rissoles for the first time – they were an instant hit and I’ll definitely cook them again. The only change I made was to add one clove of grated garlic and I used fresh thyme instead of parsley (as I didn’t have parsley). We ate them on wraps with salad and mayonnaise – delicious! Bonus is that there are leftovers to freeze for lunches.
Just made these and it turned out so great. And so easy to make too.
These look yummy but I would like a really nice sauce to go with them rather than tomato sauce. Can you suggest something please?
Hi Linda
I made a gravy from the pan juices after frying
Hi Karen did you just use flour and stock?
Hi Linda
Taste has an Air Fryer chicken rissoles which is very similar to this, but they have a lovely sauce to go with them.
Absolute hit with my family. I am not a ketchup-eater and these are delicious with or without. Thank you!
I’ve made these many times, and have a batch warm in the oven right now. So tasty, even my veggie resistant 4yo polishes them off. I add a smidge of garlic and usually use parsely flakes since my herb garden is not thriving right now. 2023 budget friendly, too. 👌
Wow! These are so easy to make, so delicious, and just about a complete meal. I shaped them slightly smaller to make them fit tiny grandchildren’s tummies. Using disposable gloves for mixing/shaping works really well. Next time I’ll get the grandchildren to help with the mixing and shaping. Thanks!
Thank you Nagi for this rissole recipe. Made them tonight as is and they were delicious! Enough for another meal also. Very tasty and moist.
Wow were these good! We were pretty sick of chicken thighs around my house, but we don’t eat red meat and the price of seafood is a little crazy. These were the perfect alternative. Super easy to make, and extremely delicious.
My family hates zucchini, and they had NO IDEA I put 3 cups in (I tripled the recipe because they freeze well and then *poof* easy mid-week/after practice/it’s already late dinner done!)
Thanks for such a great recipe!!
Hey Nagi, I have mince chicken thighs in my freezer and noting it’s a lot less dry, are there any tweaks you would suggest to the recipe if I use that instead of standard chook mince, which I understand is usually breast meat? Also the man buns on Dozer is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
Delicious. Had it with purple rice, also delicious. Only gave it five stars because ther e was no way to give it 10.
This is one of my most regularly made recipes. Either to have a snack or as burgers. Always double the vegetables too.
These are on weekly rotation for us. Low carb for me on keto, can add lovely salads as well as carbs (rice or potatoes) for my husband. He loves them! We both do! And I end up with a couple for lunch next day! Thanks so much. Xx
I’m not the biggest fan of zucchini, could I sub in cucumber?
Seriously, you don’t taste it, it just adds moisture. Try it, I bet you will enjoy this recipe. I can’t imagine cucumber would work. A tad to watery.
Made these tonight and I love them 😍. Nice and tender too 👏
Will freeze the rest uncooked for another time.