Healthy Chicken Parm Patties

It's almost Labor Day weekend!! Yesssss. A long weekend could not have come at a better time; work has been a little crazy, my first class in a graduate certificate program is tonight, and I have a massive to-do list that keeps growing by the day. Needless to say, my life has been a bit hectic this week, so finding a new, quick, and easy dinner to try was a necessity.

Cue these Chicken Parm Patties. Not only is this dinner ready in 15 minutes, but most of the ingredients were already in my pantry. New recipe? Check! Quick to make? Check! Easy list of ingredients? Check!

Since this was my first time trying this recipe, I wasn't sure what to expect. While the idea of making a chicken burger with traditional Chicken Parmesan ingredients sounds like a good idea, the end result didn't quite meet my expectations. The marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese flavors got lost in the ground chicken and breadcrumbs. The next time I make these, I think I'll increase the amount of marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese to 1/2 cup each (you might also need to increase the breadcrumbs slightly to make sure the patties hold together).

Other than the slight lack of chicken parm flavorings, these patties were successful. Eat them in between a burger bun, serve them with roasted veggies on the side, chop them up and put them on top of a salad or in a wrap, or add them to your favorite pasta dish; there are many possible dinners to make from this one recipe, all of which are easy to put together. While my taste buds aren't totally sold on this recipe, my sanity definitely is. 

Healthy Chicken Parm Patties (adapted from Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life)
(10 patties)

1 lb 99% lean ground chicken
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Combine all ingredients except Panko breadcrumbs. Mix until combined. Divide into patties (depending on how thick you make them, you will get between 5-10 patties). To create a breading similar to traditional chicken parmesan, coat each side of patties in Panko breadcrumbs.

Heat skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Place patties in heated skillet and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked. Serve with marinara sauce.

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Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 97.6
Total Fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 30 mg
Sodium:  155.6 mg
Total Carbs: 7.5 g
Fiber: 0.9 g
Sugars: 0.4 g
Protein: 13.4 g

Pros:
-Easy to make
-Ready in 15 minutes
-Healthy
-Great leftovers (chop and put in a wrap or on a salad or chop and serve as meatballs over pasta)

Cons:
-Not a strong resemblance to chicken parm (increase amounts of Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce to fix this)
-They are a little dry (use ground chicken with a higher fat content to fix this)

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5