Let me give you a little bit of advice, my friends. Head to your kitchen right now and whip up a batch of these Chicken Fritters. You will be so darn happy that you did! These tasty nuggets are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with cheesy goodness.
Make a big batch to serve to friends with some feta dressing or chipotle ranch dressing for dipping. Or keep them all for yourself for quick lunches or high protein snacks. They’re great over salad too!
Susan says:
“These are literally the BEST. I’ve made them so many times as a meal. Side of steamed garlic broccoli, & serve with ranch, bleu cheese, au jus, all of the above, whatever. Whole family loves them. So much flavor.”
These keto chicken fritters have been insanely popular from the moment I hit publish. And it’s not hard to see why. They’re made with simple, wholesome ingredients. And the cheddar melts into the fritters as they cook, creating a crispy golden crust and a tender, cheesy interior.
It’s easily one of my most popular keto appetizer recipes. One bite and you’ll be hooked. And if you watch the video and see me doing the happy dance, you might just want to groove along with me!
Why readers love this recipe
- Fabulous flavor: These chicken fritters are made with sharp cheddar, garlic, and red pepper flakes, for bold savory flavor.
- Wonderful texture: Crispy on the outside, tender and cheesy on the inside!
- Easy recipe: Using ground chicken makes these fritters come together quickly and easily.
- Healthy ingredients: No special ingredients in this recipe. Just some chicken, cheese, almond flour, and some seasonings.
- Gluten-free: Great for people who can’t tolerate wheat or gluten.
- Customizable: Feel free to use ground turkey or a different cheese like pepper jack. I have one reader who made a Tex Mex version!
- Make ahead: You can easily prep these ahead for easy appetizers or family-friendly dinners.
- Great macros: With 19 grams of protein and less than 2 grams of carbs per serving, these chicken fritters are ideal for low carb and keto-friendly diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground chicken: This simplifies the process, as there is no need to chop the chicken or to process it in a food processor.
- Sharp cheddar: I grated a full block of sharp cheddar (Cabot Seriously Sharp!) for these fritters and they were seriously amazing. They had a crispy cheese crust as they came out of the pan that was absolutely delectable.
- Almond flour: Almond flour or another nut or seed meal will help bind the mixture together. I don’t recommend coconut flour, as it will make the fritters dry and tough. Instead, try using another nut or seed meal, or even ground pork rinds.
- Egg: This is the glue that binds the patty mixture together.
- Seasonings: Garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
- Oil and butter for frying
Overview: How to make Chicken Fritters
- Combine the ingredients: Combine the chicken, cheddar, almond flour, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix with your hands to make it all nicely uniform.
- Form the patties: Use about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time and form into small patties about 2 ½ to 3 inches across. Place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate one hour.
- Cook the patties: Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet and add butter. When melted and hot, brown the chicken patties until cooked through.
- Drain: Place the patties on a paper towel lined plate to drain off any residual oil.
Tips for Success
An hour in the fridge allows the fritters to firm up hold together better when frying. But you can make the patties up to a day in advance of cooking.
Make them any size! I like the small fritters for appetizers and snacks but many readers turn them into full size burgers.
You should get 24 to 26 small patties, and you can cook 8 to 10 at a time in a large skillet, so you will need to work in batches. I recommend scraping out some of the stuck-on cheese between batches, to avoid burning it.
Yes, you can air fry them! Grease the basket well and then brush a little melted butter over the fritters to help them brown. I suggest cooking them at 400ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve them with ranch dressing or homemade keto ketchup for an appetizer. Or pair them with keto coleslaw or cauliflower potato salad as part of a full meal! Really, the sky is the limit here. Check out my full list of keto side dishes to find something that strikes your fancy.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in a warm oven. You can also freeze the cooked chicken fritters for several months. Use a heavy duty freezer bag and remove excess air to avoid freezer burn.
This keto chicken fritter recipe has 1.7g of carbs and 0.6g of fiber per serving. If you count net carbs, that comes to 0.9g carbs for 2 fritters.
Chicken Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb (907.18 g) ground chicken
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) Cabot Seriously Sharp, grated
- ½ cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1 large (1) egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tbsp (1.5 tbsp) butter
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, cheddar, almond flour, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Use your hands to mix everything well.
- Using 2 tablespoons at a time, form the mixture into small patties about 2 ½ to 3 inches across. You should get 24 to 26 patties. Place on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate one hour.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil and ½ tablespoon of the butter. Once hot, add 8 to 10 of the chicken patties. Cook about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through (the internal temperature should reach at least 165ºF on an instant read thermometer).
- Place the finished patties on a paper towel lined plate to dry and repeat 2 more times, until all of the patties are cooked. Note: you may want to scrape out some of the baked-on cheese between batches, to avoid burning it.
- Serve warm, with some ranch or bleu cheese dressing for dipping.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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These are pretty good. They aren’t as next level scrumptious as I’d hoped. Can’t find Cabot cheese where I am in Canada. But used 2 yr old sharp white cheddar in its place. I found it was more like 6 mins fry time per side in my cast iron pan. In any event I prob won’t make them again but will be nice to have a bunch in my freezer for easy meals. I don’t know if I would classify them as game day food though. But each to their own. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these with ground turkey, and they were delicious! Crispy on the outside from the melting cheese. I ate them for lunch on top of coleslaw, a great keto meal!
Made these for dinner with some vegetable soup. My whole family enjoyed them – as chicken nuggets 🙂 they were so good dipped in ranch or your sugar free BBQ sauce. Another great recipe – I have been missing crispy chicken nuggets. I used the air fryer to cook them. Yummy!
I made these tonight and they were yummy. We loved how crispy they got on the outside. We tried different dips/sauces with them. Thank you for simple, yummy recipes that keep us away from sugar and carbs.
You ingredients list… Cabot grated what? (I’m assuming cheese??)
Cabot Seriously Sharp… yes, it’s cheddar. If you read the blog post, you’d see.
It’s only the best cheddar on the planet! 😉
Delicious!! I’ve made recipes using ground chicken in the past, and they have tended to be dry. Not these fritters – they are SO GOOD, and very moist! I’m storing them in a tub in my refrigerator and eat them for lunch or snacks throughout the week. What a great way to have healthy food ready to go while I’m working throughout the week. Thank you Carolyn!!
So glad you like them!
I would like to try these In an air fryer. Would you happen to have a temp and time for these?
Please read the Frequently Asked Questions.
I’ve searched the frequently asked question section for my question. I can’t find my question or even one close to it.
Really? You don’t see the section that says “Can I make these in an air fryer?”. I see it…
It occurs to me that you might be looking at the FAQ at the top of my blog. Try looking at the Frequently Asked Questions section in this actual blog post. I assure you, the answer is right there.
These look delish! I’m thinking about replacing the almond flour ‘crust’ with the phatfoods cracker crumbs. Have you used those?
The “Crust” in this case just comes from the cheese that’s mixed into the whole thing. So no, the crackers would not be a good fit here. They are the best crackers, though!
We used (drained) canned chicken and some remaining cooked rotisserie chicken for the recipe and it was perfect! Didn’t have red pepper flakes or parsley, but substituted with Italian seasoning. Had to work the “batter” more since it wasn’t ground up, but it was a great stress relief!
So glad it worked out!
Why does your print button not work for me anymore?
I honestly can’t say, as it’s working fine for me. Have you switched browsers?
In this recipe, is the chicken cooked to start or raw?
Thanks!
Laura P
It’s raw. The recipe would specify if it were pre-cooked.
Thank you Carolyn, love all your recipes. I enjoy your videos. You are #1 in my fb world.
This recipe looks delish! I’m also curious to know if you can use this same recipe with canned salmon instead of chicken? That idea makes my mouth drool! Lol
I think the moisture content would be a bit different so you may need to add more or less almond flour… drain the salmon, for sure.
How thick should patties be, 1/2”?
Roughly, yes.
It appears it is uncooked chicken because the recipe calls for cooking the fritters to an internal temp of 165 that mirrors proper cooking of raw chicken.
These sound so good. One dumb question…..is the chicken cooked before grindings or do you use the raw ground chicken? Thank you.
Ground chicken comes raw. Trust me, I would specify if it needed to be cooked first!