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 look amazing! Do you think they can be made in a Dash waffle maker? Or are they too delicate?
Hi Carolyn,
Would you recommend any changes for ground pork?
Thanks in Advance!
Much much fattier so I am not sure how well it will work.
I cant eat cheese – is there something I can sub in – other than fake cheese? I can eat small amounts of cream cheese occasionally.
I really don’t know. I don’t think you will get a nice crusty exterior without cheese.
I can’t do dairy, so I made these with vegan shredded cheddar “cheese.” They turned out great with a nice crispy crust. Look for a vegan cheese that says it melts like cheese. I don’t remember the brand I used, but it didn’t contain soy. I bought it at Meijer.
Great to hear!
Sooo good. Used the Cabot cheese and chicken I had ground myself. Will definitely make again
These are so good! First made them when my husband was doing keto and the whole family (1 and 3 year olds, too) all loved them. I make them now regularly despite no one doing keto. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Great to hear!
OMG!! These are soooo good!! I know what you mean about cabot seriously sharp cheddar. Would be lost with out it. I was looking at a few other recipes for chicken patties ( fritters) online and some used canned chicken, to me it would have totally changed the expected taste. This recipe is a keeper. Will make often for sure Thanks for sharing this with us.
So glad you enjoyed them!
These are on regular rotation at my house! They’re so good and the recipe is forgiving. They’re great with ground turkey or chicken, and great with or without the almond flour. I use a disher to scoop the mixture into a hot pan, then I flatten them right in the pan so I don’t have to bother with chilling and forming patties. They’re good with Buffalo wing sauce for dipping.
Hi Carolyn. I realize this is a sponsored recipe, but is there an alternative cheese for Canadians to use, as Cabot is not available here?
There is plenty of sharp white cheddar in Canada! 🙂
These are awesome! My husband and I have 3 each for dinner and they lasted us 4 days. We love them and will be making them often.
I live the KETO lifestyle. My husband and I are constantly on the road at supper time headed toward one of the grandkids sport games!! I think these will be great for eating on the 45 minute drive to games. I may try the KETO version of Chic-fil-A sauce with mine. Thank you for posting great recipes.
My husband is anti-low carb, so I didn’t tell him these were keto, and guess what he never knew. I used this recipe as a base and subbed canned salmon for the chicken. In place of almond flour, I used ground pork rinds. I needed three eggs to hold it together. Great basic meat patty recipe!
Always excellent! Instead of frying this time around, I skipped the hour in the fridge and baked at 400 for 30 minutes. A quick 2-minute broil gave them some color and a little crunch.
Thank you for sharing
Can you use regular flour is the same amount. I’m not Keto, but these sound great.
I would use Panko bread crumbs rather than flour. It’s more similar to the texture of almond flour.
mine would not hold together at all. I’m tempted to add some coconut flour to it next time, do you think that would help?
Love this recipe, it is SO good! we use the Cabot New York extra sharp cheddar block. AMAZING. Serve it with steamed garlic broccoli and au jus or ranch & Bleu cheese for a great dinner. Really love it, THANK YOU!