Chicken Lentil Fritters image

Chicken Lentil Fritters

We love a versatile recipe, and this is one of our best! Loaded with wholesome ingredients, you can serve this as part of breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or grab a few on their own for a snack. They’re also great for heating up at work to help power through the rest of the day.

Yield: 20 pcs
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Chef’s Tips:

  • For extra heat, add a finely minced jalapeño to the carrots when mixing. Remove the seeds if less spice is desired.
  • Let the oil heat up in the pan before adding the fritter batter. The fritters will hold together better, and will be easier to flip.
  • The more oil you use to fry the fritters, the more evenly they will cook.
  • Fritters can be baked instead of pan-fried at 350°F (177°C) for 20 to 30 minutes until brown.
  • Keep fried fritters warm and crisp in the oven, preheated to 250°F (121°C), while frying the rest of the mixture.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pcs (500 g) Sargent Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 tbsp (14 g) minced garlic
  • 1½ tsp (3 g) black pepper, divided
  • 1 tsp (6 g)  salt, divided
  • 6 tbsp (90 ml) olive oil, divided
  • 2½ cups (625 ml) chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water  
  • ½ cup (83 g) red lentils
  • 1½ cups (375 ml) water
  • ½ cup (57 g) shredded mozzarella
  • ½ cup (55 g) shredded carrots (with the water squeezed out)
  • ½ cup (38 g) green onion, chopped
  • ½ cup (20 g) baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup (35 g) red bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp (4 g) ground cumin
  • 1 tsp (1 g) ground coriander
  • 1 tsp (1 g)  dried dill
  • Panko crumbs (or bread crumbs as an alternative)
A dozen chicken lentil fritters on a plate
A pile of chicken lentil fritters on a plate, one broken in half, with dipping sauce in the background

Directions:

  1. Pat dry the Sargent Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts and evenly season both sides with the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon (2 g) black pepper, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and cook until that side of the breast is golden brown in colour; about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over and cover with chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water. Add more as needed until chicken breasts are immersed. Cover pot, reduce heat and allow to simmer until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F (74°C). Remove chicken breasts from liquid and place onto a cutting board to cool.
  3. In a separate saucepan, add the raw lentils and water. Bring to a boil, partially cover saucepan with lid, and reduce heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender. Set aside to thicken and cool completely.
  4. Shred the partially cooled chicken using two forks or your hands.
  5. Shred the mozzarella and carrots with a box grater. Once the carrots are shredded, remove the moisture from them by placing them in a paper towel and squeezing them tightly. Finely slice the green onions, roughly chop spinach, and dice the red bell pepper.
  6. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until a fluffy white consistency (soft peaks) is produced.
  7. Mix the carrots, mozzarella, green onions, spinach, red bell peppers, egg yolks, cumin, coriander, dried dill, the remaining ½ teaspoon (3 g) of salt, and the remaining ½ teaspoon (1 g) of black pepper in a bowl.
  8. Mix in shredded chicken and lentils into the bowl of mixed vegetables and spices.
  9. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the egg whites into the mixture; do not stir vigorously.
  10. Once it is uniformly mixed, form 2-inch balls and flatten lightly.
  11. Place panko crumbs into a bowl, and pat the fritter balls into it until coated. Shake off excess crumbs from the fritters.
  12. In a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil into the pan to fry the fritters. Flip on both sizes until lightly brown. Halfway through the frying process, add the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil to fry the rest of the fritters.
  13. Serve as is, or with desired dipping sauce.
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