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.)
Love these! Very tasty and so quick to make. Bonus that my kids love them too
I made these tonight as chicken burgers, so I could hide some extra veg in the patties and they were divine! My boyfriend and I have a pretty low opinion of chicken mince, but these were so moreish. Thank you Nagi for another delicious dinner!
These turned out great, thanks for this easy, yet tasty recipe.
Delicious! My kids love these!
The wife brought an excess 1/2 kg of chicken mince home from work. Had to use today. Made these. Awesome! Will be making again.
Edit. Made with home made gluten free crumbs. Still awesome.
As I’m trying to mind my calories, I can report these are delicious even without the cheese! I was worried they might come out dry as chicken is lean (I made mine with turkey breast, but same thing) but nope, the veg keeps it moist and soft! Will make again!
Amazing. What a great way to hide vegies in a meal. Even though very little seasonings they were so tasty. Another great recipe from Nagi.
Delicious! So easy to make and so portable. I feel like I’m eating super healthy since all the veggies! I do add more spices, like green onion, soy sauce, etc. YUM!
United States
Could these Risoles be frozen before frying?
Delicious but I couldn’t get mine to brown as nicely as Nagi’s. They were done before they could get that nice crust. I used a non stick pan as recommended but maybe an iron skillet would be better.
YUMMO !!!
Made them for dinner. Exactly to the recipe. Perfect.
Eating them now with sweet chili sauce. Winner.
Sooooo delicious. I substituted zucchini with diced mushroom and also added chives. YUM YUM.
Yum – you simply can’t beat rissoles for tummy fillers. Added a couple of cloves of minced garlic for a bit of extra zing and dipped rounded patties in panko crumbs before frying for crunch.
One of our favourite mid-week meals. I make up 3x batches at a time and freeze on baking trays. It’s well worth it to have them to hand! The tip on using an ice cream scoop is 💯
Hi Emma!
Do you freeze after fully cooking them or just form the patties ans freeze. Thanks!
Absolutely yummy. Thought I might have to add onion or some other flavour but I was very surprised how tasty they were – should know better than to doubt Nagi!!
Cooked these tonight they were a big with everyone. Surprisingly very tasty. Will be making these again
Thank you so much Nagi😊 you’ve done it again!
My youngest of 5 is a super fussy eater and I worry about him not eating enough meat and veg. My son likes cheese (who doesn’t?), so I tried this recipe… HE ATE IT, Yay🎉 My mumma heart is so happy❤️
We eat heaps of your recipes as a family and I recommend your cooking to all of my family and friends.
Thanks again😊👍🏼🥰
These are brilliant, they’ve taken a spot alongside quesadillas as the perfect “chuck in all the veg in the fridge, literally anything works” recipe. Seriously. Chuck anything in, you won’t regret it!
A budget-friendly, family-pleasing winner. Now on high rotation in our house. People look pleased when it is served. Great leftovers for lunch too. Made with purple rice or pea puree sides.
Not a fan of supermarket mince, The local butcher will mince up anything asked for so nothing stopping buying some thighs and having them put em through the machine for you. You can vary how many skin on and off are used and customise your product. 😉