Description
Delicious and juicy Chicken Zucchini Poppers made with ground chicken, shredded zucchini, and fresh herbs, served with a creamy cilantro dipping sauce. Perfect for a healthy snack or appetizer, these patties are pan-fried to golden perfection and bursting with flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken (at least 7% fat recommended)
- 1-2 medium zucchini squash (about 1½ cups shredded)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons oil for cooking
Creamy Cilantro Sauce
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: Combine cilantro, garlic clove, mayonnaise, cottage cheese, and vinegar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to thicken and allow flavors to combine. Alternatively, finely chop cilantro and mix all ingredients by hand. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare zucchini: Grate zucchini on a cheese grater into small pieces and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and squeeze out excess moisture thoroughly.
- Make the mixture: In a large bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, ground chicken, minced garlic, chopped chives, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a sprinkle of fresh black pepper. Mix well to combine evenly.
- Form patties: Shape the mixture into six 3-inch patties. Ensure they are compact to hold together during cooking.
- Cook patties: Heat oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken patties for 4 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.
- Optional oven finish: If patties are browning too fast and not cooked through, transfer the skillet to a 350-degree oven and bake for 2 minutes to finish cooking.
- Serve: Serve the chicken zucchini poppers warm with the creamy cilantro dipping sauce on the side or spoon a little sauce on top of each popper.
Notes
- If fresh chives are unavailable, substitute with green onion for a similar flavor.
- Ground chicken thighs provide more flavor and juiciness than breast meat, but 93/7 ground chicken breast is a suitable leaner alternative.
- For a dairy-free, paleo, or Whole30 version of the sauce, omit cottage cheese and replace with extra mayonnaise, reducing vinegar to 1-2 teaspoons to maintain balance; sauce may be slightly thinner.
- For an egg-free mayonnaise alternative, use aquafaba mayo.
- Store leftover poppers in the fridge or freeze for long-term storage; reheat as needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 patty with sauce
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
