Colorful Chicken Patties

These colorful tasty chicken patties are great for summer, as they can be served warm or cold.

The addition of kale in the mix started because, despite of its known nutritional values, I still did not become a big fan of it. So I’ve decided to chop it and add it to the mixture and discovered it works great, as unlike spinach, the kale keeps its texture after cooking. The flavor also became milder, especially with all the other additions. So, on top of being very tasty, the patties are also a wonderful way to serve kale to anyone who is not that much into kale…
The sun dried tomatoes add a bit of acidity and sweetness at the same time, the olives add their saltiness and the lemon zest adds lots of fresh citrus aroma.

The patties are great on their own, on a bed of fresh salad, or served hamburger –style on a bun. They are also perfect for grilling, if you have an outdoor grill.

Note: as with any ground meat, I highly recommend buying the piece of meat and grinding it, or chopping it in a food processor, at home. This way you ensure the quality of your meat and therefore the flavor of your dish.

Makes: 20
Prep time: 25 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2.5 lbs (1.1 kg) ground boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 cups packed chopped fresh kale (leaves only, no stems)
1/3 cup chopped moist sun dried tomatoes
2 Tbs chopped salt cured black olives
3 eggs
1 Tbs lemon zest
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
Oil for frying

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about an hour – this will let the flavors blend and soften the kale.

2. Cover a large work space or cutting board with plastic wrap and oil it lightly. Create 20 flat patties from the mixture.
3. Pour enough oil for shallow frying into a large pan. Heat over medium-high heat and add the patties, a few at a time. Fry until the patties are golden brown on one side and flip gently with a spatula to cook the other side. If needed, add a bit more oil to the pan, but make sure it’s hot before you add more patties.

4. Cover a work space with paper towels and place the fried patties on it, to absorb excess oil.

5. Serve hot or cold. The cooked patties will keep, in an airtight container, for up to 3-4 days.