Foodie Fridays: Chicken Parmesan Patties

I am always looking for easy and different dinner ideas, so when I saw the recipe for Chicken Parm Burgers on the Framed Cooks website I thought I would give them a try.  I rarely eat burgers, but felt that the patties would be just as satisfying without the bread, served as a quicker and less fussy version of traditional Chicken Parmesan.  Of course if you are a burger person then serve them as suggested in the original recipe, but I actually loved them served without bread and with a green vegetable as a side dish (I had them with broccoli and also Brussels sprouts).  However you decided to serve them, I think you will find them to be a great meal for either lunch or dinner, and now I have a great new main dish recipe to add to my repertoire!

Chicken Parmesan Patties

1 lb. ground chicken
½ C. panko breadcrumbs
½ C. Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 C. marinara sauce
2 T. oil
4 slices provolone or mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)

Shape the chicken into four patties.  Mix the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper together in a pie plate or dinner plate. Put the chicken patties one by one into the crumb mixture and press gently to coat on all sides.

Heat the marinara sauce in a small pot over medium heat.  Pour the oil to a large skillet or griddle and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the patties and cook for 4 minutes.  Turn the patties over carefully, top with the sliced cheese, and cover the pan.  Cook for another 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Plate the chicken patties and spoon a little marinara sauce on top of each.  If desired, garnish the patties with basil leaves.  Serves 4.

Note: You will have a lot of the bread crumb mixture left over, but not to worry - there is a use for them!  After removing the chicken patties from the skillet, simply add more oil if needed to cover the bottom, and when the oil is hot again, add the crumbs and fry them for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown.  Use them to top almost any portion of your meal - I put some on the steamed broccoli as well as the chicken patty.  They would also be tasty on just about any pasta dish.  Honestly, these crumbs are so good I was tempted to just eat the entire panful for a meal!