Who said you have to eat boring & tasteless food in your weight loss journey? These low carb high protein broccoli chicken fritters are loaded with cheesy goodness and are insanely addictive!
Not only because I am a food blogger, but also because I am a mindful eater who is on a life-long fitness journey, I keep looking for high protein recipes that are easy to make and delicious to eat!
And those must not be just boring, bland and dry chicken breasts!
This quest of mine made me stumble upon this recipe of broccoli chicken fritters while scrolling through my gram feed!
Prioritizing protein in every meal of mine is not a mere thought any more; it has become a default habit.
So today’s recipe is a great find for all you fitness freaks like me out there who understand the importance of protein!
What are broccoli chicken fritters?
Typically fritters are crispy quick-bites of battered grated veggies mixed with meat or seafood which are then deep fried!
So technically our cheesy broccoli chicken fritters are nothing but a scoop of battered broccoli and chicken with grated cheese that are deep fried!
But deep frying? Not on my watch!
So our low-carb high protein broccoli chicken fritters are loaded with all the goodness without the wickedness of deep frying! Cool, isn’t it?
You can see for yourself how gorgeous are these golden broccoli chicken fritters that explode into a melt-in-mouth cheesy wholesomeness as soon as you take your very first bite!
Ingredients for broccoli chicken fritters
Chicken: These broccoli chicken fritters call for juicy and tender chicken which is why I recommend using chicken thighs and that’s what the original creator of this recipe had also used!
Unfortunately, I missed shooting the footage of how I chopped my chicken thighs; but just to explain, you need to chop them finely using a sharp knife while making sure you are not mincing them.
These fritters are not made using minced chicken. The essence of these broccoli chicken fritters are in the tiny chunks of chicken glued with melted cheese!
Broccoli: I have a love-hate relationship with this cruciferous vegetable! I used to add this green healthy veggie in many of my recipes in the past; but somehow I have outgrown my liking towards this vegetable!
When I saw that broccoli is one of the key ingredients in this broccoli chicken fritters recipe, I was, to be honest, a bit skeptical in the beginning.
But to my relief, it is finely chopped before adding! So it gets hidden within the chicken and cheese! And that’s the good news for me!
And that also means these cheesy chicken fritters will win over picky eaters as well who are not too fond of veggies!
Cheese: The next key ingredient is of course cheese because these broccoli chicken fritters are no ordinary fritters!
These are cheesy fritters loaded with the goodness of mozzarella thus increasing the protein quotient even further!
Use a good quality natural mozzarella and grate it into the fritters mixture. You can go as high or as low in the amount of cheese depending on how cheesy you want your broccoli chicken fritters to be!
Just keep in mind that increasing the amount of cheese will increase the calorie of each fritter; so if you have that calorie budget feel free!
Egg: This magic item works as the binder for your fritters so that they don’t fall apart when you spoon the fritter mixture into the frying pan.
You will need 3 eggs to properly bind the mixture. I first tried with two as I felt the mixture was sticky enough!
But I was wrong! You need three eggs for this amount of chicken! Period!
Aromatics: Like most of my quick & healthy recipes, this one too calls for garlic powder and onion powder!
These two powdered aromatics make our life so easy that we sometimes take them for granted. Imagine the amount of effort they save us from simply by being available in powdered form!
Spices: These high protein cheesy fritters cannot be overpowered with too many spices because you want the flavors of cheesy goodness and veggie freshness to shine through!
So all I added were Italian seasoning (Yes my holy grail!) to boost that fresh flavor and chilli flakes for that spicy kick!
Seasoning: Add salt & pepper to taste but keep in mind that the mozzarella cheese also contains salt; so adjust accordingly.
Olive oil: The good news is that the mixture of broccoli chicken fritters is oil-free. You will just need a few tablespoons of olive oil to shallow fry the fritters.
If you are using a good quality non-stick frying pan, you may even use an oil sprayer to lightly coat the frying pan with oil. This will prevent sticking while keeping the fritters less oily!
How to make broccoli chicken fritters?
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Cut each chicken thigh into tiny pieces and take them in a bowl.
Pro tip: Do not mince the chicken thigh meat. You need tiny pieces of chicken to bite into while savoring your fritters!
Step 2: Cut the broccoli into florets and wash them well. Then finely chop each floret. Transfer them to the bowl with chicken.
Step 3: Now to the same bowl with chicken & broccoli, add the eggs, onion & garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes, grated mozzarella and salt & pepper to taste.
Step 4: Using a spatula, give a very good mix to evenly distribute the aromatics, spices & seasoning within the chicken and broccoli. Take time to mix for best results.
Step 5: Once you are happy with the mixture, it’s time to cook them. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to it.
Pro tip: You may also use a cast iron skillet; just preheat it well and then cool down before adding the fritter mixture.
This will ensure your fritters do not stick; neither will they burn as soon as you place them in the hot cast iron pan.
Step 6: Once the oil is warm, bring the heat to low.
Step 7: Then take about 2 tablespoons of the broccoli chicken fritters mixture using an ice-cream scoop or a large spoon and drop it carefully into the hot frying pan.
Step 8: Press the mixture with the back of the spoon or ice-cream scoop to flatten it evenly. Similarly, spoon a couple more fritters if you have space in your frying pan.
Step 9: Let the broccoli chicken fritters cook undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. Once the bottom is cooked it will easily be released from the pan.
Step 10: Flip over the broccoli chicken fritters and let the other side cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Once both sides of the fritters are nicely golden brown, your broccoli chicken fritters are ready!
Step 11: Take them out on a platter and make more fritters with the remaining mixture similarly.
Step 12: Serve your warm high protein cheesy broccoli chicken fritters with a side of fresh salad and a yogurt dip! Enjoy!
More delicious high protein dinner recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Viral High Protein Cottage Cheese Wrap
- High Protein Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
- High Protein Fish Sticks in Air Fryer
- Chicken thighs - 500 gms, boneless & skinless
- Broccoli - 1 small head, about 1 cup of florets
- Eggs - 3
- Mozzarella - 100 gms, grated
- Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp
- Onion powder - 1 tsp
- Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive oil for shallow frying
- Wash and pat dry the boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Cut each chicken thigh into tiny pieces and take them in a bowl.
- Cut the broccoli into florets and wash them well. Then finely chop each floret. Transfer them to the bowl with chicken.
- Now to the same bowl with chicken & broccoli, add the eggs, onion & garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes, grated mozzarella and salt & pepper to taste.
- Using a spatula, give a very good mix to evenly distribute the aromatics, spices & seasoning within the chicken and broccoli. Take time to mix for best results.
- Once you are happy with the mixture, it’s time to cook them. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to it.
- Once the oil is warm, bring the heat to low.
- Then take about 2 tablespoons of the broccoli chicken fritters mixture using an ice-cream scoop or a large spoon and drop it carefully into the hot frying pan.
- Press the mixture with the back of the spoon or ice-cream scoop to flatten it evenly. Similarly, spoon a couple more fritters if you have space in your frying pan.
- Let the broccoli chicken fritters cook undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. Once the bottom is cooked it will easily be released from the pan.
- Flip over the broccoli chicken fritters and let the other side cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Once both sides of the fritters are nicely golden brown, your broccoli chicken fritters are ready!
- Take them out on a platter and make more fritters with the remaining mixture similarly.
- Serve your warm high protein cheesy broccoli chicken fritters with a side of fresh salad and a yogurt dip! Enjoy!
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