Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Avocado Chicken Cakes

Main Dishes

Avocado Chicken Cakes

Avocado Chicken Cakes

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Ours was very relaxing. I finally found our ice cream maker and whipped up a yummy strawberry-mango sorbet. We also had a date at Costco (Am I the only one that considers going to Costco together a date?), and came home with a rotisserie chicken since it was too nice outside to turn on the oven. I decided to develop a chicken cake recipe with the leftovers – crab shouldn’t have all the fun! The flavors were inspired by all the mouth-watering Mexican dishes on Pam’s blog, For the Love of Cooking.

I just took the chicken off the bones with my hands and tore it up and then mixed it with some mashed avocado, red onion, and spices. Then I covered the outside of each cake with some panko crumbs so they would be crispy on the outside, browned them in a little olive oil, and topped each one with a bit of salsa. I realized looking over these pictures that I need to work on my food styling skills – there is salsa all over the plate! We were starving though, so I’m lucky I got any pictures at all. This is a great way to spice up any leftover chicken and I think the cakes would also be really good on top of a salad with corn and black beans!

Avocado Chicken Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 avocado, mashed (mine was a little less than 1/2 cup)
1 cup panko
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons of your favorite salsa

Directions:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions for 5-7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

In medium bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, onion mixture, avocado, 1/3 cup panko, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and egg. Shape mixture into 5 cakes that are 1/2-inch thick; lightly coat all sides of each cake in the remaining 2/3 cup panko.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add 2 chicken cakes and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 3 chicken cakes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of salsa over each chicken cake. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 468 calories, 13.9g fat, 1.8g fiber, 45.3g protein per serving
Cost: $2.15 per serving

Five Spice Scallops over Sesame Spinach

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had seven adults at our celebration, including Shannon and her parents, and my good friend Geeti and her hubby Puneet and their cutie newborn son. Shannon and I split up the menu so we both ended up being quite relaxed...

Chicken and Soba Romaine Salad with Thai Vinaigrette

If you happened to peek in my fridge last weekend, you would have known I was on a sugar high. Imagine tins of cupcakes and bowls of custard and ganache precariously balancing on trays of brownies, cheesecakes, and tarts. I've been hard at work creating recipes for...

Summer Veggie Pasta with an Eggplant and Ricotta Sauce

Our apartment balcony is filled with foliage. My plant tending days ended after the demise of Petey, a plant my good friend Britt and I attempted to care for in college, so I’m lucky that Apolinaras has a green thumb! He’s already dreaming of the day we have a real...

Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage

Apolinaras is like a kid in a candy store at any establishment that sells tools or hardware stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he’s so handy and likes to do all the maintenance on our cars and tackle home improvement projects. But, the other weekend I was so...

Peanut Sauce Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

My hubby found the lid of our food processer in the recycling today. How in the world did it get in there?!? Luckily he noticed it before emptying our bin on the curb and disaster was avoided. I haven’t gotten enough sleep this week, and apparently it caught up with...

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Whenever I think of Cajun pasta, I think of Emeril. Remember when he was on the Food Network 24/7? I became a big fan of his after visiting his restaurant NOLA in New Orleans with my good college friends Susie and Britt over New Year’s 2002. I remember enjoying a...

Quinoa with Chickpeas, Asparagus, and Lemon Goat Cheese Dressing

I actually jogged outside today with shorts and a tank top on – yay for nicer weather! Spring is almost here and I’m so ready for this season’s fresh produce. I actually couldn’t wait any longer and spontaneously grabbed a huge bunch of asparagus the other weekend. It...

Indian Spiced Chicken and Potato Cakes

Whew, what a week! We moved and are finally mostly unpacked, although the guest bedroom is still a bit of a disaster and we need to go shopping for a few accessories (rugs, mirrors, etc). The most important room is completely organized and fully functional already...