"I really want Chicken Patties."
Uh, oh.
Grant and I have been trying to decide what he should learn to cook next. He enjoys making meals better than baking - although we've only baked one thing so far. As we discussed ideas for what is next, he got a gleam in his eye and said, "I really want Chicken Patties." I am pretty sure I reflected the gleam in his eye with a bit of terror – you see I don't really use recipes for most things that I make! I read a lot of cookbooks and gets lots of ideas – but then I make something "my way." I could not think of where I would have gotten the inspiration for the chicken patties Grant was referring to, and WHO KNOWS how I actually made them!!?
After taking a deep breath, I realized that this was going to be a great opportunity to share with Grant the ins and outs of cooking WITHOUT a recipe. (Don't worry – we kept track of what we did while making them!)
What's that smell?
We didn't have any ground chicken, so off to the store we went. Before leaving, I had Grant smell a few different spices – marjoram, thyme, sage – all delicious seasonings with chicken. I was trying to figure out the "taste" he was remembering. He looked at me a little strangely and asked "WHY?" we were doing this sniff test. I explained that lots of different seasonings go with different foods and I was trying to figure out what I had most likely seasoned the patties with that he wanted to recreate. He thought thyme was the seasoning he remembered, so we decided to use that in our patties.
At the store, we walked through the bakery section (because why not?), then proceeded to the produce section to find something to go with the chicken patties. We decided that roasted asparagus would go well. Then we found the ground chicken and were ready to head home and begin.
As we were shopping, Grant said
the store always smells good –
maybe he's a foodie after all!
We decided that we were going to make a version of what I had made before (since I have no idea what I did!), and it was so much fun to see him get into the spirit of creativity. He decided the patties should have some onions, and I said, "Well, you know what to do!" and he said, "Do I peel it?" Okay. We still have more practice ahead of us.
Once the knife was in his hand, his muscle memory started to kick in, and since he was only adding a little bit of onion, he just cut off a small section. He sliced it and then chopped it, using a new technique from what I had previously taught him when chopping a whole onion. He did great! I told him I thought he should cut the pieces a bit smaller, but in hindsight, he wished he had kept them bigger for texture.
Grant added the onion to "about" 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs. I say "about" because I told him we'd have to see how much we needed based on the texture of the mixture. The 1/2 cup ended up to be just right, but it wouldn't have messed anything up to add more or to have a little less. The only thing that might have happened is that the patties wouldn't have held together as well with less, so I think we picked the right amount.
Grant measured the thyme, garlic salt, and black pepper and then whisked it all together. He added the ground chicken and then eggs. I told him to mix it all together with his hands. He dove right in! He learned that there is no cold like hands mixing meat cold! Brrrr!! But the mixture was ready, and he was pleased. We also talked about the importance of hand washing!!! Especially since he was touching raw chicken.
He set a non-stick skillet on the stove top and began to heat the pan. I told him to add "some" olive oil. He said what does "some" mean. I said it meant some! haha. He was not impressed. He started pouring and when I said he had enough he commented that the amount was like the amount of an egg – I guess it did look like that in the pan! I wish I had taken a picture. I wouldn't have described it like that, which is one of the fun things about this process. I like seeing how he thinks about things. (I'll spare you from the conversation that went along with Extra Virgin Olive Oil....BOYS)
I taught Grant to use an ice cream scoop to get an even amount of mixture to add to the heated and oiled pan. He was a bit ambitious about the amount he used but began to see that the same amount for each would make cooking them easier. Once in the pan, I taught him to flip over the scooped meat and then press to the thickness he wanted. He cooked the patty until it was golden brown and then flipped it. The flipping is a skill that will become easier with time. We practiced in the air while the patties cooked. It really just requires a flip of the wrist to successfully turn things over. He got better and better as the night went on.
When both sides of the patties were browned, he placed them into a casserole dish. He then cooked the remaining mixture in batches until they were all browned.
I wanted Grant to be sure the patties were cooked all the way through, so he put them in the oven to bake at 350 until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the patties registered 165 degrees. It took about 15 minutes. I explained how important it is to be sure the correct temperature is reached as you don't want your food to make anyone sick! I use my meat thermometer all the time. If you don't have one, I recommend that you get one!
To round out our meal, Grant made roasted asparagus and his favorite side dish, rice. We used our small rice cooker this time as it was only going to be three of us for dinner. To make the roasted asparagus, I taught Grant how to take the asparagus stalk and bend it til it breaks to see where to cut off the bottom and then he cut the remaining stalks. I don't always do this, but it is something I learned to do somewhere along the way in learning to cook. He then rinsed the stalks. He patted them dry and placed them on a roasting pan. He drizzled olive oil on them (lightly) and then added a bit of kosher salt. He roasted the asparagus for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. They were AMAZING.
Grant said this was his favorite thing to make so far. We talked about all the ways he could change the recipe – using cracker crumbs or oatmeal if he didn't have bread crumbs, using other seasonings (such as sage, marjoram, oregano, etc.) that go with poultry, adding onion or not, and how using what you have on hand is fun when cooking. He really seemed to enjoy this and said he could see himself making these again for himself. That is pure JOY for this mama's heart.
Chicken Patties
2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 garlic salt
Black pepper to taste
olive oil for cooking
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together. Heat approximately 2 TBSP olive oil in a saute pan. Add scoops of chicken patty mixture and begin to cook. Turn and press down to desired thickness. Cook until golden brown. Turn over and cook the other side until golden brown. Place in casserole dish and cook remaining patties - using a bit of olive oil between batches as needed to prevent sticking. Once all patties have been browned, place in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until inside temperature reaches 165 degrees. Enjoy!
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