Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes

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40 minutes
8 servings

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Eat them as a filling sandwich, serve them atop a dinner salad as you might a fritter, or alongside a delicious pasta Primavera! Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes are super flavorful, can be air fried or pan fried, and are incredibly moist and juicy!

A close up of Cackalacky Chicken Cakes, with Lemon and Dill
Why does this recipe work?

These easy Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes are assembled with leftover light and dark meat rotisserie chicken. The dark meat is especially moist and is the heavy lifter in this recipe in addition to a bit of light mayonnaise. So while the inside of the cake is keeping juicy during the cook, the panko breadcrumbs on the outside of the cake are crisping it up!

Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. That’s exactly how my friends described my Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes. And they’re so versatile…

Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes serve just about every purpose for every meal and are adored by everybody! They make great appetizers if assembled slightly smaller. They also make THE BEST “FAST FOOD-STYLE” CHICKEN SANDWICH, complete with Pub Sauce and pickles! Additionally, they’re just fancy and filling enough to make a statement atop a meal-sized dinner salad. Lemon dill chicken anything is a good answer to the “what’s for dinner” question, but these fresh lemon juice and herb cake chicken patties are weeknight friendly.

A close up of a Cackalacky Chicken Cake on a bed of lettuce, with Lemon and Dill

The reviews are in for this versatile chicken patty from my crew. THEY LOVE THEM! Just before the pandemic, friends and I took a picnic at the beach. Funny that I should live so close to the ocean and almost never think to visit with a picnic lunch. So, I was inspired to create the entire meal. There was never a question that Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes would be the basis for my picnic. After all, it’s about the easiest of my ‘feeds a crowd’ recipes.

I combine leftover rotisserie chicken, both light and dark meat, with some pretty strong flavors. I begin by picking the chicken clean. The meat goes into my food processor and after 3 to 5 pulses, it’s ready to be mixed with light mayo, lemon zest, fresh chopped dill, panko, and an egg to bind. My family enjoys rotisserie chicken at least once a week from our big box store. We almost always have extra rotisserie on hand for first class recipes like this.

A close up of a Cackalacky Chicken Cake on a bed of lettuce, with Lemon and Dill

After a quick and healthy air fry, I assembled them into colossal fresh sandwiches topped with my famous Pub Sauce. I then wrapped each one in thin kraft sandwich paper and secured them with fun swizzle toothpicks and packed them to go. DELICIOUS! A lemon dill sauce made with mayo and sour cream would also taste great on these chicken patties. When weeknight’s leave us short on time, cooking at home can seem like a chore. Follow this recipe once, and I GUARANTEE you’ll be thinking of all the ways you can incorporate this easy chicken cake recipe into your routine.

A bunch of Cackalacky Chicken Cakes on a white platter, with Lemon and Dill

Can I Make Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes With Something Other Than Leftover Rotisserie?

YES! If you are in a position to request freshly ground chicken from your butcher, ask for a 50/50 mix of chicken thighs (dark meat), and chicken breasts (white meat). Incorporate the raw chicken with the ingredients in the recipe as it’s written, although I would increase the kosher salt and the black pepper to 3/4 teaspoon each. For raw ground chicken, I prefer cooking the patties in an olive oil and salted butter combination in an electric skillet with a lid. Doneness is 165 degrees F and a nice golden brown on both sides.

Canned chicken meat works great, too. Look for a label that indicates ‘White & Dark Chunk Chicken in Water.’ Be certain to drain the chicken very, very well before mixing with the ingredients in the recipe as it’s written. Since canned chicken is already cooked, you have the choice of doing the patties in an air fryer or in an electric skillet. Heck, if you’re not cooking for a crowd, a stovetop skillet works perfectly.

A close up of Cackalacky Chicken Cakes, with Lemon and Dill

Do You Have What You’ll Need For These Chicken Cakes? Check The List!

about 2 1/2 cups of leftover rotisserie light and dark meat chicken
panko breadcrumbs
lite mayonnaise
an egg
chopped fresh dill
lemon zest and lemon wedges
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil and/or butter if pan frying

A close up of a Cackalacky Chicken Cake on a bed of lettuce, with Lemon and Dill

All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC

A close up of Cackalacky Chicken Cakes, with Lemon and Dill

Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes

Jenny DeRemer
Master Recipe Lemon & Dill Chicken Cakes are super flavorful, can be air fried or pan fried, and are incredibly moist and juicy!
5 from 1 vote
Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 233 kcal

Equipment

  • air fryer OR electric frying pan OR non-stick skillet

Ingredients
 

  • 2 ½ cups rotisserie chicken light and dark meat, **SEE NOTES BELOW
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs + additional for dredging the patties
  • ¼ cup lite mayonnaise **SEE NOTES BELOW
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten, **SEE NOTES BELOW
  • 2 tablespoons dill + 1 teaspoon; fresh, chopped
  • 1 tablespoons Dijon + 1 teaspoon
  • zest of lemon
  • 1 lemon cut into wedges for serving
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

if pan frying

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Add the rotisserie chicken meat to a food processor and pulse 3 to 5 times. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the chicken into a large mixing bowl.
  • To the chicken, add the panko, the lite mayonnaise, the beaten egg, the chopped dill, mustard, the lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Use the tines of a fork to mix well. Mixture should be sticky and clumping together.
  • Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Halve and quarter the mixture so you have 4 roughly equal piles. Halve each quarter again. Gently form into eight patties approximately 3/4-inch-thick each. Freeze the patties until firm, about 10 minutes.
  • Add some panko to a plate. Coat each patty on both sides with the panko. You will need to apply gentle pressure to get the panko to adhere. **NOTE, if air frying, you must spray each side of the chicken cake with olive oil before coating with the panko.

for pan frying

  • Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt if desired.

for air frying

  • Remove chicken cakes from freezer. Spray both sides with olive oil or cooking spray, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Place patties in basket and cook until crisp and heated through, about 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the chicken cakes halfway through the cook time.
  • Serve lemon wedges with the chicken cakes for additional lemony goodness!

Notes

Measure the chicken AFTER you have pulsed it in the food processor.
Add additional mayo by tablespoons if the chicken cakes appear too dry. Check that you have ONLY used 2 1/2 cups of chicken.
Add an additional egg if you go over the 2 1/2 cups of chicken, as they will require extra to bind sufficiently for the cook.
The nutritional information and the estimated cost per serving were calculated without factoring in sandwich rolls, condiments, or any other ingredients outside of those included in this method.
If using raw ground chicken, the preference for cooking in an electric or stovetop skillet with a lid is desired. Cook each chicken cake for 6 to 8 minutes per side over medium heat, lid on between flipping. The chicken cakes MUST register 165 degrees F to be cooked through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 22gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 511mgPotassium: 37mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 138IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chicken cake, chicken sandwich
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

The following Fantastic Recipes Will Further Inspire The Use Of That leftover Rotisserie

Rotisserie Chicken Casserole

One Pot Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Best Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

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