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Chicken patties made easy with canned chicken perfect for copycat Burger King Original Chicken Sandwiches or chicken burgers.
Author: Mandy Rivers | Published: 9/9/26These pan-fried chicken patties are perfect for quick meals or when you're craving fast-food! They are made with canned white meat chicken breast in the same way you'd make salmon patties.
There are two things we have to discuss about how this recipe came to be: 1) the old recipe of mine that sparked this one into creation, and 2) the perfection that is Burger King's Original Chicken Sandwich (and the missing perfect bites since they stopped cutting them in half at an angle.. seriously BK, why?).
OK, now's when I convince you to try this recipe with canned chicken!
SERIOUSLY, CANNED CHICKEN?
Yes! Canned chicken! Many years ago, I came up with a recipe for Crispy Chicken Fritters which are pretty-much the same thing as Salmon Patties (or "croquettes") using canned chicken instead of canned salmon.
The recipe is a huge hit - one of my Top 10 here on the blog AND with my family! I often shape the fritters into smaller pieces like chicken nuggets, or I make them into larger, thinner patties to be used in sandwiches (like chicken "burgers").
Canned chicken is perfect when recreating chicken nuggets and many fast-food sandwiches because, when prepared like this recipe, it perfectly mimics the processed chicken (but this recipe uses 100% chicken breast meat not the... whatever they make theirs out of).
WHY BURGER KING'S ORIGINAL CHICKEN SANDWICH?
Because it's a classic and a favorite! Burger King and most other fast food restaurants have better quality chicken sandwiches that use whole filets of chicken breast but that processed, fried giant chicken nugget on that long, soft sesame seed roll with only shredded lettuce and mayo just hits different!
As a decades-long connoisseur of the classic, when I talk with anyone else as passionate as I am about it, the same subject always comes up - the points! Or, I should say, the missing points.
Burger King used to cut the sandwich in half at a sharp angle which yielded two perfect, pointed bites (one on each half). I can offer no scientific reason why those two bites were the best of the entire sandwich but, if you know, you know. They no longer cut the sandwich in half so I get EXTRA excited to make my own so I can cut them in half at an angle, the way God intended.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON SHAPING THE PATTIES
- Shaping the patties into the elongated, oval(ish) shape can take some finessing. Because they are long, you have to handle them carefully to ensure they don't break in the middle. You will likely need to reshape them a bit after coating in panko.
- The easiest route is to shape them into circle-shaped patties then use traditional soft, round hamburger buns (but if you're after the elusive BKOCS perfect point-bites, it's totally worth the extra care needed to make the elongated patties!).
- This recipe makes 4 BIG patties. I tried making 6 smaller elongated patties but they are just too thin to hold their shape. If you'd like to make 6 patties, you will need to shape them into circles.
7 FAQ ON THE RECIPE
1. Can I make these in an air-fryer? I imagine you can but you'll need to spray the panko-coated patties liberally with cooking spray or oil. You may even consider using Shake n' Bake to coat them since it already has oil in it.
2. Can these be frozen? Yes!! Place the shaped patties onto a plate or pan then freeze until firm. Once frozen, move the patties to a zip-top bag then freeze up to 3 months. Cook from frozen the same way as the recipe below.
3. Can I use regular bread crumbs instead of panko? I'm not sure. Technically, bread crumbs are bread crumbs but the amount you need will change since traditional bread crumbs are more dense. I'd use 1/3 cup in both the panade and when mixing into the chicken (vs 1/2 panko in the recipe).
4. What if my patties won't keep their shape when forming? Add a few more tablespoons of panko then try again. If the chicken isn't drained very well, you may need more panko.
5. Why (oh, God, WHY??) is sugar in the recipe? To recreate the fast food flavor. I know it seems odd but the sugar rounds out all the savory notes in the chicken. Just trust me!
6. Can I use regular yellow mustard? You can (and it will be fine) but anticipate that your chicken will have a yellow hue (again, it will be fine!).
7. Why is this recipe so different than the original recipe for Crispy Chicken Fritters? I wanted the patties to be as much like Burger King's as possible so we need the panade for structure and moisture. The sugar and spices are to mimic the flavor.
TIPS FOR MAKING SANDWICHES
- Once assembled, wrap each sandwich in wax paper so the heat from the chicken patties will steam the buns (just like fast-food restaurants do!)
- If you don't want to wrap the sandwiches, consider toasting the bread under the broiler or microwaving the buns a bit.
- Burger King's Original Chicken Sandwich only has mayo and shredded lettuce but dill pickle slices are excellent on these too!
- If you'd like to add cheese, butter the bread (like Chick-Fil-A) or add any other sandwich ingredients, go for it!
- I usually serve these with frozen fries or Perfect Roasted Potato Wedges which means I pull out my Shut Yo' Mouth Sauce and the sauce is DELICIOUS on these sandwiches!
Recipe for Chicken Sandwich Patties
Chicken Sandwich Patties
Chicken patties made easy with canned chicken perfect for copycat Burger King Original Chicken Sandwiches or chicken burgers.
Ingredients
- 2 12.5-oz cans white chunk chicken breast
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs, divided
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 soft sub rolls with sesame seeds
- Shredded lettuce
- Mayo
- Wax pape
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup panko and milk to a small bowl then stir with a fork to make a panade; set aside. 1/2 c. panko, 1/4 c. milk
- Add chicken to a colander to drain. While in the colander, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir aggressively to break up the chicken into fine bits and promote thorough draining. 2 cans chicken
- Combine drained chicken, eggs, sugar, salt and spices to a mixing bowl then stir until thoroughly combined. 2 eggs, 1.5 tsp sugar, 1 tsp each salt & onion powder, 1/2 tsp each garlic and pepper
- Stir in panade from Step 1.
- Stir in an additional 1/2 cup panko.
- Pour remaining cup of panko into a pie plate or paper plate.
- Portion chicken mixture into 4 elongated patties. Working one at a time, place patties into plate with panko then press down a little. Flip patty in panko then press down again. You may need to shape them again after coating in panko - that's OK. Place shaped chicken patties onto wax paper (or anything nonporous so they don't stick) until ready to cook.
- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat then add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan (non-stick pans work best for this recipe).
- Once the oil is hot, carefully place chicken patties into pan then cook until sides are starting to brown. Flip chicken patties then continue cooking until nicely browned on each side. Remove from hot pan to a cooling rack or plate lined with paper towels.
- Assemble sandwiches with mayo, lettuce and chicken patties.
- Roll each sandwich in wax paper then eat within 5 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe can absolutely be made into 6 patties instead of 4 (recommended for smaller appetites) but you will need to shape them into circles then serve with round buns.
- Definitely make the panade in Step 1 first so the milk has time to hydrate the panko. The proteins in the milk will work with the gluten which helps the patties stay moist and keep their shape.
- Use any soft, white elongated buns such as Pepperidge Farm Soft White Hoagie Rolls with Sesame Seeds or Wonder Bread Philly Steak Rolls to recreate the Burger King Original Chicken Sandwich.
- See FAQ section above the recipe card.
Author: Mandy Rivers
