I’m a vegetable sneaker. I know, I know. It’s wrong, I’m sorry. But broccoli…I mean, what can I say? I get why they aren’t all about broccoli. I’m not either, really.
I mean, like as far as vegetables go, how are you supposed to take broccoli seriously? It looks like a little tree. The texture of the top is wild, and you can throw it really far. Well, my kids can at least. I mean, it’s practically a toy in its own right. So I’ve had to figure out a different way to get some of that good vitamin K and folate into my kids, and drenching it in cheese is just not an option. My floors and heart just can’t take that at this point.
So I’ve gone to my old fallback: fritters!
I love fritters because the kiddos can hold them, they stick together well, and they really don’t make crumbs. They’re easy to clean up, and boy, can I stuff a lot of nutrients in there if I want to! And my kids basically just think they’re nuggets. For these delicious fritters I went with a classic combo: chicken, broccoli, and cheese. The recipe makes a pretty good amount, which is good, because you will also want to gobble these up, and broccoli isn’t just for the kids, y’all. My husband came home and knocked back ten of these, and he only stopped at ten because I needed a few to take pictures of!
Here’s what you need:
So, this picture is missing a couple of things: garlic powder, which I decided to add after I tasted the initial mixture, and it’s also missing a third egg, which I decided to add after I noticed my mixture wasn’t sticking together as much as I wanted it to. So keep that in mind. I’ll include the additional ingredients in the printable recipe.
Make sure that your chicken is very finely shredded. I like to use my Pampered Chef Salad Chopper for this job.
Then add your steamed broccoli, also finely chopped. I just dumped mine in the bowl with the chicken and chopped it up in there using the choppers again.
Then mix the broccoli and chicken with your cheddar cheese, and then dump in your onions, flour, and salt.
and then after I tasted it, I added a little garlic powder for some more flavor.
Then you’ll add your eggs. There’s obviously only two pictured here, but you need three to get the mix to right consistency.
And this is the right consistency here:
You want it to be fairly sticky; all the dry ingredients should now be wet.
Now spray your sheet pan even if it’s non-stick, and then scoop the mixture out onto the sheet pan in portions that are about two tablespoons. I used my trusty Pampered Chef Medium Scoop.
Then flatten the portions out using the back of a spoon.
And then you’ll toss them in an oven that is 350° for 25-30 minutes, and they’ll come out a nice toasty color! I prefer baking them to frying them for obvious reasons. They’re healthier this way, and every bit as delicious! And I don’t say that about all baked food that should be fried, believe me.
Enjoy them dipped in Ranch dressing or even plain Greek yogurt mixed with Ranch seasoning, or do it how we did it and eat them plain! They’re super scrumptious!
Chicken & Broccoli Baked Fritters
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked shredded chicken
2 cups of steamed and finely chopped broccoli florets
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 – 1/2 cup of finely minced onion
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 – 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
salt to taste
3 eggs
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Combine chicken, broccoli, and cheese.
3. Mix in onions, flour, salt, and garlic powder.
4. Add eggs, and mix until all the dry ingredients are wet.
5. Spoon out onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with spoon.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops begin to brown.
7. Serve warm and enjoy!
You can store these for up to five days and reheat. They’re excellent left over.
The Mom Bob 