This air fryer canned chicken patties recipe makes for a quick and easy low carb, high protein dinner. They are very flavorful and take only 20 minutes so they are perfect for busy weeknight dinner! Eat them for a tasty low carb snack or even as an appetizer. Each keto chicken patty has just 87 calories, 0.5 grams carbs and 9.5 grams of protein.
You might also like these keto air fryer chicken nuggets.

In the past I have made salmon patties with canned salmon and thought why couldn’t I made something similar with chicken. So I came up with these keto canned chicken patties that I cooked in the air fryer.
This is a quick dinner idea because they are really easy to make and take no time in the air fryer. You can also vary the herbs and spices to change up the flavor and add a variety of dipping sauces. That way you can make them into a tasty and fun low carb appetizer for your next football party.
This is the kind of pantry dinner you can make anytime with simple ingredients. Note I didn’t use bread crumbs (not low carb), almond flour or pork rinds in these patties so they are pretty meaty! I also used these to make a low calorie frozen dinner so they are great for meal planning.
Recipe ingredients and I used and substitutes.
Below you can see the simple ingredients I used which were canned chicken, parsley, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, eggs and mozzarella. Note that because I wanted to keep these keto and low carb I didn’t use breadcrumbs or any flour of any kind.
Canned Chunk Chicken Breast
The purpose of using this is to make it easier and to use foods you have on hand. If you wanted to you could use leftover chicken breast meat store-bought rotisserie chicken just as long as it’s cooked. You would want to chop it up so its mixes easily with the other ingredients. I would not use ground chicken for this recipe though.
Mozzarella Cheese and Egg
These are necessary to keep the patties together. If you want you can use another kind of cheese but I would at least keep half mozzarella.
Parmesan Cheese
I use this mostly for flavor. Again I would keep this if you can but if you don’t have any you can use a little bit of extra mozzarella.
Fresh Parsley
I mostly use this for color. You can use other fresh herbs like basil, thyme, chives, etc. Or just eliminate it if you don’t want to use it.
Note that once you make these you can play around with the seasoning to make different flavors. Use a Mexican seasoning and fresh cilantro or Italian seasoning and a little marinara sauce for example.
Or add a little hot sauce and use cheddar cheese for a Buffalo style flavor. And you can always add a little hot pepper flakes if you like a little spice or heat in any of these variations.
How to make keto canned chicken patties in the air fryer.
Here is how to make canned chicken patties in the air fryer but below you can learn how to cook them on the stove top too.
Step 1: Drain all the water out of the can and place the meat into a bowl. Using fork try to break it up or shred it so it mixes well with the other ingredients.
Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well with the meat.
Step 3: Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and set aside. Portion chicken mixture into patties. I got 12 pieces out of this recipe and I used about ¼ cup of meat to make each.
Step 4: Place the uncooked patties in the prepared air fryer basket in a single layer. You may have to do these in batches. Air fry at 350°F for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Check them around 13 minutes and if they are not brown enough put them in for a few more minutes.
Step 5: Let rest for a few minutes before saving. Store leftovers in an airtight container. You can just heat up leftovers in the microwave or air fryer. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
Note if you wanted you could also cook these on the stove. Just heat up a skillet to medium high heat and add some olive oil or butter. Place the patties in the hot pan and then turn the heat down to medium heat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
Ways to eat these patties.
To make this more of complete meal you can serve them with a fresh salad and steamed vegetables. You can also eat them as a burger by making larger patties. Use lettuce leaves instead of a burger bun and top with your favorite toppings and condiments.
These are great for keto meal prep and planning. I made low calorie and low carb lunches pictured below by adding some buttered green beans with almond slivers. I froze them for an easy and healthy lunch.
Another option is to eat them as an appetizer or snack along with a dipping sauce. I love it with this sriracha aioli or this homemade dairy free ranch dressing. You can use your favorite sauces or any dip or condiment you would use with nuggets would go with this dish.
More keto recipes to try with canned chicken.
Here are a few keto canned chicken recipes I have on the blog. It’s such an easy ingredient to always have on hand for quick dishes. These delicious recipes are some of my favorites!
- Buffalo chicken flavored dip, stuffed mushrooms, cheeseball, cheese chips and casserole
- Italian cheesy keto chicken dip
- creamy broccoli, spinach or sun dried tomato chicken based soups
- ham, swiss and chicken savory waffles
- stuffed poblano peppers or Greek stuffed peppers
Essentially you can use canned chicken in place of leftover rotisserie chicken in most recipes. However I find it tastes better in casseroles and dips where the chicken isn’t the main ingredient.
I hope give these keto crispy canned chicken patties a try someday. The canned chicken is so convenient to use in a low carb meal plan or for a quick healthy low carb meal. You can use them for a keto friendly appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce or as a main dish. Enjoy!
The nutritional information for 1 crispy chicken patty is 87 calories / 3.3g fat / 0.5g carbs / 9.5g protein = 0.5g net carbs
Canned Chicken Patties Recipe (air fryer, keto)
These air fryer keto chicken patties are made with canned chicken so they are easy to make and taste delicious! Great for keto meal planning or use as a keto appetizer along with a dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 (12.5 ounces) cans of chicken breast (16 ounces when drained)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Spray the basket of your air fryer with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Get out a large mixing bowl. Drain all the water from the canned chicken and the pour the meat into mixing bowl. Using a fork, shred the chicken to get out the clumps and chunks.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to combine. Next form into 12 patties and place on a plate. I used roughly a ¼ cup of the mixture to make each patty. You can make them bigger or smaller if you like.
- Carefully place the patties in the prepared air fryer basket. You may have to do thesse in batches. If you want you can spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray but you don't have too.
- Bake at 350°F for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Check around 13 minutes and if not golden brown keep baking for a few more minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the patties and your air fryer.
- Let cool before serving. Store in airtight containers or freeeze for later.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 chicken patty is 87 calories / 3.3g fat / 0.5g carbs / 9.5g protein = 0.5g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 87
Mary Ann says
I made these and loved the taste but a bit dry. I may put maybe some mayo in the mix before I make the patties. Very tasty tho. It’s a keeper! I will just tweek it!!
Thanks for the recipe!
Denise says
Hi Mary Ann, I think the canned chicken is a bit dry in general and I think the mayo is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Sharon Downey says
Easy, Filling, and Healthy!! I will definitely make these again!! Thank you!!
Denise says
Hi Sharon, I’m so glad you liked them!
DV says
These chicken patties were so good. Great idea. You can put any seasoning you have on had. Very flavorful. Thanks for the recipe!
Denise says
So glad you liked them!
Denise says
Even though I’m dairy free, I still ate these because I wanted anything other than eggs for breakfast. lol They are so good! I halved the recipe since it was only for son and me, but I definitely shouldn’t have as they are so tasty. Easy to make, although mine did crumble a little as I was making them into patties. I threw in some chopped green onions I had lying in the fridge as well. I think I’ll have to make another batch of these for dinner tonight when my husband gets home.
Denise says
Hi Denise, I’m so glad you liked them! They are very simple and you can change the up with different spices or even use some dipping sauces. Thanks for coming back to comment!
April says
I made these tonight and they were OK. Quick, easy and nice and crispy, but rather bland and need more seasoning of some kind. They were too crumbly to hold together, so I added other egg and fried them in a pan as I don’t have an air fryer. I ate them with tartar sauce, so maybe some dill would help, which I think will use when I make them again. Thanks for the recipe!
Denise says
Hi April, You can definitely play around with the seasoning. I mention this in the post…
“Note that once you make these you can play around with the seasoning to make different flavors. Use a Mexican seasoning and fresh cilantro or Italian seasoning and a little marinara sauce for example. Or add a little hot sauce and use cheddar cheese for a Buffalo style flavor.”
Also I like them with a dipping sauce of sorts. I make a simple sriracha aioli (mayo,sriracha and fresh garlic). That adds more flavor. Hope that helps a bit. Thanks for coming back and sharing you tips!
April says
Yes, I saw the other ideas. Since dill is my very favorite “flavoring”, I will use it next time. And because of the dill, the tartar sauce made a quick sauce for them. I think the sauce is necessary! I see your chicken nuggets recipe adds more garlic and onion, so I probably will do that also. I checked out quite a few recipes and find a number I want to try. I love cottage cheese and never thought to add anything but fruit or vegetables. Those are good ideas! Thanks again for the good recipes~!
Denise says
Anytime April. Thanks for coming back to comment and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
PS if you try the cottage cheese recipes try using that Good Culture brand. It has less carbs and it’s really creamy.