Tuna Tuesday is back! Even though it’s Wednesday and not Tuesday, but it is back!
So, for those of you just joining us, Tuna Tuesday is the day to celebrate meat in a can. I am doing my best to turn the humble staple into a tasty meal. Feel free to add your recipe links in the comment thread below!
I have a little confession. Chicken in a can is not my favorite. Since the chicken is actually cooked in the can it has a strange color and texture when you open it. I also think that it soaks up more salt than tuna. Chicken in a can always tastes so much saltier than tuna in a can. I would never make chicken salad from chicken in a can, but it works well in casseroles and other cooked dishes. I like to rinse it after I drain it to try to get rid of some of the salt.
One of the tricks to using anything in a can is to surround it by freshness as much as you can. In this case, I added lemon zest to the chicken patty to mask that chicken-out-of-a-can odor. It works well and the end product comes out tasting and smelling like chicken instead of catfood.
On top of the patty I melted some Fontina cheese that I had leftover from something. You could use mozzarella or provolone as a substitute with the same fantastic results. The tomato and mushroom topping is perfect on top of this dish. If you have a lot leftover, make yourself some noodles and use this topping as your sauce. It’s hearty and filling. I found some beautiful fresh tomatoes on my date night with my hubby ( yes, we are dorks and go grocery shopping on dates) that were so yummy. If you can’t find any good fresh tomatoes yet, feel free to use a can of drained, diced tomatoes.
Chicken Patty Parmesan
Serves 4
4 (6oz) cans of chunk white chicken, drained and rinsed
1 yellow squash, grated
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
1 cup plain bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup oil for frying
4 slices of mozzarella, fontina, or provolone, cut in half
For sauce:
1 T olive oil
2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped basil
Grated Parmesan to Serve
In a small bowl, combine chicken, squash, egg, lemon zest and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Meanwhile, form the chicken mixture into 8 patties about 2 inches in diameter and an inch tall.
Pour remaining breadcrumbs in a plate and coat patties in crumbs. Fry in the oil until golden brown on each side, flipping once. Drain on paper towels.
Turn on the broiler. Top each patty with a half slice of cheese and place under broiler until cheese has melted.
For the sauce, heat the oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Saute onions until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in mushrooms and garlic and saute until mushrooms have softened, another 5 minutes.
Toss the tomatoes into the skillet just long enough to heat up. Season with some salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the basil.
Serve each person 2 patties and top with the tomato and mushroom sauce and some grated Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 24 oz shredded chicken
- 1 yellow squash grated
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 egg
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup oil for frying
- 4 slices of mozzarella fontina, or provolone, cut in half
For sauce:
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes seeds removed and diced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- Grated Parmesan to Serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chicken, squash, egg, lemon zest and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Meanwhile, form the chicken mixture into 8 patties about 2 inches in diameter and an inch tall.
- Pour remaining breadcrumbs in a plate and coat patties in crumbs. Fry in the oil until golden brown on each side, flipping once. Drain on paper towels.
- Turn on the broiler. Top each patty with a half slice of cheese and place under broiler until cheese has melted.
- For the sauce, heat the oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Saute onions until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add in mushrooms and garlic and saute until mushrooms have softened, another 5 minutes.
- Toss the tomatoes into the skillet just long enough to heat up. Season with some salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the basil.
- Serve each person 2 patties and top with the tomato and mushroom sauce and some grated Parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
very nice, veggie seasoned croquette… and your healthy looking sauce says so much more that a mayo or mustard base remoulade or creamy sauce…
Thanks Drick! I like to think that sauce is saying, “Come on Spring! What’s taking you so stinking long to get here!” 😉
Yes to this! Adding it to next week’s menu.
Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for stopping by!
Is there a printer friendly way to print this? Many of your recipes look great to try but I can not figure out a recipe friendly way to print them
so when we were really broke I used to buy chicken in a can and make chicken salad for my husband (i was so clueless).
after the second serving he asked if it was tuna with a really questioning look- I said no chicken. He didn’t believe me until I showed him the can… Now we always call canned chicken Tunnen. a mix between tuna and chicken…