Chicken zucchini poppers
37 min · 23 g protein · 219 cals / serving
Tender little chicken bites packed with grated zucchini, green onion, cilantro and garlic, baked until golden. The zucchini keeps them remarkably juicy, and they are as good hot from the oven as cold from the fridge the next day. Eat them as a main with salad or dip them as a snack.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 2 oz ground chicken
- 2 1/2 cups, about 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated, not squeezed
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp avocado oil, for the pan and your hands
To serve
- 1 lime, cut in wedges
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the chicken, zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. The mixture is soft and sticky; that is right.
- Brush a lined baking sheet with a little of the oil. Oil your hands lightly and roll the mixture into about 20 balls the size of a golf ball, setting them on the sheet.
- Bake 18–22 minutes, until golden on the bottom and 165°F in the centre. For more colour, put them under the grill (broiler) for the last 2 minutes.
- Serve warm with lime wedges.
Good to know
Should I squeeze the zucchini?
No. The water in the zucchini is what keeps the poppers moist while they bake; squeezing it out gives drier, denser bites.
What can I dip them in?
Salsa, guacamole, or a dairy-free ranch made from mayonnaise, lemon and herbs all keep them paleo. Plain Greek yogurt with garlic works if you eat dairy.
Can I use ground turkey?
Yes, it swaps one for one, at about the same score. Lean ground turkey breast works too and gives a firmer popper; add an egg white to help it hold.
Per
- Calories
- 135
- Protein
- (42%)
- 14 g
- Fat
- (51%)
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- (7%)
- 3 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 345 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 877 kcal goes into the pot and 841 g of ingredients comes out as about 650 g of food: 135 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.