How can I tell my pan is ready using hand test?

While preheating your pan on medium heat for at least 7 to 8 minutes, hold your palm about 3 to 4 inches above the grill surface.Hot & Ready: If you feel enough heat to pull your hand away due to discomfort after 2 to 4 seconds, the pan is ready.Too Hot: If you must pull your hand away after only 1 to 2 seconds, the pan is too hot. This can lead to bitter, burnt (black) grill marks before the chicken is cooked through.Too Cool: If you can hold your hand there for more than 5 seconds, the pan needs more time to preheat; otherwise, your meat will steam instead of browning.

Low Calorie Pan Grilled Chicken Patty Kebab

Name: Low Calorie Pan Grilled Chicken Patty Kebab
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 300 grams Coarsely ground chicken breast; 75 grams (half medium size) Finely chopped onion; 2 tsp (3 to 4 small size cloves) Finely chopped garlic; 45 grams (3 tbsp) Breadcrumbs; 30 ml (approx. half egg) Beaten Egg; ½ tsp Garam masala powder; ½ tsp Zeera powder; ½ tsp Chili powder; ½ tbsp (half medium size) Lime juice; 1 to 2 heaped tbsp Finely chopped Coriander leaves; 1 tbsp Oil; ¾ tsp (approx.) Salt

by Viruthiga Veni

Low Calorie Pan Grilled Chicken Patty Kebab - Indian recipe showing finished dish ready to serve

Jump to Recipe Card

These pan-grilled chicken patty kebabs will be tender and juicy on the inside, with brown grill marks on the outside.
Variations:
For traditional way, try this Perfect Pan-Grilled Chicken patty Kebab – Restaurant Style at Home.
For a health-conscious persons, try this Less prep time -15 mins pan grilled chicken patty kebab

Low Calorie Pan Grilled Chicken Patty Kebab - close up view of finished dish plated and garnished

Ingredients

Coarsely ground chicken breast – 300 grams

Finely chopped onion – 75 grams (half medium size)

Finely chopped garlic – 2 tsp (3 to 4 small size cloves)

Breadcrumbs – 45 grams (3 tbsp)

Beaten Egg – 30 ml (approx. half egg)

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Zeera powder – ½ tsp

Chili powder – ½ tsp

Lime juice – ½ tbsp (half medium size)

Finely chopped Coriander leaves – 1 to 2 heaped tbsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – ¾ tsp (approx.)

Ingredients for Low Calorie Pan Grilled Chicken Patty Kebab including Coarsely ground chicken breast, Finely chopped onion, Finely chopped garlic

Instructions

Preparation of ingredients

Coarse mince chicken

At the shop: Ask the butcher to make a coarse mince using boneless chicken breast for better texture.
At home: Use a food processor/mixi to create your own homemade coarse mince using chicken breast.

To remove moisture from onion

Salt and rest: Place the chopped onion in a shallow plate, spread them in a shallow layer. Sprinkle ½ tsp salt over them and mix well.
Allow moisture to release: Let the mixture sit for about 20 to 30 minutes.The salt will draw the moisture out of the onions.
Squeeze out liquid: Transfer the salted onions to a muslin cloth and using hands squeeze the cloth to extract as much of the onion juice as possible. Make sure the onions are finely chopped. Use 75 grams chopped onion (half medium size).

Other ingredients

Finely chop garlic and coriander leaves- Using sharp knife to chop the garlic and coriander leaves into very small pieces. Make sure the coriander leaves are washed and dried before start to chop.
Beaten egg- Beat 1 egg well and measure 30ml beaten egg (approx. half beaten egg).
Bread crumbs- I used homemade coarse bread crumbs. To save time, plan ahead to prepare them in advance, or simply use store-bought whole-grain crumbs.

Preparation of mince chicken mixture

To prepare masala mixture, add the following ingredients in a clean bowl and mix well

prepared squeezed onion
3 heaped tablespoons bread crumbs
½ tsp zeera powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder, ½ tsp chili powder
2 heaped tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp finely chopped green chili

Add the following ingredients to coarse chicken

30 ml beaten egg (approx. half of 1 egg)
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
½ tbsp lime juice
½ tsp salt

Don’t dump the salt and lime juice with spoon on chicken pieces. Just sprinkle ½ tsp salt and ½ tbsp lime juice all over the coarse mince chicken and mix well.

Low Calorie Pan Grilled Chicken Patty Kebab - Add the following ingredients to coarse chicken

Combine both the prepared masala mixture and marinated coarse chicken then place them in refrigerator

Place them in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, to firm up the chicken mixture, to shape easily around skewers and also get marinated well.

Making of chicken mixture to form a small size, circular shape, flat patties

Take the chicken mixture from the refrigerator and roughly divide them in to equal size portions

Roughly divide them in to 6 equal size portions.
Refrigerating for at least 30 minutes will also help to avoid break apart the chicken patties while cooking. But if you refrigerate the chicken masala mixture for longer time then the chicken mixture become hard, so let them sit at room temperatute for 20 to 30 minutes will make the chicken patties to cook more evenly .

Note: Once lime juice is added to chicken mixture, it should be kept for only 2 to 3 hours. Reason being, if lime juice added chicken mixture kept for longer time, then it will become mushy and change texture.

Take the chicken mixture from the refrigerator and roughly divide them in to equal size portions

Apply oil on your hands, take one portion of chicken mixture to form a loosely packed ball then lightly flatten the ball at the top to form circular shape chicken patty

Take 1 tsp of oil in a small bowl. The chicken mixture will be little sticky. So, apply oil on your hands to avoid the chicken mixture not to stick to your hands.
It’s important by using hands to gently form the chicken mixture in to loosely packed chicken patty not to form too tightly packed/ too loosely packed chicken patty.
Repeat the same for remaining chicken masala mixture. use little oil when needed, while shaping the patties. From this chicken masala mixture, you can make 6 chicken patties.

Cooking of chicken patty kebab in nonstick grill pan

Oil and preheat the grill pan

Gather pastry brush- It helps to coat the oil evenly over the surface of the grill pan and chicken patties.
Add 1 tsp oil to the grill pan. By using pastry brush, to spread the oil entirely in the bottom of the nonstick grill pan evenly. Preheat them for about 6 to 8 minutes over medium flame.

Just before placing them on hot pan, use pastry brush to apply oil on top surface of the chicken patties

Place 1 tbsp oil in the small bowl.

Note:Make sure to coat them with oil right before it place on a grill pan.

Just before placing them on hot pan, use pastry brush to apply oil on top surface of the chicken patties

Place the oiled surface chicken patties on the hot grill pan and continue to cook them without moving, untill to attain brown grill marks underside the chicken skewers for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium flame

You will hear a Sizzling sound when you place the chicken patties in hot pan. Then the pan is ready.
Place the chicken patties with more space between them.

Note: The pan should be hot enough to sizzle, but not smoking (too high) or failing to sizzle immediately (too low).

Place the oiled surface chicken patties on the hot grill pan and continue to cook them without moving, untill to attain brown grill marks underside the chicken skewers for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium flame

Just before flip them, baste oil on top side of the chicken patties then flip them & reduce the heat to low

After 4 to 5 minutes, just check quickly by lifting the sides of the patties using two spoons, whether brown grill marks formed.
Once formed, apply oil on top side of the chicken patties and then flip.
After flip the patties reduce the heat to low.

In low heat, continue to cook them for about 4 to 5 minutes, to cook inside

After flipping, cook them in low heat, for about 4 to 5 minutes or untill the internal temperature of the chicken patties at 165-175°F.
Usually the total cooking time for this chicken patties is 8 to 9 minutes for 1 batch.
The cooking time will vary depends upon the thickness of the chicken patties, how coarsely the chicken pieces are minced (size of chicken pieces), the type of cookware used, the amount of heat used.

Transfer the grilled patties to a paper towel lined plate, transfer them to clean plate to rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes before serve

Transfer the cooked grilled patties to a paper towel-lined plate. Using a fresh paper towel, gently pat all sides of the patties to absorb the surface oil. After a minute or two, move them to a clean plate and loosely cover them with a lid or foil to rest before serving.

Now the pan grilled chicken patty kebab is ready to be served with curd mint dip

After resting, the grilled patties are ready to serve.

Tips

For prep chicken

💡 Did you know chicken breast is the healthiest part of the chicken? It’s high-protein, low-fat, and 0-carb, making it perfect for weight loss or muscle building.

💡 To prepare coarse minced chicken, ask your butcher at the shop to grind boneless chicken breast to a coarse texture. Alternatively, you can easily make it yourself at home using electric chopper or mixi jar.

For chicken mixture

💡 Chilling the mixture for at least 30 minutes allows the flavors to marinate and firms the texture for easier shaping.If you leave it in the fridge longer and it becomes too hard, let the skewers sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking to reduce the chill.

💡 Once lime juice is added to chicken mixture, it should be kept for only 2 to 3 hours. Reason being, if lime juice added chicken mixture kept for longer time, then it will become mushy and change texture.

💡 The consistency of the chicken masala mixture should be slightly sticky. If the mixture is too sticky, add breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon at a time. Conversely, if the mixture is too dry or crumbly, add beaten egg, 1 teaspoon at a time.

For pan grilling

💡 I Used a non-stick grill pan to cook the skewers so they do not stick and to make cleaning up much easier.

💡 To get a nice brown grill marks, ensure the pan is hot enough to sizzle when placing the chicken patties, but not smoking (too high) or failing to sizzle immediately (too low).

💡 To Attain a brown grill marks : Arrange the chicken patties in a single layer, leaving plenty of space between them. If you are using a smaller pan, cook in multiple batches or switch to a larger pan.

💡 Wait to flip! Check the bottom and only turn the patties once you see brown grill marks.

💡 For perfectly cooked, juicy, and safe grilled patties every time, rely on an instant-read meat thermometer. The target internal temperature is between 165–175°F, measured in the thickest part of the meat

💡 If you see food bits left behind, wipe the grill pan clean between batches. This ensures every patty gets clean, perfect grill marks without any burnt flavor.

For Salt

💡 Be careful with your salt, as it affects both flavor and texture. Too little salt leaves the chicken lacking flavor, while too much can make it tough. Remember that not all salts are the same; they have different levels of saltiness depending on the brand and type; for this recipe, I used 1/2 tsp of sea salt for 300g of boneless chicken and 1/4 tsp for the onion.

Safe Taste-Testing

💡 Never taste the mixture once the raw chicken is added, as this can lead to food poisoning. To check the salt safely, fry a small sample piece and adjust the seasoning based on the cooked taste.

Frequently Asked Questions

Refrigeration firms up the chicken mixture and allows it to marinate. This makes it much easier to shape and prevents the patties from breaking apart while cooking.

If the mixture becomes too hard from over chilling, let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking. This ensures the chicken cooks evenly.

Grill pan isn’t very hot enough, overcrowding the grill pan with skewers, flipping the meat too early, a lack of oil on the grill pan or meat, or using a dirty pan with leftover residue.

To get dark brown grill marks, ensure your grill pan is preheated until very hot and lightly coated with oil. Place the skewers in a single layer with plenty of space between them to prevent steaming, and flip them only once after a dark brown crust has formed.

While preheating your pan on medium heat for at least 7 to 8 minutes, hold your palm about 3 to 4 inches above the grill surface.

Hot & Ready: If you feel enough heat to pull your hand away due to discomfort after 2 to 4 seconds, the pan is ready.
Too Hot: If you must pull your hand away after only 1 to 2 seconds, the pan is too hot. This can lead to bitter, burnt (black) grill marks before the chicken is cooked through.
Too Cool: If you can hold your hand there for more than 5 seconds, the pan needs more time to preheat; otherwise, your meat will steam instead of browning.

Thick patties can stay raw in the middle. To fix this, cover the pan with a lid halfway through cooking to trap heat.

You can use these chicken patties in many different meals. Try chopping them up to use in fried rice, soups, or noodles. They also make an excellent filling for sandwiches, burgers, and chapati wraps, or you can use them as a savory stuffing for dosas and tacos.

Yes. The raised ridges keep the chicken skewers elevated, preventing them from sitting in their own fat. This allows excess oil to drain away and collect at the bottom of the pan, so less fat is absorbed by the chicken skewers, which reduces the calories.

Chicken breast is the leanest cut available, making it the healthiest part of the chicken. Because it is low in fat, zero-carb, and has the most protein by weight, it’s an excellent choice for anyone prioritizing heart health or weight loss.

Refrigerate them right away. Put leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking. For the best quality and safety, use the leftover chicken within 2 to 3 days.