Chicken and Mushroom Patties (Kotleti)

These chicken and mushroom patties are a popular Belarusian entree, also known as Kotleti. The juicy chicken patties are filled with savory mushrooms, such a delicious combination.

Chicken and Mushroom Patties (Kotleti)
Chicken Kotleti with a mushroom filling

Chicken Kotleti with Mushrooms are incredibly flavorful and a wonderful entree to enjoy. In our family, we really like making many variations of meatballs, kotleti and even chicken fritters. Adding a mushroom filling to Chicken Kotleti makes an already wonderful recipe an upgrade. They are always a big hit in my family and any time I serve them to company.

I love the versatility of ground chicken and you can make so many different fillings to make each version unique. A mushroom filling is such a typical Soviet combination, since mushrooms have a history of being included in just about any meal. This recipe was popular in our Belarusian family. Both my mom and aunts made it, especially for holidays and special occasions. The chicken patties (kotleti) are exceptionally juicy, like no other meat kotleti. The mushrooms filling is really flavorful and hearty. Using a combination of fresh and dry mushrooms gives them a much deeper and rich taste. 

I also really appreciate that this is a recipe that is great to prep ahead. I can meal prep it for busy days and do most of the work ahead for parties. They even freeze really well too.

Ingredients:

Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe with measurements.

Chicken Kotleti:

  • ground chicken
    • When I grind the chicken myself, I use both dark meat (boneless, skinless chicken thighs) and white meat (chicken breast).
    • I recommend using ground chicken with both dark and white meat, not just chicken breast, which tends to be a lot more dry.
    • If you use store bought ground chicken, it’s often a lot softer and more watery.
  • panko breadcrumbs
    • You can also use a few slices of bread and make your own breadcrumbs in the food processor or blender.
  • milk, I use whole milk, but you can use any milk
  • egg
  • sour cream, plain thick yogurt can be used instead
  • onion
  • salt, ground black pepper
  • dry herbs and spices
    • I like Trader Joe’s Onion Salt and Simply Organic all purpose seasoning. Use anything that you like. Some suggestions: granulated onion, garlic powder, dry parsley, chives, thyme, etc.
  • oil, for pan frying the chicken patties and for sauteing the mushrooms
    • Avocado oil is my favorite. Light olive oil or other vegetable oils can also be used.
      Mushroom Stuffing:
  • fresh mushrooms (white, button, baby bella, etc.)
  • dry mushrooms
    • dry mushrooms add an incredible depth of flavor. Porcini are my favorite to use. You can also use chanterelle mushrooms or a collection of wild mushrooms. You can also omit the dry mushrooms and just use fresh mushrooms.
  • shallot or onion
    • Shallots are great and have a mild flavor. I also often use a large onion and grate half of it in the ground chicken mixture and chop the other half for the mushroom filling.
  • salt, ground black pepper
  • dry herbs and spices (see above for suggestions)
Ingredients For Chicken and Mushroom Patties (Kotleti)
Chicken and Mushroom Kotleti

How to make Chicken and Mushroom Patties

  1. Make the mushroom filling first, so it can cool off before you assemble the chicken patties.
    • Pour boiling water over the dry mushrooms and let it rehydrate the mushrooms.
    • Meanwhile, wash and finely chop the fresh mushrooms and the shallot or onion.
    • Wash and finely chop the dry rehydrated mushrooms.
    • In a large pan, saute the mushrooms and shallot/onion, seasoning with salt, pepper, dry herbs and spices until the mushrooms are soft and starting to turn golden and the onion is completely cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. Now, prepare the chicken mixture. Place the ground chicken into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs just until softened.
  4. Grate the onion on the fine holes of a box grater.
  5. Add the breadcrumbs and milk, onion, egg, sour cream, salt, pepper and dry herbs and spices to the ground chicken. Mix to combine.
  6. Assemble the chicken and mushroom patties.
    • Use damp/moistened hands to shape the patties(kotleti), otherwise they will be too soft to handle. Keep moistening your hands every time you make another patty.
    • Take a portion of meat, form it into a oval shape, flatten it out and make an indentation in the center. Place a heaping Tablespoon of mushroom filling into the center indentation.
    • Cover the mushroom filling with more ground meat and shape into an oval.
  7. Repeat with the remaining ground meat mixture and the mushroom filling. You should have about 14-16 large chicken patties. If you make them smaller, you’ll have even more chicken kotleti.
  8. Cook the chicken and mushroom patties.
    • Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add the patties(kotleti) and cook until golden on both sides, approximately 5 minutes per side. 
How to make chicken and mushroom patties (kotleti)

Serving, Reheating and Storing

Serve the chicken and mushroom patties hot. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To reheat, I like to use the stovetop. Place the patties in a skillet and add 1-2 Tablespoons of water, cover and reheat until warmed all the way through on low heat. The water will steam and help to gently reheat the patties. Turn then over half way through. Add more water if needed. (You can also do this in the oven (300F), covered, also adding a bit of water to the bottom of the baking dish you are using. It will take longer in the oven.)

Of course, you can also use a microwave.

You can freeze the Chicken Kotleti for up to 3 months. Store them in a freezer ziplock bag or an airtight container. I recommend using multiple ziplock bags, even better, using a vacuum sealer. If you’re freezing them in a disposable aluminum container, cover it in multiple layers of aluminum foil.

Chicken and Mushroom Patties (Kotleti)
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Chicken and Mushroom Patties (Kotleti)

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These chicken and mushroom patties are a popular Belarusian entree, also known as Kotleti. The juicy chicken patties are filled with savory mushrooms, such a delicious combination.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 1416 meat patties 1x
  • Category: Entree

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Kotleti:

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 small onion or 1/2 of a large onion, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/21 teaspoon dry herbs and spices (such as garlic powder, dry parsley, chives, thyme, etc.)
  • oil, for pan frying the kotleti (avocado oil, light olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.)

Mushroom Stuffing:

  • 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, (white, button, baby bella, etc.)
  • 1/4 cup dry porcini mushrooms, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon oil or butter
  • 1 shallot or 1/2 an onion, minced
  • salt, ground black pepper,  to taste
  • dry herbs and spices, to taste

Instructions

Mushroom Filling

  1. Make the Mushroom Filling first, so it can cool off before assembling the chicken patties. 
  2. Pour boiling water over the dry mushrooms to rehydrate them. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients. 
  3. Finely chop the fresh mushrooms, the shallot or onion. 
  4. Drain the dry rehydrated mushrooms and wash them thoroughly. Finely chop the dry mushrooms. 
  5. Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet, then add the mushrooms and shallot/onion.  Season with salt, ground black pepper and dry herbs and spices. Cook on medium heat until the mushrooms and onions are soft and cooked all the way through. They will exude a lot of liquid at first. Cook until all the liquid cooks off. Set aside to cool. 

Chicken and Mushroom Patties

  1. Place the ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. 
  2. Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs. Set aside until softened. 
  3. Grate the onion on the medium/small holes of a box grater. 
  4. Combine all the ingredients for the Chicken Patties (Kotleti) in the large bowl, adding the breadcrumbs, milk, grated onion, egg, sour cream, salt, pepper, dry herbs and spices. Mix it all to combine until it’s evenly mixed.
  5. Use damp/moistened hands to shape the patties(kotleti), otherwise they will be too soft to handle. Keep moistening your hands every time you make another patty.
  6. Take a portion of meat, form it into an oval meatball and make an indentation in the center. Place a heaping Tablespoon of mushroom filling into the center indentation. Cover the mushrooms with more meat on top and the sides of the chicken patty, shaping it into an oval.
  7. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture and the mushroom filling. You should have about 14-16 large kotleti.
  8. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add the chicken patties in batches and cook, covered,  until golden on both sides, approximately 5 minutes per side. 

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This recipe was originally published on January 18, 2013. I have added a video, updated the pictures and clarified the instructions to make the recipe even easier to follow.

Chicken Kotleti with mushroom stuffing, mushroom filling

Chicken and Mushroom Patties

14 Comments

  • Tina

    Love it Olga, what a new twist to regular kotleti?! Just love it! Anything that has mushrooms is my number one dish:) thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. It’s on my list for Sundays dinner!!…..quick question for you, have you ever tried freezing those? if so, do they have the same taste. Thanks much!

  • Natasha Yelfimov

    Olga, first time i found stuffed kotleti in the “миллион меню” book, but they were stuffed with mushrooms, walnuts, cheese, parsley and garlic. The stuffing is delicious, but I usually make kotleti stuffed with mushrooms only. I think I will make ’em on weekends;)

  • Tatyana

    Do you make your own ground chicken or do
    you buy ground chicken. If you buy it ready
    where do you get it and is there a certain brand better. Thank you!!! Also if you were to
    make your own ground chicken which part of
    the chicken would work best?

    • olgak7

      Tatyana,
      If I buy ground chicken, I just make sure that the ingredients don’t contain any additives besides meat. When I grind my own chicken, I use the whole chicken, and save the bones and the wings for chicken broth. You can use any chicken meat for the ground chicken. It’s good to have a combination of both dark and white meat. You can grind just the thigh/drumstick meat, but avoid grinding only the breast, since it will be too dry.

  • Olga

    Olga!
    I am making these for Christmas, made a couple to try ahead of time, these are great. Thank you for an amazing recipe. Merry Christmas to you and your family. God bless!

  • Liliya Oksenchuk

    Sounds delicious 😋 so making them today.
    Why do you dredge kotlti in flour not bread crumbs? Is there a difference

    • olgak7

      You can use breadcrumbs, if you like. I prefer flour, it’s a much more even smooth finish, gets plenty crisp on the outside. In my opinion, breadcrumbs soak up too much oil and they burn much faster.

  • afra

    Lovely recipe! I used chicken thigh that I ground in the foodprocessor. Really enjoyed it – I had made enough for 2 meals but it was hard to resist snacking on them in between 😉

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