Chicken Cakes with Lettuce and Mayo

Anything containing bacon is a pretty much delicious.  In fact, any recipe containing bacon is almost always a sure bet with my family, which is the reason I took notice of this recipe and I'm so glad I did!  These chicken cakes were a HUGE hit!  Crispy on the exterior and perfectly tender on the inside, these chicken cakes are brimming with the irresistible flavors of bacon and cheese.  The cakes are perfectly tasty all on their own, but are even better wrapped inside a lettuce leaf with a dollop of mayo.   A perfect appetizer or light meal.  We thoroughly enjoyed these!

Chicken Cakes with Lettuce and Mayo

Recipe adapted from BBC Food

Serves 4-6

2-1/2 ounces breadcrumbs

1 pound ground chicken

6 pieces of bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled

1 egg

1 lemon, zest and juice

6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only 

3 heaped tablespoons Parmesan cheese

salt and black pepper, to taste

oil, for frying*

To serve: Lettuce Leaves and Mayo

*Note: I used leftover bacon fat to fry the chicken cakes 

Place the breadcrumbs, chicken, egg and chopped bacon into a mixing bowl. Grate the lemon zest in with the chicken and bacon, then halve and squeeze the lemon. Add the lemon juice to the mixture with the roughly chopped thyme leaves. Tip in the grated parmesan. Season the mixture with a little salt, then more generously with black pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Shape the mixture into small balls or patties. Warm the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Fry them in the oil, about eight at a time, for 4-5 minutes until they are crisp and golden-brown on all sides. Lower the heat and leave to cook through to the middle, about 6-8 minutes more. I tend to turn them no more than once or twice during cooking so they develop a crisp, slightly sticky exterior.

 Remove the cakes from the pan and place on large, crisp lettuce leaves, add a dollop of mayonnaise and wrap the cakes in the leaves.

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