chicken zucchini poppers

My MOST POPULAR RECIPE EVER! These chicken meatballs are squeaky clean, but not short on flavor! Gluten free, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly!

Chicken Zucchini Poppers

chicken breast (raw)

c. grated zucchini (leave peel

green onions, sliced

garlic,

salt

tsp pepper

tsp cumin (optional)

Optional (if pan-frying): avocado oil,

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin (if using). Mixture will be quite wet. Scoop meatballs with a small scoop or heaped tablespoon and gently smooth with your hands. I can usually get around 20-24 poppers. You may be able to get more or less, depending on how large you size them.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Cook 4-5 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a bit of olive or avocado oil onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. If desired, place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned on top.

Serve with guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dip.

Hi Emily!  I was wondering if you had suggestions on reheating? Thank you!

I made these last night - (I did omit the cilantro because I am not a fan), but while I was cooking them (and the noodles for spaghetti- cause that was the direction i was headed) They smelled Asian-y to me -soooo I threw some carrots, and more zucchini in the pan tossed it all with teriyaki sauce  and some cooked ramen noodles, and oh my gosh- newest quick healthy dinner plan. 

Thanks for the versatile recipe-so excited to try other versions...

My husband hates turkey and he ate these.  I did the recipe as written except for the ground turkey substitution.  My nephew doesn't love veggies, but he really liked these.  I'm thinking of putting a paleo crust and calling it a nugget.  It's yummy and moist with no mystery ingredients.  Thanks for the recipe.

Em, these poppers are incredible!!!! They have so much flavor!!! Love love love!!!!

These are AWESOME and so easy to make......thanks for recipe.....I will be making them again and again

Just made these and they're almost gone! So yummy :)  I also love that the nutritional info is provided but wanted to ask ...how many poppers would you consider a "serving"?  I used a cookie scooper and was able to get 33 meatballs.   Thanks!

We tried both baking &amp; in the pan. From the first batch, my husband felt the pan ones had more flavor.

I liked the slight char from the baked ones, but felt 400° a bit too much or the time too long---and I only baked for 20 min... then tried the broil on low for maybe a minute. It was too much.

Finished the bowl by cooking in the pan. By the last batch, my husband said they tasted the very best of all of them---he could taste all the flavors. 

Yummy. We used guacamole and salsa and ate all of it between the two of us. Yes, we are stuffed. ?

Recipe completed as written with the 3/4 tsp of cumin. 

You are right! I can't imagine anyone recognizing the zuchini---it is not noticeable at all.

Trying to put five stars, but something is not "taking."
Here ya go!
?????

I used a muffin tin and baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  They came out perfect, not dry at all.  I recommend using a little cooking spray on the bottom of each tin to keep them from sticking. I actually prefer the baked version to the fried one but they were both good! I added a little chopped mushrooms to mine because I like mushrooms.

Ok.. So my husband (Mr. Meat and Potatoes man) and my 16 month Son (very picky eater) Love these.  I could not cook them fast enough.  They were on the floor in the living room popping them back and playing and coloring on the floor... *(however, I can get them veggies in them works for me).  I LOVED THEM!  a small salad with them and we were good to go! Thank you for sharing!

Grapeseed oil has a much higher smoke point and doesn't add flavor as does olive oil. I use a nonstick pan.

I doubled the recipe, made them into burger sized patties, pan fried each side, then baked to finish. They were delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I'll definitely be making this again.

I made these and they were great! I do have one suggestion though. I think you should add that the zucchini should be squeezed in a cloth after grating it to remove some of the excess moisture. Mine were so wet that I had to add bread crumbs. Luckily I'm not on paleo yet, so it was fine, but next time that's what I'm going to do. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Cheers!

Wanted to send along a quick thank you for this recipe. Just made these and was very pleased with how moist they are! The zucchini addition is genius (I did squeeze out just a bit of the zucchini moisture with a paper towel, but not much). I served mine with an Asian-style dipping sauce made with tamari, rice vinegar and chili oil, very tasty. Thank you for a helpful addition to my menu rotation.  :)

I also have a zucchini hating husband who likes these poppers. I have made them several times and love the recipe. Several times I have packed them to take with me when I am out and about and have eaten them cold and love them that way too. Thanks for a great recipe!

Made these tonight with turkey mince (since it was what I had in the fridge).   Served with home made low carb blue cheese dressing.   Was delicious!

Wow!  Just made these with grass fed ground beef.  Spectacular.  Thank you for this great recipe

Made these for dinner tonight exactly as written and they were a success! I found that two (large/soup) spoons worked well for scooping them into the pan. I could use the spoons to shape them into neat rounds and tidy up any trailing strands of zucchini. I started out with a regular (non-non-stick) skillet liberally coated with coconut oil but found that even after allowing them to brown quite well, they really stuck to the pan, so I switched to a non-stick pan for the rest. With sides of guacamole, roasted cubed sweet potatoes, and roasted kale these made a great dinner!

I made these last night. They were wonderful!

OMG dipping these into avocado/guac.... AWWW YEAAA! :) Heavennn!

Emily, these were such a hit! I can't get Jake to eat any vegetables except starches and he LOVED these. We need to find the right recipe to dip them in but they are so good!

I made these today, but used lean ground turkey instead of chicken.  I used my vegetti tool and made zucchini noodles, then diced those up.  I also used pizza seasoning, a little finely diced red pepper and some grated parmesan cheese.  I fried mine in a little olive oil, which is a little messy, but love the crisp outside and juicy inside.  They were quick and easy to make and turned out delicious! I got 25 poppers out of mine.

Wow! This is my favorite whole30 recipe yet!!!!! I didn't have ground chicken, so I cubed the chicken and stir-fried it; it was unbelievable!  Thx for the recipe!

I made these tonight (substituting turkey for the ground chicken) with a really good guacamole. My husband ate these stopping between bites to say how good they were! He is on a restricted diet (no diary or wheat) and it's been very difficult finding good recipes that are relatively easy. This was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing!

So easy and delicious! Perfect paleo appetizer to bring to any gathering. They were a hit! Followed the baking recipe. They stuck a bit to the tin foil so don't skimp on coating oil. Definitely glad I used the cumin. And we omitted the cilantro. Will double the recipe next time since they were gone so fast :)

These Paleo poppers are perfect! They're so good, I've decided to include them in my list of Top 10 Paleo Appetizers! Thank you for such a wonderful creation!

Thank you Emily!

These really are delicious. I was searching for Zucchini recipes and stumbled on to your site. Its the middle of summer in New Zealand and I have about 10 Zucchini plants in my garden just dripping with Zucchinis. My finance doesn't really like them and I had run out of ways of cooking them. I didn't have any minced chicken so chopped up breasts finely. this made the pops a little wet, but problem solved with 1/4 cup of GF breadcrumbs. Sooo easy to make and my guy loves them :) 

I cant wait to try more of your recipes!

I made these last night for dinner and had them again for lunch. They are totally awesome! I used ground turkey because I had it on hand and also shredded up a medium carrot because I got excited about it haha. I served them with strawberries and homemade chips and salsa. I will definitely be making these again soon! I'm thinking about trying to freeze some for lunches during the semester... we'll see if it works out. Thanks for such a great recipe!

So, I'm a college student and I do NOT know how to cook. I just discovered Whole30 and I found this recipe as I was browsing pinterest. I figured I was going to completely screw it up and burn it or do something wrong but your directions and recipe was so easy to follow and they turned out PERFECT!!! Thank you so much for sharing! :)

Delicious! Made these tonight.  Just used chicken, zucchini and adobo- nothing else.. Baked them and ooh lala-  delicioso.  It's a keeper of a recipe,  thanks so much.

I made these for dinner last night and oh. my. heavens. They were delicious! Who knew that doing the Whole 30 could taste so good?

OH MY GOODNESS!! I've been wanting to try these for ages. I finally did yesterday. I loved them (and ate way too many while I was cooking them) but wasn't sure how my kids would like them. One of the kids has declared she doesn't like any green foods. Well... all three kids (and hubby) gobbled them up! Yay!!! What a wonderful, delicious way to get some veggies in! Thank you for yet another fabulous, healthy recipe, Emily! I could hug you. :)

I made these last night and I absolutely love them!!! I drizzled Greek yogurt and added a little bit of Trader Joes jalapeño pepper hot sauce! Huge hit with the fiancé. Thanks for sharing such awesome recipes.

I just started the Whole 30 and I'm super excited to try these tonight! Also, if I were to make a vegetarian alternative, would mashed potatoes mixed with zucchini be a good idea? Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

They are delicious! however, I added a bit of egg to bind them together otherwise they fell apart.... also a tad of cream cheese takes it to another level.

Thanks!

These are truly amazing! I've made them 4 or 5 times now! For me, the cumin is not optional.....it is a must! I found a jalapeño yogurt dipping sauce from Costco that compliments them beautifully! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!

Just made these for dinner, served with salsa,  guacamole (my very first one EVER), sour cream,  and coleslaw,  and got resoundingly favourable feedback.  My 10 year old son gave them "two thumbs up, × 10!!!"  Methinks this recipe is a keeper!  Thank you!!

They were amazing,thank you so much for this recipe.Im excited to try other ingredients

Making these right now and boy does my house smell good.  My husband and I have already tasted a popper from the first batch and it is so tasty!

I tried the suggested basil/garlic version.  Very tasty.  After first batch though, added an egg to mixture so they would bind better.  First batch a bit crumbly.

Great recipe.  I took these in an Italian direction... omitted the cilantro and cumin; made 15 golf ball sized meatballs, seared them on my grill pan on top of the stove then finished them in a pot of simple tomato marinara.  Served over spaghetti squash with roasted green beans on the side.  I will absolutely use this recipe again. Thanks for sharing such a simple and adaptable recipe!

These are so simple yet delicious! So far I've mixed chicken and zucchini in salads and it tastes great, so these meatballs must be amazing!!!

Look delicious. Made these with leftover, cooked turkey.  Left out onion (hubby is a hater).  They were fine
~a bit on the dry side.  Hubby totally enjoyed.  Nice recipe for leftover turkey.

Emily, these turned out great!! I didn't use cilantro, not a fan, but I did add cayenne pepper to half of the mixture what a great spin!! Thank you for the recipe.

we had them last night and thought they were very bland also - next time I will put in something more - maybe ancho chilie powder or jalepenos

made these for the first time just now and...WOW! So Good!!! grated the onions and cilantro along with the zucchini in the food processor to save a couple of steps and squeezed out as much liquid as i could before adding chicken and spices. these would be great with tazikki too! thanks so much for the great recipe!!!

I made these for my family last night...BIG hit and so tasty...WOW!  Is all I can say and no processed sauces etc.  so great!  Thank you so much!

These were awesome. I leave out the onions &amp; garlic because I can't have them. I also halved the salt and pepper because it was way too much the first time around.

These are fantastic easy protein to eat cold while travelling. :)

My husband popped one in his mouth and said "YUM" but as someone else said, it would not allow me to rate a 5

Just made these, they are as good as they look! The cilantro really offsets the other ingredients, I love them. And the lime gives just enough of a kick  to the dip . Easy, quick, and delicious. Thank you so much!

You had me at cilantro and cumin! BTW, my family is gluten free, and I have been making my own pita flatbreads for about a year using an all purpose flour mixture that I got from the cookbook Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Nardone. She was editor in chief for Every Day with Rachael Ray, and it doesn't hurt that she owned an Italian bakery in Brooklyn.  I've used this flour mixture for about 3 years now in everything from pitas to carrotcake cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, and homemade noodles. No one can tell the difference. My daughter took carrotcake cupcakes to work for a potluck,knowing that one of her coworkers was newly diagnosed with celiacs. No one believed her either. Namaste makes a pizza crust that is GF, and the moment you open the package, you smell the herbs.. it's like a Tuscan crust that even our non gluten free friends devour! Looking forward to making these with guacamole, marinara, may be tzatziki?

I just left the info on the GF flour mixture and pitas, and GF pizza crust as your original post asked for a GF pita,  we've been on the GF quest for five years now, and can't imagine going back. I guess we're clean eaters, but all of us have decided if we can't pronounce it, it doesn't go in our bodies. It has served us well.

I love love love these !! They are so good I can eat a whole batch by myself!  So easy and healthy!!

I love these! Have made them several times and my toddler likes them too. I'm having baby#2 soon and wanting to make some freezer meals and think these would be great to have on hand. Any recommendations for freezing? Bake then freeze (microwave to heat up), or freeze as patties and then bake from frozen?
Thanks!

I'm doing a Whole30 and made these Sunday and LOVE them!  So do my family - they ate all of the ones I had in the refrigerator so I had to pull out some of the ones I had frozen to take for dinner yesterday to work.  I doubled the recipe and did 3 cups of shredded zucchini and one cup of shredded carrot.  I didn't have to squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini doing it that way - the carrot seemed to help soak it up!  I also used regular yellow onion that I sauteed for a little while in olive oil first (my husband hates raw onion).  Last night I ate them with some homemade marinara sauce and they were AMAZING!  I will definitely be making these again!

I Made these today for my family and they were amazing ! looking forward to more recipes I will try from this site ! thank you .

Forgot to give it our rating - definitely a 5-star!!!

So excited to try this recipe! I love to make meatballs (I bake them in a mini muffin tin which is amazingly easy to make enough for the freezer). I am trying to expose my step kids to healthy foods but get a turned up nose when it comes to veggies. Love hiding them in recipes that they love then having them help me make them to discover that they have been eating them! Sometimes we need to be sneaky!

These were amazing - thank you for the recipe!  I took your suggestion and made them with basil instead of cilantro.  I also doubled the garlic and used 3/4 tsp. of dried oregano in place of the cumin.  Dipped them in Whole30 compliant marinara and they were to die for!  Thanks again :-)

These were really delicious! I loved the cilantro and mine only took 20 minutes in the oven. I used 2 large zucchini and only pressed out a little water. I loved how they didn't need an egg or breadcrumbs at all. They didn't stick to the pan and were so easy to make! I may add chopped jalapeño or lime juice next time but this recipe is perfect. I served it with sweet potatoes and peas but they are so versatile, you could serve them lots of ways! Great recipe!

Hi, Emily! Thanks so much for this recipe! I made these tonight and doubled the recipe with a result of 40 Poppers total. I did wring out the zucchini, used the optional cumin and did broil for 2 minutes after baking for 26 minutes. BTW - no issues with sticking as I greased the tinfoil lined baking sheet with olive oil and allowed the Poppers to cool completely before simply removing with a spatula. Absolutely amazing! Saved in my "Favorites" folder on Pinterest :-)

My 13 year old daughter loved these!! Great recipe!

I love this recipe! I was thinking about using the recipe but  instead of meatballs I was thinking chicken burgers. Have you tried grilling the chicken on a bbq?

Made these, and my husband loved, LOVED them. Asked when we were having them again.

What a pleasure to try something new and have a huge hit. Fantastic recipe- these pair well as described with the avocado sauce or as others have noted, with Asian flavors-  but they are also good straight up with a salad. Thanks for sharing a great recipe. 5 stars from me!!

These are great!  Very easy to make and very delicious.  I pulsed chicken breast and thighs in a blender to make my own ground chicken.  I also added 1 egg and peeled the zucchini since the skin was too tough.  I made these even more fun by adding 1/3 cup Frank's hot sauce and omitting the cilantro to make these Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Poppers.  I baked for 22 minutes, then broiled for 10 minutes. 
 Thank you for a great and tasty idea to use up that fresh zucchini from the garden!

I used ground venison in place of ground chicken (solely because we have a lot of venison on hand) &amp; they turned out amazing!  So good!  My family is not a fan of meatballs, but all we digging in to these.  Great recipe!

I’ve made this recipe so many times; always a crowd pleaser, especially for my picky little boys.

Thank-you so much for this recipe. 
It was delicious. 
Will definitely make them again.

I am new to eating clean and just made these for the first time. I have pretty decent sized balls, for me it’s about 2-3 bites, and got 24 on the sheet with mixture leftover. It’s quite yummy before cooking it, so I’m thinking throw it onto some GF bread or something.  I should have a few left to freeze for another time. Thank you so much for all of your amazing ideas, I can’t wait to try more of them!

I enjoy these so much.  
In the "Nutrition" section, it says 13g of Fat; is this mostly from the oil used during frying/baking?

I am new to eating clean and just made these for the first time.

I made these this weekend! I baked them, flipping halfway through and used the broiler for just a minute. Didn't use the cilantro, not a fan, and did use the cumin. Huge hit with everyone. I was the only one in the house doing Whole30 and had to fight my way through to get a couple.

So yummy! Doubled recipe and ate the extra for lunch through the week. Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe!

I have made these several times. Everyone I have ever made them for absolutely loved them. The avo sauce is amazing as well. Great combination. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us ❤️

Thank you for this recipe! It's one of our Friday night favorites.  Also, the leftover tots taste great crumbled up in a tortilla with taco fixings and that amazing avocado sauce too! We also occasionally add jalepeno to the tots and they're just so delicious!

These are amazing! My toddler son has several life threatening allergies (dairy, egg, peanut, almond) and we have had these a few times since we discovered them last month, we love pan fried and baked! We decided these will be our “party food”!!

We have a vacation coming up, and I was curious if you think these would be good after cooked and chilled to throw in a cooler and eat them from a cooler? We won’t have access to a microwave at the airport or Disneyland. Thanks!

Looks delicious!  I have a whole chicken I cooked in order to make bone broth a couple of days ago. Can you use pre-cooked chicken in this recipe, and if so how would you adjust? Thank you

These were absolutely delicious. We topped them with homemade guacamole and restaurant style salsa. I will definitely be making these again soon.

These are great! I love that they are quick and easy to make. I didn't have any cilantro but added some dried oregano and basil. Baked them for about 14 mins at 400F. I dipped them in honey mustard but guac, like you suggested, would be fabulous too! Thanks!

Oh my this was so delicious!!!  This is the first time I've made ground chicken. I was unsure if it would work since I have a small food processor.  I cut my defrosted chicken in large pieces and couldn't believe I ended up with ground chicken! Woohoo!!!  I baked the poppers in the oven and it was flavorful.  Again another wonderful recipe!!!  Thanks Emily!

Oy. These were absolutely horrible. But it’s not you, it’s me. I didn’t know I hated ground chicken—I can not. However, I think these are a super healthy awesome frozen treat or supper treat for my dogs. I mean this in no offensive way at all. I’m always looking for fresh, human can-be-consumed treats for them! It wasn’t for me, but my dogs are super happy. Which gets you 5 stars !

Love these soooo much! One of my faves and in my rotation. I now make a double batch so I can freeze and reheat. I've tried them fried in a pan and also baked - they are both amazing but I need less oil to bake them. I do NOT recommend an air-bake pan - that was a mistake. Ha! They were still good but no amount of broiling could get them a little browned and crispy. 
Thanks for the amazing recipe! :)

I am so exited to make them right now. These are lovely and looking so delicious. Looking forward for more such recipes.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/&rdquo;ORjSdTW8&Prime;.mp4

”Chicken

These garlic and zucchini chicken patties are easy to make, healthy, and delicious. Topped with a little creamy cilantro sauce, they&#x27;re the perfect gluten free weeknight meal.

Chicken Zucchini Poppers with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

chicken (at least 7% fat recommended)

zucchini

garlic cloves,

fresh chives, chopped

black pepper

cilantro

garlic (or more depending on preference)

mayonnaise

cottage cheese

white vinegar

Combine cilantro, garlic clove, mayonnaise, cottage cheese, and vinegar in a food processor and blend till combined. Pop in the fridge to thicken and let flavors combine at least 30 min. You can also just chop the cilantro small and mix everything together by hand. Add salt and pepper to taste.

On a cheese grater, grate the fresh zucchini squash into small pieces and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of kosher salt and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Place into a large bowl with chicken, garlic, chives, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a sprinkle of fresh black pepper. Form mixture into 3 inch patties, you should have 6 total.

Prepare a large nonstick or cast iron skillet with oil and bring to medium heat. Cook chicken patties on each side for 4 minutes until browned on both sides and cooked through. If they&#x27;re not quite cooked through but getting really brown, pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 minutes or so.

Serve warm with dipping sauce or top each popper with a little bit of the sauce.

What a great recipe! I made these on Sunday and it was my lunch all week. The poppers have a sweetness that is nicely complemented by the sauce. I made one substitution, used 0% plain greek yogurt rather than the mayonnaise. I will make these again and again.

Made them tonight. My family devoured them! Even though I used dried chives and substituted ricotta for cottage cheese. Deffinately a keeper.

Made these last night and they came out so good! I did have to finish them off in the oven because they were browning a little too much, but definitely making these again. Even my picky teenager enjoyed them!

I am beyond happy that I found this recipe, because these are AMAZING!  This time of year there is zucchini galore, and found that freezing them works very well as they are still as moist and tender as the first day. Plus this was incredibly easy, didn't make a mess or heat up my entire kitchen.  Thank you!

These turned out so delicious! Thanks for the tip on squeezing the water out of the zucchini. The sauce was so yummy!

I didn't care for that much garlic and they cook so fast it stayed somewhat raw. I even used new garlic so I expected it to be more mild. If I make it again I will sautee' the garlic and zucchini to soften it a bit and hopefully give the poppers a smoother texture. The flavor was nice. I used white wine vinegar in the sauce because I didn't have any organic distilled white on hand and it seemed a bit too strong. The garlic was a bit overpowering in the sauce too. But I'm a bit sensitive to too much garlic. If you LOVE garlic this recipe is for you! They sure were pretty on the plate! Served with roasted sweet potato, sauteed kale and seasoned cannellini beans.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1629837719/vewxgepwzkz5k8s6d3ds.mp4

Healthy and delicious, these chicken zucchini poppers and creamy cilantro sauce are a hit! Migraine diet friendly, Whole 30, low carb, and paleo compliant, the flavor of the sauce compliments these easy-to-make chicken patties.

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