Sweet Potato & Chicken Breakfast Patties
Savory grain-free breakfast patties of ground chicken and grated sweet potato, brightened with scallion and fresh sage and crisped in coconut oil until deeply golden.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
These are hearty, hand-held breakfast patties for anyone who wants something warm and savory in the morning without reaching for bread or cereal. Ground chicken gives them a mild, sausage-like base, while grated sweet potato folds in real vegetable body and a gentle sweetness. They come together in one bowl and cook in a single skillet, which makes them approachable on a weekday and satisfying enough to look forward to.
The grated sweet potato gets wrung out before it goes into the bowl. Sweet potato holds a surprising amount of water, and if you skip that step the patties steam in the pan and stay pale and loose. Dried out and bound with egg, the shreds instead crisp against the hot coconut oil and turn a deep golden brown, giving you crunchy edges around a tender, juicy interior. Fresh sage and scallion do the seasoning work, echoing the herby, oniony notes of a classic breakfast sausage without any filler.
The whole plate is in balance. The chicken and egg bring plenty of protein to carry you through the morning, the sweet potato adds fiber and a steady kind of carbohydrate along with its orange-hued vitamin A, and coconut oil crisps the surface with a little richness so the patties feel like a full meal rather than a snack. They are filling, clean-tasting, and easy to pair with eggs or greens.
Ingredients
- 2/3 lb ground chicken
- 1 cup peeled, grated sweet potato
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, for cooking
Instructions
- Grate and dry the sweet potato: Peel the sweet potato and grate it finely on the small holes of a box grater. Pile the shreds into the center of a clean kitchen towel, gather the corners, and twist hard over the sink to wring out as much liquid as you can. Dry shreds are what let the patties brown instead of steam.
- Prep the aromatics: Trim the scallions and slice them thinly, using both the white and green parts. Stack the sage leaves, roll them, and chop them fine.
- Mix: In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, wrung-out sweet potato, scallions, egg, chopped sage, and salt. Mix with your hands or a fork just until everything is evenly distributed. The mixture will be soft and a little tacky.
- Shape: Divide the mixture and form flat patties about half an inch thick, pressing gently so they hold together and flattening the tops so they cook evenly. Set the patties on a plate and chill for about five minutes to firm up before cooking.
- Cook: Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Lay the patties in without crowding and cook undisturbed for about four minutes, until the underside is deeply golden. Flip once and cook another four minutes, until the second side is browned and the centers reach 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve: Transfer the patties to a plate lined with paper towel to drain briefly, then serve hot.
Variations
- Grated carrot swap: Trade the sweet potato for finely grated, wrung-out carrot for a lighter, slightly earthier patty. Squeeze it just as thoroughly so the mix stays cohesive.
- Apple and sage: Fold in a little finely grated, wrung-out tart apple along with the sweet potato for a sweeter, more autumnal note that plays well against the sage.
- Warm spice blend: Add ground cumin, smoked paprika, and a pinch of cayenne to the mix for a smoky, gently spicy sausage character.
- Ground turkey version: Swap the ground chicken for ground turkey; this still uses poultry but gives a slightly firmer, deeper-tasting bite. Keep an eye on the pan since ground poultry can dry out faster.
- Maple-glazed finish: Brush the cooked patties with a thin coat of pure maple syrup in the last minute in the pan for a sweet-savory edge. Note this adds sugar to the dish.
Storage & Leftovers
Let the patties cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Keep them in a single layer or separated by parchment so the crisp edges do not soften against one another.
To reheat, warm them in a dry or lightly oiled skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes per side until heated through and the crust re-crisps; this brings back far more texture than a microwave, which leaves them soft. A hot oven or toaster oven works well too.
For make-ahead mornings, shape the raw patties the night before and keep them covered in the fridge, then cook them fresh when you wake up. They also freeze well cooked: freeze in a single layer, transfer to a bag, and reheat straight from frozen in a skillet or oven.
Notes & Tips
- Wring harder than you think: The single biggest factor in browning is how dry the sweet potato is. Twist the towel until liquid stops running; damp shreds are the reason patties turn out pale and fall apart.
- Use a thermometer: Ground poultry needs to hit 165°F (74°C), and color alone can fool you because the sweet potato browns fast. An instant-read thermometer in the center of the thickest patty is the surest doneness check.
- Wet your hands to shape: The mixture is tacky, so lightly dampen your palms before forming each patty and it will release cleanly without sticking.
- Do not crowd the skillet: Leave space between the patties so they sear rather than steam. Cook in batches if your pan is small, adding a little more coconut oil between rounds if it runs dry.
- Adjust seasoning with a tester: Because you cannot taste raw chicken, cook one small tester patty first, taste it, and adjust the salt or sage in the rest of the bowl before shaping the batch.
- Serve them with something fresh: They pair naturally with fried or poached eggs, a handful of sauteed greens, or sliced avocado to round out the plate into a full breakfast.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Ground chicken, grated sweet potato and an egg come together into a patty that holds. The chicken gives it substance, the sweet potato keeps the inside moist, and the egg binds everything so the edges crisp rather than crumble.
- Ground chicken is mild and takes seasoning readily, which is why the sage and scallion come through so clearly, and the protein in it is what carries a breakfast of these patties well into the afternoon.
- Sweet potato peeled and grated raw softens into the meat as it cooks, turning sweet and tender against the savory chicken, and the orange color it brings is beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A.
- Sage is the flavor that makes these read as breakfast, piney and a little peppery, and the scallions keep it fresh and green so the patties stay bright first thing in the morning.
- Coconut oil in a hot skillet gives the outside a deep golden crust with a faint sweetness of its own, and that crust is the difference between a patty and a pile of seasoned meat.
- As you eat, break one open and watch the steam carry the sage up off the sweet potato, then give yourself a few quiet minutes at the table rather than eating standing up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my patties falling apart in the pan?
Usually it is excess moisture or flipping too soon. Wring the grated sweet potato until it is dry, chill the shaped patties for a few minutes if the mix feels loose, and let the first side form a deep golden crust before you turn them so they hold their shape.
Can I use canned or leftover sweet potato instead of raw?
No, this recipe depends on raw grated sweet potato. Cooked or mashed sweet potato is too wet and soft, so it will not wring out or crisp and the patties will not hold together. Start with a firm raw sweet potato.
How do I know when they are fully cooked?
Ground chicken should reach 165°F (74°C) in the center, so check the thickest patty with an instant-read thermometer. The outside should be deeply golden and the inside opaque with no pink and clear juices.
Can I bake these instead of pan-frying?
Yes. Arrange them on a lined, oiled baking sheet and bake in a hot oven, flipping once halfway, until golden and cooked through to 165°F (74°C). They will be a touch less crisp than the skillet version but still hold together well.