Chicken and Broccoli Fritters

    Officially, these will be called Chicken and Broccoli Fritters.  In my house and with my friends, they will be lovingly named Crack Balls.  Not to plagiarize Crackslaw or Heroin Wings, but these really truly have that certain something that makes them irresistible.  Even my bird George couldn't get enough of them and literally pushed himself between my daughter and hers.  Ecstasy fritters?  Uh.... I wouldn't go that far...

That's George hanging on my daughter's shirt after strong arming (winging?) his way between her mouth and her fritter!

    It all started with a can of chicken breast.  Once in a while, usually when shopping while hungry, I wind up picking up a few cans of chicken.  I always envision a kick-butt chicken salad and being able to have something other than tuna once in a while.  Then, I realize after staring at them on my pantry shelf, that I don't really like chicken salad, or canned chicken for that matter.  It's not that I despise chicken salad, it's just not something I truly enjoy.


    Well, I had to do something with this can, so I took a chance making some broccoli fritters with it and tada!  I had a winner!  Yay!!!  Now I finally have something I can do with those cans of chicken.  This would also work really well with any already cooked chicken, just make sure it's pretty small pieces.

    Here's what you'll need:

• 10 oz can of chicken well drained, or already cooked chicken chopped
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded muenster cheese (gives it a nice creamy flavor)
• 8 oz fresh broccoli finely chopped (this was about 2 - 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (nothing fancy, just the stuff in the green can)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 cup almond flour
• 4 beaten eggs (with a dash of salt and pepper thrown in)

    Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (190C).  In a large bowl, mix together chicken, shredded cheese, broccoli, parmesan cheese, garlic and onion powders, and almond flour.  Make sure these are well mixed and the ingredients are distributed well.  The almond flour and parmesan tend to settle at the bottom.  Your mixture should look something like this before adding the eggs:

    Add in the beaten eggs and mix well.  Using your hands, make balls about the size of a rounded tablespoon, and give it a firm squeeze to hold it all together.  Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with just a little bit of room between them.  They really don't spread or puff up much so feel free to put a lot on there!  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until crisped and golden.  I paired mine up with some ranch dressing as a dip, but these would be great with anything!

    I get about 35 of these out of one batch, so these would be great on a tray at a party, and they freeze well so they're great for a snack that's ready in minutes.  You can warm them in a toaster oven for a few minutes till warmed through or on a paper towel lined plate in the microwave for a softer fritter.  They're also a great side dish, and if you're fortunate enough to have leftovers, they're excellent cold straight from the fridge.  Enjoy!