AIP air fryer chicken patties - egg-free, nut-free rebuild

Patties are worth batch-cooking on a day when you actually have the energy, because the days you do not are exactly the ones this protocol quietly asks the most of you. Make a batch, keep it in the fridge, and dinner on a hard day is already halfway solved.

The recipe this is built from holds together with egg and almond flour, both gone during the elimination phase, so this version rebuilds the bind from a gelatin egg and cassava flour instead. It still holds its shape, still crisps, and asks nothing extra of you at the stove.

Chicken is a source of protein here, and protein is what the body keeps reaching for while it does the quiet, ongoing work of repair that an active Autoimmune condition asks of it. Choose a bird that got some real pasture time if the budget allows it. The flavor is better, and so is knowing where it came from.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken (ground turkey also works)
• 1 gelatin egg (1 tbsp gelatin bloomed in 1/4 cup water, warmed and whisked frothy), in place of the egg
• 2 to 3 tbsp cassava or tigernut flour, in place of the almond flour, plus more as needed to hold (the source used 1/4 cup almond flour, so start lower here since cassava absorbs more)
• 1 tsp coconut flour, adding more by the teaspoon if the mix is wet
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (the source used pickle juice or vinegar)
• 2 tsp garlic puree
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• Sea salt, to taste (black pepper omitted for AIP)
• Avocado oil spray

Method

This is the oven baseline. First make the gelatin egg: sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it bloom for 2 to 3 minutes, warm it gently until it liquefies, then whisk it hard until frothy. Combine the ground chicken with the gelatin egg, the cassava or tigernut flour, coconut flour, coconut aminos, vinegar, garlic, onion powder, parsley, and salt. Add a little more cassava flour if the mixture feels too soft to shape.

Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes. Do not skip this. The chill is what lets the patties hold their shape.

Form 4 patties and set them on a lined sheet pan, then mist the tops with avocado oil. Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, flipping once partway, until the outside is crisp and the inside reads 165 F. Let them rest 5 minutes before serving, in lettuce wraps or alongside roasted sweet potato.

Air fryer variation

Make and chill the mixture the same way. Preheat the air fryer to 375 F. Set the patties on a vented parchment liner, mist the tops with avocado oil, and cook about 8 to 9 minutes on the first side. Flip carefully once a crust has formed, then cook another 4 to 5 minutes until the interior reaches 165 F and the outside is crisp. Rest 5 minutes. If a patty wants to fall apart, the usual culprits are too little binder, too little chill time, or flipping before the crust set.

*Adapted from unboundwellness.com*