5 Frozen Chicken Patties, Ranked

When I'm trying to throw together an easy, low-effort meal, chicken patties are one of my go-tos. They usually come frozen, so you can keep them on hand until you're ready to cook them, and they offer the meatiness you might be craving in your meal. They're perfect on a bun, of course, if you want to take the chicken sandwich route, but there are so many other things you can do with frozen chicken patties. Chop them up and use them to elevate a salad, or cut them into strips to eat with a flavorful Korean BBQ rice bowl — the possibilities are nearly endless.

However, when you head to the grocery store, you'll probably notice a few different chicken patty brands to choose from. If you're wondering which are worth your money and which aren't, you're in the right place. I ranked five different chicken patties from worst to best, and I'm here to give you the rundown. The criteria I used for this ranking were flavor, overall quality, and texture of the meat itself; the patties that packed the most flavor and offered the meatiest, most natural texture ranked the highest. Although all of these brands are pretty solid, they each offer a slightly different experience. Before you buy your next pack of frozen chicken patties, take a closer look at how these different brands stack up against one another.

Admittedly, it's a bit unfair to pit Chicken Bubba Burgers against the other chicken patties on this list because it's the only non-breaded option here. That being said, I'm not counting the lack of breading here as a negative. My real issue with these patties is the fact that they're just not that flavorful. Yes, the chicken is juicy, and you get a hint of meaty flavor. Other than that, though, there's not much going on on the flavor front. That might be a good thing if you're looking for a blank slate — I think these burgers could be excellent if you season them properly. On their own, though, they're a bit boring for my taste.

What these chicken patties get right, though, is the quality of the meat. For a frozen chicken patty, the meat here seems to be solid, even if it's not the most flavorful I've ever tried. Plus, considering the lack of breading here, this is definitely one of the lighter options on the list. Even though this brand is ranked last in the lineup, I think there's still a time and a place for these burgers, like when you're looking for a lighter base for your meal.

Tyson is one of the biggest names in the chicken business, so this product seems widely available. Unfortunately, though, Tyson Chicken Patties weren't one of my favorites. Looking at the cooked patty, I expected it to be quite flavorful, since it had a reddish tinge that, in my mind, suggested a bold, concentrated flavor. Taking a bite, though, I realized that this patty didn't taste like much at all. It doesn't taste bad, but I don't even think it really tastes like chicken. Rather, it has a subtly salty flavor that's not unpleasant but not particularly notable either. Texture-wise, though, it delivers, with a crispiness that really shines when you cook it in the air fryer.

Because these patties have a nice texture to them, I think they could work in some situations. For example, if you loaded up a sandwich with a lot of other flavorful ingredients and condiments, you could definitely use Tyson's chicken patties without noticing their lack of flavor too much. However, in recipes where the chicken patty would play a starring role, I don't think this is the best product to select.

Looking for a thicker, more substantial chicken patty? Then Bell and Evans Chicken Patties might be up your alley. This was one of the thicker patties in the lineup, which gives it a much meatier bite. The texture of the patty's breading is also really nice here, offering a level of crispness that I didn't encounter with the Tyson variety. Plus, when you consider how juicy these chicken patties are, it's clear why they rank higher than the two worst-ranked brands on this list.

That being said, Bell and Evans wasn't my favorite brand in the lineup. There's also a major lack of flavor here, with a blandness that makes this a less-appealing option for those who prefer a bolder flavor. These patties are salty, and admittedly, you can taste a bit more spice than you get in some of these brands. After all, there is some black pepper and paprika in the recipe. They're definitely better than some of the other options out there, but there are a couple of more flavorful options to choose from.

If you're like me, then you may be a little suspicious when you see foods labeled as "gluten-free." While I appreciate that there are brands making food products for people who can't eat gluten, I've found that gluten-free versions of foods that usually contain gluten aren't very good. It's not uncommon for their texture to just seem ... off. So, I was surprised to discover that Nature's Promise Gluten Free Chicken Patties were actually some of the best in the bunch.

First of all, these patties are quite thick — the thickest in the whole lineup. When you bite into one, you can see how much meat you're working with. And that meat actually has the texture of a solid piece of chicken, unlike most patties. The meat is nice and juicy, without any of the dryness you might expect from a frozen chicken product. And even though the breading is gluten-free, it's exceedingly crispy, which creates a really nice contrast with the juicy meat. Could the breading be more flavorful? Absolutely, and it's why this brand isn't ranked first. But compared to most frozen chicken patties, this variety is definitely one of the better options out there.

Just looking at Perdue's Chicken Patties, I wasn't expecting this variety to taste very good. The patties are quite thin, and the color of the breading isn't particularly impressive — it looks about as basic and nondescript as you can get. So, imagine my surprise when I took that first bite and realized that this was by far the best chicken patty in the entire bunch. The main appeal here is how much flavor you get in every bite. Although the chicken in a lot of frozen chicken patties is quite bland, that's not what I encountered here. Rather, you can taste a pronounced chicken flavor that makes these seem like a fresher-tasting option. The flavor of the breading, though, is where these patties really shine. They're packed with flavorful spices that make these patties anything but a boring option.

The only arena in which Perdue's chicken patties fall short is in size. I found them quite thin, about on the same level as the Tyson variety. But because they pack so much flavor, that's not a huge issue here. It means that you might want to double up on patties if you're looking for extra meatiness.

These chicken patties represent the selection I have access to at a few of my local grocery stores. I cooked all of the patties in the air fryer and tried them while they were still hot, all on their own, without buns. The criteria I used for this ranking include flavor, texture, and quality. I looked for patties that contained flavorful meat as well as well-spiced breading, along with a crisp external texture and juicy internal texture. Additionally, I tended to rank what seemed to me to be higher-quality meats higher on this list than varieties that seemed to taste less natural and more processed.