Prepare the mushroom filling

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Sauté onions until translucent (about 5 minutes).
• Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme/dill. Cook until mushrooms release liquid and it evaporates, about 8–10 minutes.
• Cool the filling completely before stuffing.

Prepare the kotleti mixture

• In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, eggs, almond flour, grated onion, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley. Mix until just combined (don’t overmix or kotleti may turn dense).

Shape the kotleti

• With damp hands, take about ¼ cup of the meat mixture. Flatten into a small patty.
• Place 1–2 teaspoons of the mushroom filling in the center of the meat. Gently fold the meat around the filling, pinching the edges to seal so nothing leaks out. Then shape it into a kotleta — like a small burger patty — round or oval, with the top and bottom flattened.
• Repeat until all are formed (should yield ~20 kotleti).

Cook the kotleti

• Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat.
• Add the chicken patties in batches and cook, covered, until golden on both sides, approximately 5 minutes per side. 

Notes

• Using lean ground turkey: Absolutely works! It makes the kotleti a little lighter and slightly less juicy than chicken, but still very tasty. To keep them moist, don’t skip the onion and egg in the mixture.

• Place meat in a pot with enough water to cover meat.
• Add tomato paste, and bring to a boil.
• Lower to a simmer and cook 30-45 minutes or until meat is tender. The length of time will depend on the size of the meat cubes.
• Add green beans and bell pepper to the pot and salt to taste.
• Simmer until green beans are al dente.