Pan-Seared Chicken Patties with Cabbage–Cucumber Salad

Symptom check-in

• POTS: felt lightheaded earlier in the day, especially when standing up quickly - this meal helped ground me without making me sleepy

• Vestibular migraine: no spinning, but that faint off-balance feeling in my head that shows up when I haven’t had enough protein

• Lupus: low-level joint stiffness in my wrists, not painful, just tight and inflamed-feeling

Disorder safety check

Condition	Works?	Notes
POTS	Yes	Protein-forward, not carb-heavy
Lupus	Yes	Simple fats, low inflammatory load
Vestibular migraine	Yes	No triggers, very neutral

Ingredients (2 servings)

Chicken patties

• 1 lb ground chicken

• 1 egg

• 1–2 tbsp breadcrumbs (or GF crumbs)

• Salt and black pepper

• Optional: garlic powder or parsley

• Olive oil for cooking

Cabbage–cucumber salad

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage

• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced

• Olive oil

• Salt

• Optional: tiny pinch red pepper flakes (skip if sensitive)

How to make it (very detailed)

1. Mix the patties

1. Add ground chicken to a bowl.

2. Mix in egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and any optional seasoning.

3. Use your hands to combine just until mixed - overmixing makes them tough.

4. Form into 3–4 thick patties.

2. Cook the patties

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

2. Add patties once the oil is hot but not smoking.

3. Cook 5–6 minutes per side, flipping once, until deeply golden and cooked through.

4. Let rest on the plate for a minute before eating.

3. Make the salad

1. Add cabbage and cucumber to a bowl.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

3. Toss well and let sit 5 minutes so it softens slightly.

4. Serve

• Plate patties alongside the salad.

• Add a little extra salt if needed - especially helpful for POTS days.