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The best chicken burger recipe comes with juiciness and tons of flavor! It’s easy, adaptable, and will change your mind about chicken burgers.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Burger
- How Do You Keep Chicken Burgers From Falling Apart
- Why Are Chicken Burgers So Dry?
- Ingredient Breakdown & Swaps
- A Quick Rundown on How to Make Chicken Burgers
- Can You Bake Chicken Burgers in the Oven?
- Can You Cook Chicken Burgers in a Skillet?
- Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
- What to Serve With Chicken Burgers
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Yummy Ground Chicken Recipes
- Best Chicken Burger Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Burger
“Damn, that’s a tasty burger!” People aren’t usually talking about chicken burgers when they say that so, let’s address the obvious.
Ground chicken doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to burgers due to their lack of fat and flavor. But it’s totally possible to snub red meat and opt for leaner and healthier choices without sacrificing texture and flavor.
It’s all about using the right savory ingredients and, of course, enough spices!
How Do You Keep Chicken Burgers From Falling Apart
- Use the right binders. Eggs and breadcrumbs are famous for holding ground meat together and they work beautifully with by turkey burger, turkey meatballs, and ground turkey meatloaf. I use both in this recipe because they also both help with moisture, and because ground chicken is so lean, it benefits from the boost!
- Chill your patties. Popping your patties into the fridge for 30 minutes after they’re formed helps them set and firm up so they can withstand being handled and flipped.
Why Are Chicken Burgers So Dry?
Ground chicken is naturally lean, whereas beef has a much higher fat-to-protein ratio. Since protein seizes up during the cooking process, you can be left with a bit of a stiff piece of meat if there’s no fat to break it up. On top of that, fat equals moisture, so your low-fat chicken burger is anything but juicy unless you add the right things to the mix.
Ingredient Breakdown & Swaps
*Exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground chicken.
- Spices. My rule of thumb for seasoning any ground meat is 1 tsp of salt per pound. I eyeball my pepper for the most part.
- Garlic. I prefer to grate my garlic to a paste using a microplane since you can really blend it into the meat. But mincing it is totally fine.
- Onion. Any onion goes! White, yellow, or red. Just chop them as finely as you can.
- Fresh thyme. You could also use dry thyme or homemade Italian seasoning.
- Liquid smoke. If you don’t like a smoky charbroiled flavor, use Worcestershire sauce or low-sodium soy sauce instead. I personally love a smoky essence and find that it adds a ton of flavor, making it reminiscent to a nice beef burger! But the other two options will offer up a nice punch of umami.
- Plain full fat Greek yogurt. This is the ticket to moisture! Your patties and your palate will thank you. If you’re not a fan of Greek yogurt, you could use sour cream or mayo instead.
- Whole grain old style mustard. You could also sub-in Dijon.
- Egg.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Italian breadcrumbs will do if that’s what you’ve got.
Toppings
You can literally go any way you want with toppings with these burgers! Here are some things I like to top them with:
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Shaved onions
- Pickles
- Mayo
- homemade ketchup
- Mustard
A Quick Rundown on How to Make Chicken Burgers
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With your bare hands, mix all of the burger ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
- The mixture is a little sticky, so before handling it, lightly oil your hands to keep it from sticking to your hands.
- Create four patties out of the mixture, placing each one onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each patty to make a divot.
- Pop the patties into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes to set.
- When ready, heat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Oil the grates up nicely to prevent sticking.
- Place the patties onto the grill, close the lid, and let the patties cook for 5 minutes.
- Carefully flip the patties, close the lid, and cook for another 5 minutes or until the patties reach an internal temperature of 165º F with a meat thermometer. About a minute before the patties are ready, you can top them with a slice of cheese to get a nice melty cheeseburger.
- When the patties are done, transfer them to a serving platter.
- Pop the patties onto some buns and dress your burgers to your liking.
Can You Bake Chicken Burgers in the Oven?
You can! Just pop them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for about 18-20 minutes at 375º F or until they reach an internal temp of 160-165º F, carefully flipping them halfway through.
Can You Cook Chicken Burgers in a Skillet?
Yes! A skillet or grill pan are also options. Heat some olive oil in the pan over medium heat and once hot, add the patties. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until you reach an internal temp of 160-165º F. Tip: get yourself a splatter screen if you cook meat in a skillet often. It reduces the greasy mess quite remarkably!
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
- Chicken burgers will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can freeze these chicken burgers! Just let them cool, then place a square of parchment between each patty, pop them into a gallon-sized freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the fridge the day before you plan on cooking them.
- To reheat from the fridge, simply pop them in the microwave in increments of 25 seconds until heated through or on the stovetop over medium-low heat. If reheating from frozen, I suggest the oven route. Preheat the oven to 425°F and bake them for about 15 minutes, flip them, and go for another 10 minutes or until they register at 160-165º F.
What to Serve With Chicken Burgers
- In keeping things healthy but exciting, these crispy air fryer French fries are the perfect match! You may also enjoy these air fryer sweet potato wedges.
- Make some room on the grill for this easy grilled asparagus!
- A crunchy Greek cucumber tomato salad is always a win, especially on summer days.
- A side salad is great, and no one will ever push a Caesar salad with homemade Caesar dressing off their plate.
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
Frequently Asked Questions
Eggs, breadcrumbs, or both combined act as great binders for ground chicken—especially when it comes to burgers.
This would be the result of not using a binder and/or not chilling your patties in the fridge for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
When they reach an internal temperature of 160-165º F, they’re safe to come off the heat. You can check the internal temp with a meat thermometer.
If you see a white substance seeping out of your chicken patties as they cook, don’t fret. It’s just extra protein being pushed out of the meat by heat.
More Yummy Ground Chicken Recipes
- Greek-Style Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Sesame Hoisin Chicken Lettuce Cups
- Ground Chicken Meatballs in Sauce
- Italian Wedding Soup With Chicken Meatballs
Best Chicken Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 tsp sea salt
- A few cranks of cracked black pepper
- 1 clove of garlic, grate to a paste or minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1 TBSP liquid smoke
- 1 heaping TBSP full fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 TBSP Whole grain old style mustard
- 1 egg, ligtly beaten
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Place parchment paper over a baking sheet.
- Put all of the chicken burger patty ingredients into a large mixing bowl and, with clean hands, mix until well blended.
- Lightly oil your hands with some olive oil to help keep the mixture from sticking to your hands. One at a time, form four patties out of the mixture, and place each one onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Gently press your thumb into the center of each patty to make a divot; this prevents the meat from shrinking over high heat.
- Put the patties in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes so that they can set.
- When you're ready, heat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grate dipping a wad of paper towel into some canola oil and then, with tongs, lightly dragging the paper towel over the grate to create a slick surface. This will keep the patties from sticking to the hot grates.
- Place the patties onto the grill, close the lid, and cook for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the patties, close the lid, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the patties reach an internal temperature of 165º F. About a minute before the patties are ready, you can top them with a slice of cheese to get a nice melty cheeseburger.
- Once the patties are done, transfer them to a clean plate or serving platter.
- Put the patties onto some buns and dress your burgers to your liking!
We’ve tried so many recipes for chicken burgers and this one is by far the best. We usually adapt recipes according to our likes/dislikes, but this one is perfect as is. My husband makes up double batches and freezes them ; they thaw out a little sloppy but firm up in the frying pan or on our woodburner grill. They’re juicy, full of flavour and very filling – we make them into quarter pounders and as they are high in protein I find that one is sufficient, served with coleslaw and baked potato.
Thank you for this recipe! It’s going into our monthly rotation. I didn’t have smoke or yogurt and used parsley in place of thyme. Slightly different than the original recipe, but still SO GOOD!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jen! Thanks for sharing your adaptations. I love when people can take a recipe of mine and put their own twist on it. It also helps other readers see different options. So awesome!
Really great flavor. I used chicken thighs because i like dark meat better. I just made a second batch to have on hand for reheating and having lunch. Id much prefer these over a beef burger. I also added black beans to the recipe. One other thing I’d like to try adding is sunflower seeds for a little crunch. You wont be disappointed making this burger nor will your guests. Bon appetit
We honestly just love this recipe. Best chicken burger recipe I’ve ever made, not that I’ve made many because they always turned out dry but my husband has to decrease his red meat so I had to keep trying. Will be trying your turkey burger recipe next! Thanks for making healthy also be tasty.
I’m so glad, Lucia! Happy to make the transition to less red meat a little more palatable ;)
My wife and I love this chicken burger recipe. We started to make it last summer and it’s back in the rotation, baby! Grilling season is here! Sorry it took me a year to come and rate the recipe. I need to get better at this. I will be trying some more of your stuff. The wife really wants me to make your salmon burger so that’s likely next. Keep on cookin’! -Rod
I’m so happy to hear this, Rod! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback :) Keep me posted on others you try!
Tasty, juicy, low fat, easy to make – what’s not to love. We make them in double batches and freeze them. Everyone who tries them just loves them.
This makes me so happy, Lizzie! They really are awesome and it’s so unexpected for chicken burgers. Thanks for the feedback! :)
OMG!!! These were amazing! We barely ever eat red meat and I’ve struggled with finding a chicken burger recipe that’s a knock out. This one is perfect. Cooked them up on our outdoor flat top griddle with sliced mushrooms, and caramelized onions. Topped with sliced Gruyere cheese and made a gravy/sauce for the mushrooms and onions out of beef broth thickened with a cornstarch slurry and seasoned with more fresh thyme and ground pepper. It’s on repeat tonight…2nd time in 3 weeks. Just amazing!
Julie! This is so awesome. I love the way you’re dressing your burger, too. Sounds like you’re an amazing home cook to me! Love to hear how people take one of my recipes and make it their own :) That’s what it’s all about.
Skip the egg and use the Mayo, it’s much more flavorful!