Juicy Chicken Burgers
Learn how to make Juicy Chicken Burgers that are flavorful and perfectly cooked every time! These are loaded with deliciously seasoned chicken patties layered on toasted brioche buns with melty cheese. Add all your favorite burger toppings for the best summer meal!
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A Note from Kim
Juicy, Flavorful, and So Easy
These juicy chicken burgers piled high with your favorite toppings are guaranteed to become a new favorite! Made with simple ingredients, they’re fresh, flavorful, and ready in just 20 minutes. Even better, you can cook them on the grill or right on the stovetop, making them perfect for summer cookouts and busy weeknights alike. I love classic beef burgers, but these chicken burgers are just as flavorful and have earned a permanent spot in our dinner rotation!
With love (and lots of good eats), 
OMG these burgers are DELICIOUS!! Best chicken burger recipe ever! The flavours meshed together perfectly.
— Caroline
What do you put in a chicken burger?
This chicken burgers recipe is simple and straightforward. We’re using basic ingredients that will give these burgers SO much delicious flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground chicken: I recommend using 93% lean ground chicken (or turkey), so that the patty still has a bit of fat content to stay plenty juicy. Avoid the extra lean ground meat because it’s much more likely to dry out.
- Add-ins: This recipe uses a mix of onion, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard and salt & black pepper that gets combined with the chicken. All of these seasonings and extras will give the burgers tons of flavor, moisture and act as a binder.
- Buns: Feel free to use any hamburger buns you’d like (even gluten free). Another option is to wrap your burger in lettuce for a low carb option or you can serve them as a protein added to salad greens. I like Pepperidge Farm Bakery Classics Buns. But if I’m really feeling fancy, we use fluffy brioche buns. Yum!
- Toppings: Use any favorites – lettuce leaves, tomatoes, pickles, onions, cheese, avocado, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup. And don’t forget the burger sauce for major deliciousness!
Variations
One of the best things about making burgers is that you can easily change them up to your taste preferences and include what you have on hand. Here are some options:
- Stovetop burgers: If you can’t or don’t want to grill your burgers, try cooking them on the stove. Simply add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet or grill pan and place it over medium heat. Once your pan is hot, cook your burgers for 3-5 minutes per side until they’re no longer pink in the center.
- Ground meat: Make your patties with any favorite ground meat. Aside from chicken or turkey, you can try using beef, lamb, pork or bison.
- Cheeseburger: I typically use cheddar cheese or American cheese, but some other tasty options are pepper jack, Colby, blue cheese, Swiss or feta cheese.
- Toppings: Pick your favorite buns or use lettuce wraps, and add some fresh produce like tomato, lettuce, red onion, avocado or even cilantro, or keep them simple with ketchup and mustard, secret sauce, or mayo.
Kim’s Recipe Tips
- Do not over mix: When combining the ground chicken with the other ingredients, be careful not to over mix. You don’t want to end up with tough burgers.
- Making patties: When forming the ground chicken mixture into patties, it helps to run your hands under water before you touch the meat. This helps to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
- Don’t press down the patties while cooking them: When you press down on burger patties while they are cooking, it presses out the natural juices and could make them dry.
- Meat thermometer: It’s a good idea to use an instant-read thermometer, so you know exactly when your chicken burger is fully cooked. Temperature of the inside center should reach 165ºF.
- Toast buns: It’s an extra step, but it makes all the difference! I highly recommend buttering and toasting the hamburger buns before assembling.
How to Make Chicken Burgers
Making chicken burgers is super quick and easy! You can use the grill or simply cook them on the stovetop in a pan. Here’s the cooking process on the grill:
For the printable recipe and full instructions, see the recipe card below.
Step 1. Make the burger patties: In a large bowl, mix the meat, onion, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, and salt & pepper until just combined. Don’t overmix or the patties can turn out tough. Form into 4 patties and press a thumbprint into the center of each to keep them from puffing up while cooking.
Step 2. Cook the patties: Preheat a griddle, large skillet, or outdoor grill. While it heats, prep your toppings, slice tomatoes, onions, and tear lettuce. Cook the patties for 4–6 minutes per side, or until golden brown and the internal temp hits 165ºF. For cheeseburgers, add the slice of cheese after flipping, then cover and cook another 1–2 minutes until melted.
Step 3. Assemble and serve: While the patties finish cooking, toast buttered buns in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes until warm and lightly crisp, or pop them on the grill for a few minutes alongside the burgers. Pile the patties on the buns with your favorite toppings and sauces, and dig in!
Grilling Tips
These chicken burgers are fabulous cooked on the grill! There’s nothing like the smoky flavor of a burger cooked on a charcoal grill, but here are a few tips, so they turn out great.
- Be patient: Let the patty cook for at least 4 minutes before flipping. If you flip too early, it might fall apart.
- Firm patties: If you don’t think your patties are firm enough for the grill, place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes or cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
- Grill heat: Bring the heat of the grill up to about 450ºF. Cook until the internal temperature is 165ºF.
- Clean grill: Make sure that your grill grates are clean and well oiled with vegetable oil or avocado oil, so that the meat doesn’t stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken burgers start with a pound ground chicken, then things like diced onion, bread crumbs, an egg and flavorings add moisture and help bind the chicken patties together.
A matter of whether something is healthy or not is very subjective but compared to beef, chicken is naturally lower in fat content, particularly saturated fats. This makes chicken burgers a good option for those wanting to lower their calorie intake and promote heart health.
To make the patties nice and firm, it’s a good idea to freeze them for about 15 minutes or refrigerate them for about an hour before cooking them.
Serving Suggestions
You’re going to want some tasty, summer sides to complete the meal! Listed below are some of our family favorites. Just don’t forget the potato chips or French fries and pickle!
Make Ahead and Storing
- Make ahead: The chicken burger patties can be made up to about 6 to 8 hours in advance. Keep covered on a dish in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them. And feel free to double the recipe, if you’re serving a crowd.
- Storing leftovers: Any leftover burgers should be stored in an airtight container or bag, in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. It’s best to store patties separately from the bun and toppings. Reheat them in the microwave or in a skillet.
- Freezing: You can freeze the patties before or after cooking. I like to put wax or parchment paper in between the layers of patties, if stacking them. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, let them thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop for a couple minutes on each side. To reheat directly from frozen, rewarm on the stovetop.
More Burger Recipes to Try
Looking to change it up? Try these other delicious hamburger recipes:
If you try this, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Juicy Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken (ground turkey works great too)
- 1/2 medium onion, diced very fine
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
- Optional toppings; such as lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, red onion, mayo, ketchup and/or mustard
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Instructions
- Place the ground chicken, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, Dijon, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine (I use my hands). Do not over-mix the ingredients because you’ll run the risk of ending up with a tough burger.
- Shape the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Press your thumb into the center of each patty to create a divot, so that when they cook, they stay flat and don’t puff up. Preheat an outdoor grill, indoor grill pan or skillet on the stove to medium-high heat.
- Cook burgers for 4-6 minutes per side, or until completely cooked through and when internal temperature of 165ºF is reached.
- Once fully cooked, place the burgers on the buns, add toppings as desired, then serve. Or serve in a salad.
Notes
- If you don’t think your patties are firm enough for the grill, place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Bring the heat of the grill up to about 450ºF. Cook burgers until the internal temperature is 165ºF.
- Make sure that your grill grates are clean and well oiled so that your burger doesn’t stick.
- Be patient and let your burger cook for at least 4 minutes before flipping. If you flip your burger too early, they might fall apart.
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Made them last night. Absolutely the best chicken burgers!
My family loves these burgers! This super simple recipe comes out great every time.
Those chicken burgers were so yummy! I’m trying to eat healthier, though – who wouldn’t prefer a beef burger? I’m aiming for a healthier diet, you know. thanks for recipe.
So happy you enjoyed!
I’ve made these a couple of times now. Each time I do, I get rave reviews and I ask myself why I don’t make them every week! These are the best chicken burgers I’ve ever had, and so simple to make.
These turned out perfectly juicy and they were super tasty! Will definitely be making these again!
Delicious! I have to limit beef so I tried these and they were great!
I made these tonight for the second time. Very tasty and moist. I used a little bacon grease in a cast iron pan which gave them a nice crust and no stickage.
Yum! I love that idea! Glad you enjoyed!
Second time making these. Last night at our dinner party, our guests were raving about these burgers. They are juicy and flavorful. We made them :30 minutes before guests arrived, covered and then into a warmer for close to an hour. Still amazingly juicy.
Yay! This makes me so happy! Thanks so much for your feedback!
If I want to make more, do I just double or triple the recipe?
Yes, it should work just fine! Enjoy!
OMG these burgers are DELICIOUS!! Best chicken burger recipe ever! The flavours meshed together perfectly.
Yay! So happy to hear!
can you freeze the uncooked patties to use at a later time?
Yes, that should work great!
So good!
I have tried many chicken burgers this one beats them all . Delicious
What an amazing comment! I’m so glad that you enjoyed!
I am obsessed with these burgers! Coupled with keto buns its a protein home run and super satisfying without any guilt. Will keep this recipe for years to come. 🙂
So happy to hear! Thanks so much for taking time to comment!
Seriously loved these so much! Even my picky kids gobbled them up!
These were absolutely delicious and so juicy! We will definitely make them again!
Very juicy! Really like the mustard taste in these. I love making chicken burgers but they can be a bit dry, not this recipe! Love it and will be making this again, thanks!
So happy to hear you enjoyed! Thanks so much for your feedback!
Flavorful and juicy! Will be a go-to for my future meal preps 🙂
So happy to hear you enjoyed!
Hi! Can these burgers be baked?
Yes, I would place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400˚F for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the burger reaches 165˚F.
Yum! So good and juicy!