The Best Chicken Burgers
I have been making chicken burger since I was allowed to turn on the stove. My mom made them when I was little and this was one of the first recipes she taught me. Almost 30 years of making chicken burgers have taught me how to make them as good as possible and I will share all I know!
I’ve also played around the best ways to cook them. Pan seared is the all-time best method to cook these burgers because of the incredibly flavorful sear you get on the outside. Second best method is to grill them to infuse some intoxicating smoky flavor. (Of course, there is also the newly popular air-frying method and I’ve included instructions in the notes of the recipe.)
Ingredient Substitutions and Recommendation
Ground chicken meat – feel free to use fresh or frozen ground chicken meat. Use ground chicken that does not have additional flavors! If using frozen, make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator first. You can also always grind your own chicken with a meat grinder (use both white and dark chicken meat).
Bread crumbs – plain bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, or gluten free bread crumbs are all good to use. This is the only ingredients inside the chicken burgers that have gluten, so use gluten free if needed.
How To Keep Chicken Burgers From Falling Apart?
In order for your chicken burgers to fall apart, you need binders. Good binders for burgers and meatballs are eggs, bread crumbs, milk-soaked bread, and mayonnaise. This recipe has a good amount of binders so your burgers should be sturdy. If your chicken mixture feels too thin, you can always add a couple more tablespoons of bread crumbs.
Another big reasons the burgers might fall apart is the pan. Some problems may include: pan has scratches, it’s not clean enough, not non-stick, or there is not enough oil.
How To Tell When Chicken Burgers Are Done
The best way to check if you meat is done is to test the internal temperature. Use a digital read meat thermometer and make sure the chicken is cooked to 165°F.
And the best way to check the temperature of any meat is to take of off the pan, and insert the thermometer probe through the side, towards the center. You want to get the reading of the very center.
Another way to test the doneness of the burgers is by touch. This methos is usually tougher for newer cooks, so if you don’t have a ton of experience, use a thermometer! If you want to use touch methos, gently press on the center of the chicken burger to see how soft it is. If it feels firm, it’s more likely to be done. (Note that there is a bigger error margin with this method.)
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Chicken Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
Burgers:
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 2 egg
- 1/2 or 3/4 cup bread crumbs use gluten free if needed
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp minced parsley
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper
Possible Toppings:
- Brioche buns
- lettuce
- red onion
- tomatoes
- pickles
- sliced cheese
- avocado
Instructions
Chicken Burgers:
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix it all together until thoroughly combined.
- Cover a baking sheet or a large cutting board with parchment paper and shape the chicken patties.
Cooking chicken patties on stove top:
- Preheat a large cooking pan over medium heat and add oil. Cook chicken patties for 6-8 minutes on each side, depending on the size and thickness.
Cooking chicken patties on the grill:
- For any burgers other than beef, I prefer to use a grill basket, grill wok (with holes), or another grill topper for holding the patties. Make sure to grease a grill basket first, before adding the patties onto it.
- Make sure to also spray the chicken burger patties with some cooking oil on booth sides.
- Prepare the grill to have two temperature zones and make sure to clean the grill grate. (Even though you will be cooking mostly over the hot zone, you may need to move the burgers over to the cooler side if they start to burn before being cooked through.)
- Place the grill basket with patties onto the grill, close the lid and cook for 5-6 minutes. Carefully flip each patty over and add cook another 5-6 minutes. (Exact cooking time will depend on the size of the patties.)
Sauce:
- For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and completely combined.
- Build the chicken burgers with the topping you love!
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free Notes: if you need to make these chicken patties gluten free, make sure to use gluten free bread crumbs. And choose your favorite gluten free buns or gluten free sliced bread.
- Air-Frying chicken burgers: you can definitely air-fry chicken burgers just note that you will need to do it in batches. Do not stack, do not overcrowd or squeeze them in. I highly recommend air-fryer basket liners, make sure you get proper ones for your air-fryer. Depending on the basket size, you can cook 2-4 patties at a time. Cook them at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Storing and Reheating: Store leftover cooked chicken patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can reheat individual portions in a microwave, just until heated through. You can also use the stove to reheat several at the same time. Reheat them over medium-low heat until just heated through for best results - Additional topping options: bacon, fried egg, hot sauce, bacon jam, or other favorite condiments.
Nutrition
Some More Delicious Burgers
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in July 2021.
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Burger Recipes, Chicken Dinner Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Sandwich Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I am so bad at reading everyone’s comments and never leaving one. But I felt the need to comment this time . I make these burgers once a week it seems. Because they are THAT good!! We get ground Italian chicken sausage from a farm co-op and I have finally found a favorite use for it. These burgers are so flavorful and delicious. They are a favorite with everyone in my family. We have egg and gluten allergies so we use bobs red mill egg replacer and GF Panko breadcrumbs which I ground up finer. And the sauce is so so good. We eat them on a bun or just on a plate. Absolutely delicious!!! I just made a batch now and we are enjoying them! Thank you !
I’m so happy to hear these burgers have become a weekly staple for your family. That ground Italian chicken sausage from the farm co-op sounds amazing, and I love how you’ve adapted the recipe to fit your family’s dietary needs. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind comment!
Made these chicken patties and my family loved them. Best recipe yet. Loved the Dijon mustard taste.
Y’all, these were so delicious! I didn’t put the onion bc I have picky eaters but I did do onion powder instead. Also, didn’t make the sauce bc again, picky eaters but I’m confident it complimented the patty perfectly. I will be making these again!
I’m so glad to hear the Chicken Burgers were a hit, even with a few tweaks for your picky eaters! 😊 Onion powder is a great alternative, and I totally get it on skipping the sauce. I think it would be a great addition if you ever get the chance to try it, but I’m thrilled they’re already on your “make again” list. Thank you for sharing your experience!
We love these! We added pickled red onion!
So good!
Yum! Can’t go wrong with pickled red onion! 🙂
Holy moly this was so good!! The patties, the sauce! Yessss girl. I didn’t even make it to the dinner table. I ate it right at my kitchen counter. Lol
Yay! I am so glad you liked it! Your comment made me smile—I love hearing that you enjoyed it so much you couldn’t wait to sit down! Lol.
These were delicious. I mixed ground chicken and turkey. So moist. Will definitely make again
I am so glad that you liked them, Alison!
Thank you for this recipe! The chicken patties & yummy sauce, were delicious! My picky eater children even ate dinner tonight.
Think I can freeze the cooked burger? These were really good! But I made 6 and only needed 2