This juicy BBQ Chicken Burger recipe is easy to make and perfect for summer parties. Everyone will love these ground chicken burgers are – they’re loaded with flavor and seared to perfection so they still stay moist! It’s a must make!
Developing this chicken burger recipe was the very first time I worked with ground chicken! I’ve used ground lamb, ground turkey, ground beef, and even ground buffalo (ACTUAL buffalo, not Buffalo Chicken Wings!) but chicken? Nope. I was surprised by the texture, which is much softer than ground turkey, and it took me a few tries to come up with a recipe that was juicy and flavorful, but I think I nailed it. And here’s the result, BBQ chicken burgers!
Why These Are the Chicken Burgers You Need in Your Life
With their smoky flavor and a tender, juicy texture, these BBQ chicken burgers are the perfect addition to your weeknight dinner rotation!
- So much flavor. Ground chicken really needs some pizzazz, so I amp up the flavor with plenty of spices and smoky BBQ sauce. The result is a burger that’s anything but bland!
- Lighter than beef burgers. While I love a good beef burger (hello, Juicy Air Fryer Burgers!), sometimes I’m in the mood for something that’s not quite as heavy and rich. Ground chicken burgers are perfect for those days!
- Tender and juicy. Ground chicken can sometimes get a bad rap for being dry, but with a few key additions to the patties, they will turn out juicy and moist every time. Promise!
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients you’ll need to make the perfect chicken burger! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Chicken Burger Patty:
- Ground chicken – You can use ground chicken breast, thighs, or a mixture of both. Dark ground chicken meat will give you juicier burgers.
- Mayonnaise – Adds moisture and helps bind the burger patties.
- Dijon mustard – Provides tangy flavor to make everything pop.
- Yellow onion and garlic – Chop these finely or even grate them—big crunchy chunks of garlic and onion aren’t the vibe you want in your burger patty!
- Gluten-free panko – Regular breadcrumbs can be used if you’re not gluten-free.
- Seasonings – Salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and black pepper.
- Olive oil – For cooking the burgers. You can swap in avocado oil if you’d like.
Burgers:
- Butter – For tasty toasted buns!
- Brioche buns – Or another bun you like to use for burgers.
- Avocado – For creamy richness without the cheese.
- Lettuce and tomatoes – Two burger faves!
- BBQ Sauce – I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ, but other BBQ sauces work too. Or try homemade: my Epic Sweet & Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce and Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce are two of my go-to recipes!
How to Make Chicken Burgers
Follow these steps to create the most flavorful, juicy chicken burgers you’ve ever had!
- Make the patty mixture. Add all of the patty ingredients to a large bowl and mix with your hands.
- Form patties. Divide the ground chicken mixture into 6 portions and shape into patties.
- Cook the chicken burgers. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the olive oil and once it’s shimmering, carefully lower in the patties. (You’ll probably need to cook them in batches!) Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Toast the buns. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in another skillet set over medium heat, placing the buttered side down. Get them nice and toasty!
- Assemble. Spread the mashed avocado onto the bottom bun, then add the chicken burger patties and toppings.
Tips and Variations
Here are some additional tips and variations for these chicken burgers.
- Don’t over-work the ground chicken. Overworking the meat can result in a tough, dense burger. Handle it gently and form the patties with just enough pressure to hold their shape.
- Mix up the seasonings. Feel free to experiment with your own blend of herbs and spices in the patties. They’re a little more flexible than beef burgers in terms of flavors that will work with them—chicken is kind of a blank slate!
- Cut the carbs. Swap out the brioche buns for butter lettuce, or serve the burgers over a bed of greens.
Serving Suggestions
You can’t go wrong with a burger and fries! Serve your chicken burger with Baked Garlic Parmesan Fries or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries. A salad on the side, like Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon or Summer Fruit Salad would also be delicious.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store any leftover chicken burger patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap each burger individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm the patties in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through, or heat them in the microwave.
More Burger Recipes
Chicken Burger
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 burgers 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
These BBQ Chicken Burgers are easy to make and perfect for summer parties and weeknight dinners. So flavorful and juicy!
Ingredients
Chicken Burger Patty:
- 2 lbs. of ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons mayonaisse
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 gluten free panko
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Burgers:
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 6 brioche buns (or whole wheat buns)
- 2 avocado, mashed
- 4 leafs of butter lettuce
- 1–2 beef steak tomatoes, sliced
- BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ)
Instructions
Make Chicken Patty:
- To a large bowl add ground chicken, mayonaisse, dijon mustard, onion, gf panko, garlic, salt, smoked paprika, cumin and black pepper. Using your hands, mix everything together until everything is well incorporated.
- Form into 6 equal patties.
Chicken Burgers:
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat, add olive oil and the patties. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side until the patties are completely cooked through, or internal temperature is 165°F. Remove from the pan, repeat until all the patties are cooked.
- Heat another large skillet to medium heat. Lightly spread butter on the inside of the brioche buns. Place cut side down on the skillet and sear until they are slight browned, 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble burger: bottom bun, mashed avocado, chicken burger, 2 slices of tomato, lettuce, 1-2 tablespoons of bbq sauce, top bun.
- Devour!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger + bun + fixing
- Calories: 670
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 946 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg
32 comments on “Chicken Burger”
Wow, it’s very interesting how you used caramelized onions in this burger. I’ve been craving for bar burgers for quite a while now and having one with lots of onions wouldn’t be so bad. Perhaps I should get one for my next cheat day.
The caramelized onions are a game changer!
Aw who wouldn’t go crazy for anything topped with sweet, caramelized onions and drizzled with savory BBQ Sauce? This chicken burger is definitely a must try this summer! Thanks for the share!
Right!! Caramelized Onions are the way to my heart.
Seeing as Dustin’s FAVORITE pizza is BBQ chicken I have already told him about these burgers and how they are necessary this summer! Loving the caramelized onions and sweet BBQ sauce. Everyone would be happy in house with these burgers! Pinned!
haha.. love it! Pretty sure Dustin and I would be good friends. Hope you, the hubs, and that baby enjoy these burgers sweet friend! 🙂
Those are some darn good looking chicken burgers, Krista! We love to grill, too, and do it almost every weekend (sometimes more than once). I can’t say we’ve ever grilled chicken burgers but we will definitely have to give them a try now.
I hadn’t either, which was why the texture of the raw meat weirded me out but they are so good! Hope you and Ken give them a try girl! Happy grilling!
Yay for burger week! You hit a homerun with these bbq chicken burgers. Caramelized onions are one of my husband’s favorites!
Pinned!
Awww.. thanks so much Mariah. You are so sweet! Your husband has good taste, they are one of my favorites too. I could eat a big bowl of them. 🙂 Thanks for the pin chica!
Girllll, you make chicken burgers look gooood! And that’s saying a lot b/c I will take beef over chicken 99.9% of the time 🙂
haha.. well you make me blush! 🙂 Thanks Gina and I’m so with you .. bring on the beef but this chicken burger totally can stand up next to any beef burger and shine. 🙂
Yay to grilling season!!! And I love the fresher healthy chicken burger. I’ve never used ground chicken so thanks for the heads up on texture. Pinned
absolutely, i figured if it weirded me out it might do the same for someone else. 🙂 Hope you like them girl!
I am all about grilling too, and chicken burgers that are topped with avocado and caramelized onions. I just bought some chicken breasts, and this is dinner tomorrow night! Awesome!
Woot Woot! Hope you love it Amy! 🙂
My sister is going to thank me so much for finding this recipe! She loves BBQ chicken, and with her looking to be healthy, this should work for her!
Hurray!!! Yes, she will totally love this and if she wanted to leave the bun out this still totally works! Thanks Kacey!
So amazing to think that you could have such a delicious and full meal in only 17 minutes! Love this recipe, Krista!
Dreams do come true. 🙂 Thanks Cyrus!
I cannot wait to see what else is in store for burger week! This looks amazing, and you totally had me at caramelized onions girl!
I can’t wait to share, they are all seriously so good.
Caramelized onions get me every time too, I could eat them by the bowl!
I love that you used ground chicken to make this burger healthier. It looks delicious.
Thanks so much Christine! 🙂
Oh my word, these look divine! I love caramelized onions yet I never tried putting them on a burger. Such a great idea!
Thanks Nora, you definitely need to try caramelized onions on burgers.. de-lish!
This burger looks amazing! That drippy BBQ sauce is totally calling my name…yum!
haha… right! Dripping anything is always a winner in my book. 🙂
I was surprised by the texture of uncooked ground chicken too when I first used it! Glad I’m not the only one. I love the flavor combinations here. This burger sounds delicious!
Whew… glad you thought the same thing. Its definitely different but soooo soo good! 🙂
Love the oregano in these burgers – my husbands favorite! These look amazing!
Thanks so much Liz! 🙂