This ground chicken burger recipe is seriously delicious. The secret is a mixture of spiced veggies that we mix right into the patties. Trust me, you’ll want to make these again and again.
The moment we nailed the recipe for these chicken burgers, I immediately put everything back on my shopping list so we could make them again soon. Mixing veggies right into the ground chicken is a game-changer. They add so much flavor, color, and keep the burgers extra juicy.
If you’ve made our turkey burgers or turkey meatloaf, you already know we’re big fans of sneaking veggies into our recipes. It’s the best way to keep ground meat dishes juicy and flavorful.
Key Ingredients
- Ground Chicken: As with all of our recipes that call for ground chicken, use ground meat with a bit of fat. Look for 93% lean 7% fat or 93/7 on the package, which indicates it’s a blend of ground chicken breast and dark meat. You can also substitute ground turkey for the chicken in this recipe.
- Veggies: We fold a mixture of cooked zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic into the burger mix. You can substitute eggplant or yellow squash (summer squash). Between the vegetables and spices, these remind me of the flavors of late-summer ratatouille. So delicious!
- Tomato Paste, Vinegar, and Spices: This burger recipe is not afraid of flavor, so we add lots with tomato paste, oregano, smoked paprika, and red wine vinegar.
- Egg and Breadcrumbs: We don’t want too much filler here, but a whole egg plus an egg yolk helps the burgers hold together, adds flavor, and a bit of fat (we use the same combo in our meatloaf recipe). Then, a small amount of panko breadcrumbs helps the mixture firm up, making it easier to form into burgers and cook.
- Extras: Choose your favorite burger buns, then spread a bit of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard over them (like a make-shift Dijonaise). I love a little crunch from lettuce, and always add some cheese. Gruyère or Swiss are amazing with the other flavors in the chicken burger patties.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Chicken Burgers
Tip 1: Make the veggie mix. Lean ground chicken needs help in the flavor department, so we cook a simple mixture of finely chopped zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until cooked down, soft and lightly caramelized. It takes about 10 minutes and is so worth it!
Just as the veggies are finishing up, we stir in tomato paste and dried oregano. Then, as they cool, we stir in red wine vinegar. You can see the final mixture below. It adds so much incredible flavor to these chicken burgers.
Tip 2: Mix the eggs and spices before adding the chicken. We use this trick a lot when working with ground meat. So that the spices, salt, and egg are well distributed, whisk them together first, then add your ground chicken.
Tip 3: Finish with vegetables and breadcrumbs. Before forming your burgers, mix in the vegetable mixture and panko breadcrumbs. Your hands are usually the best tool for this kind of job, but a fork works.
Tip 4: Chill to firm up. Pop the burger mixture into the fridge for 20 minutes to let the breadcrumbs absorb the moisture. This helps with flavor and makes forming the burgers easier.
Tip 5: Start in a skillet, finish in the oven. To get some color, brown the burgers on both sides in a skillet in a little olive oil, then transfer them to a preheated oven to finish cooking in the middle.
We like forming our burger mix into big meatballs, then adding them to the skillet and pressing them into patties. Once they are brown on both sides, we bake them until almost done, then add cheese and continue to bake until the burgers are cooked in the middle and the cheese melts.
Serving Suggestions
When assembling the burgers, we love a buttery burger bun with some mayo and Dijon spread onto each half and crunchy lettuce (iceberg or butter lettuce is great). Then, we keep the sides simple. Adam loves roasted potato wedges or baked French fries. I love sweet potato fries, and our son loves tater tots.
Something fresh, cool, and crispy would be really nice, too. Try our orzo pasta salad, creamy cucumber salad, or our cherry tomato salad. A side salad would be lovely. I especially love homemade ranch or our simple lemon vinaigrette.
More of Our Favorite Ground Chicken Recipes
Juicy Chicken Burgers
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
There’s nothing plain about this chicken burger recipe. Perfectly spiced and cooked veggies are added to the ground chicken, guaranteeing the burger patties turn out juicy and flavorful. We love Gruyère or Swiss cheese with these burgers (they work nicely with the ratatouille-inspired flavors of the veggie mix).
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped zucchini, 1 small-to-medium zucchini (145 g)
¾ cup finely chopped red bell pepper, 1 small pepper (105 g)
½ cup finely chopped onion, quarter of a medium onion (70 g)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 pound ground chicken, 93/7 lean (450 g)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (20 g)
3.5 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced or grated (95 g)
For assembly: burger buns, butter lettuce, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and Gruyere cheese
Directions
1Make vegetable mix: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and dried oregano, then cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar. Spread onto a plate and refrigerate to cool it quickly.
2Make burger mix: In a large mixing bowl, whisk ½ teaspoon salt, the pepper, smoked paprika, whole egg, and egg yolk until blended. Add the ground chicken and stir to combine. Fold in the cooled vegetable mixture and panko bread crumbs. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
4Make burgers: Divide the mixture into four 6-ounce meatballs. Wipe out the skillet used for the veggies, then place it over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Working in batches, place the giant meatballs into the pan (2 to 3 should fit). Smash them into a thick patty, and sear on both sides before moving them to the prepared baking sheet. When all the burgers are seared and on the baking sheet, bake them for 10 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature close to 160°F (they will finish cooking after adding the cheese). Add the cheese and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
5Assemble and serve: While the burger patties bake, toast the buns in the skillet. Spread a little mayonnaise and Dijon mustard on each bun, put down a few lettuce leaves, add the cheese-topped burger, and enjoy.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftover cooked burgers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat (use a lid to trap some steam) or in the oven.
- Make ahead: Prepare burger mix, cover tightly, then refrigerate overnight. Form patties and cook the next day.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates and do not include the bun or extra mayo/mustard.
What did you do with the unused egg white? Can you use 2 full eggs instead of throwing out an egg white?
Hi Jane, We prefer these without the extra egg white. I save it and add to eggs for a morning scramble.
Omgoodness! I will never eat another hamburger. These chicken burgers are sooo good. Well worth the prep time. This recipe is a keeper.
Yay!! Just what we love to read 🙂 To be honest, I felt the same way!
Oh my gosh! These were delicious! The combination of flavors was spot on. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you 😊
You are so welcome! Glad you loved it 🙂
LOVED these! The flavor and seasoning were perfection. Served with sliced grilled zuchini left over from the recipe. Very satisfying.
Wonderful! So glad you tried them.
These are delicious!! I doubled and followed the recipe to a T, except I used 1lb grnd dark turkey, 1 lb grnd turkey breast and 3 eggs instead of the eggs + yolks. The seasoning is perfect and they turned out super moist and tasty. Served with an endive, frisee, radicchio and blood orange salad: the perfect light, but protein-packed meal. Thank you!!
That’s wonderful! Thanks for coming back and letting us know!