Juicy Ground Chicken Burgers made with chicken breast, onion and garlic like my grandma used to make. Quick pan sear and dinner is ready in 30 minutes!
We also love these grilled chicken burgers and turkey burgers!
Reader’s Review
So good! If I hadn’t made them, I’d think it was ground beef! So juicy! Thanks for a great healthy burger alternative!
Mary Jo
These ground chicken burgers will knock your family’s socks off! Growing up in Ukraine my grandma made the best ground chicken patties. We used to say these chicken patties are like Spitz, roasted sunflower seeds, highly addictive!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: You just need 5 simple ingredients plus salt and pepper to make this ground chicken burger recipe.
- Very juicy: Grandma always added pureed onion to add moisture and flavor to otherwise dry chicken.
- Soft: I add a slice of bread to make chicken patties tender and hold them together.
- Versatile cooking methods: Cook chicken burgers on the grill or pan fry year round.
- 30 minute meal: Perfect for quick healthy dinner.
Ingredients for Ground Chicken Burgers
- Chicken: I am using 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts because I always have them on hand. You can save time (not money) and buy 2 pounds of lean ground chicken. Chicken thighs will work too!
- Bread: I used a slice of sprouted whole grain bread. White bread or gluten-free bread works too. Alternatively, use about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or quick cooking oats.
- Egg: Egg is a binder. If you add bread and have an egg allergy or are out of eggs, your burger should still stay together or you could add a flax egg.
- Onion and garlic: Grated onion is grandma’s secret to juicy chicken burgers, not to mention flavorful. You could use onion powder and garlic powder in a pinch but I would not recommend it.
- Salt and black pepper: To season and taste.
How to Make Ground Chicken Burgers
Here is quick overview. These chicken burgers are super easy to make in your food processor or blender. Then shape into 24 smaller or 12 larger patties and cook.
- Grind the chicken: Add cubed chicken breast in a food processor or high speed blender, and process until it resembles ground chicken. Work in batches and then transfer to a large bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients: Process egg, onion, garlic, soaked and squeezed bread, salt and pepper until well combined.
- Mix everything together: Add pureed bread, onion and garlic mixture to the bowl with ground chicken and mix well with your hands.
- Toast the buns: Brush a bit of olive oil or butter on each cut side of the bun and fry for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cook chicken burgers: Form chicken burger mixture the size of a tennis ball and flatten into a patty. Pan fry chicken burger patties in a large skillet for about 4-5 minutes per side on medium-high heat.
Tips for Best Results
- For easier patty shaping: Dip your hands into a small bowl with cold water in between forming the chicken burger patties.
- When to flip the burgers: When white edges appear and bottom of chicken patties is golden brown.
- When chicken burgers are ready: Chicken is ready when meat thermometer inserted in the center registers internal temperature of 155 degrees F. Residual heat will finish cooking them to 165 F degrees without over drying the meat.
- Turn down the heat: Your second and third batches will take less time to cook as the fry pan gets hotter.
- To grill the burgers: Grilling time depends on the grill and thickness of chicken patties. Plan for about 5 minutes per side while covered on medium heat.
Serving Ideas
- Use your favorite burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and cheddar cheese. Of course with yellow mustard or Dijon mustard (we love sweet and spicy mustard), mayo and ketchup.
- For “naked” ground chicken burgers wrap the patty in lettuce leaves, like I do with healthy chicken lettuce wraps, or slice and serve over simple spring mix salad.
- Serve as part of a BBQ spread with Olivier salad, cucumber and tomato salad and healthy vanilla cupcakes for dessert.
- With classic summer salads like healthy coleslaw or healthy potato salad.
They also taste great cold!
How to Store and Reheat
Store: You can refrigerate ground chicken burgers for up to 5 days.
Freeze: These freeze amazing-ly!! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Reheat: Place on a hot skillet, add a splash of water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. This way burgers heat through and do not dry out like in the oven.
To Make Ahead
You can prepare meat mixture in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. You can also freeze uncooked chicken patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then transfer into a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen following the recipe plus 5 minutes.
More Lean Meat Recipes to Try
- Greek turkey burgers
- Ground chicken tacos
- Turkey sliders
- Healthy lemon chicken
- Spinach feta turkey burgers
Ground Chicken Burgers
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 small onion, cut in chunks
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 slice of bread, sprouted whole grain, white or gluten free
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons oil, for frying
- 12 hamburger buns
- Lettuce, tomato, red onion, for topping
Instructions
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add chicken and process until ground. Work in batches and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Return blender to its base, add egg, onion and garlic. Quickly soak bread in water, squeeze well and add to the blender along with salt and pepper. Process until well combined and add to the bowl with ground chicken meat. Using your hands, mix well.
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet or grill on medium heat and swirl some oil to coat (spray the grill). Form mixture into a tennis ball size for a burger patty or smaller to enjoys on their own, then flatten.
- Pan fry or grill for about 4-5 minutes per side (grills vary). It's time to flip when white edges appear and patty is brown on the bottom. Please note that second and third batches will take less time to cook as the skillet (grill) will be hotter.
- Serve hot assembled in a burger or with a side grain and a salad.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Cook, cool and freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw in teh fridge overnight or for a few hours.
- Reheat: Place burgers in a hot skillet with a splash of water, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How would you recommend ceaning out the blender after this? My Vitamix claims to be self cleaning with just hot water and soap…. but, chicken, you know. Suggestions?
Hi Faith. Yes. I usually do clean as the blender manufacturer recommends, to lose up the bits of chicken meat. And then scrub inside with dish cloth and soap. Only doing the clean cycle will not clean it enough.
I’ve just tried out your chicken patties and my husband and I loved them. So simple, quick and tasty! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
You are welcome, Sarah. You seem to be the only person cooking today – day 1 of the new president. 😀 I swear, the world has stopped. No action from any readers.
Just starting out on eating well and your site is amazing. could we use tzatziki for dipping? Our family really don’t like ketchup at all
Yes. For sure. Sounds wonderful! Enjoy!
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it out! Such a simple recipe.
Simple at its simplest and bestest. Enjoy!:)
I just mixed this up in my food processor and CAN’T WAIT to cook it up.. it already smells amazing!!!
Thanks for a simple yet healthy & delicious recipe!
I’m so glad I shared my grandma’s recipe! I can’t believe people are eating fast food burgers but yet never make their own patties at home. Missing out big time! But not us. Enjoy!
Sounds amazing, any side dish suggestions to compliment these?
Oh, really anything. Quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, potatoes with skin on, buckwheat, whole wheat bulgur or couscous. All these are healthy starches. I like these patties with a bit of organic ketchup too.
Love your site.. Just a quick question… considering the bread, how can the carb content be so low? I’m eating low carb foods with great results, and I’d love to try this recipe, but the bread worries me! P.S. My cauliflower crust is baking in the oven as we speak – your cauliflower crust pizza is my favorite!!
Hey Alex. Glad to hear that.:) The recipe calls for only 2 slices of sprouted bread, 16g of carbs each, divided by 24 patties.:) Why are you worried about healthy complex carbs so much? You need to eat good carbs and not bad carbs. Good carbs are found in foods like brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, buckwheat and sprouted bread. There is a big misconception about carbs. Don’t be scared about healthy carbs in moderation!:) Eat the chicken patties.:)
Retired and just starting to cook. Cooking for friends and family using them as Ginny pigs. So far having a great time. Your site is great. Like the clean/healthy cooking.
Had a good laugh.:) Enjoy! Cooking is so much fun!!!
Can you use already ground chicken?
Absolutely.
Could you use whole
wheat SLICE bread?
Of course!
This recipe sounds amazing. Can you use ground chicken?
Sure.
Would you fry the chicken first or mix all the ingredients and then fry the patties?
Mix all raw ingredients first and then fry the patties. So you just skip the step of grounding chicken yourself by buying ground one.
Your Chicken Patties are really awesome, I can’t wait to try them. Hope you are having a great Valentine Weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you Miz Helen!:)