The best chicken burger recipe comes with juiciness and tons of flavor! It’s easy, adaptable, and will change your mind about chicken burgers. 

Chicken burgers with melted cheese on a serving platter.
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About My Chicken Burger

Ground chicken, much like ground turkey, doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to burgers. I’m thrilled that my turkey burger recipe has gained so much momentum over the last few months, and that led me to hitting the drawing board and coming up with a ground chicken equal.

It absolutely is possible to snub red meat and opt for leaner and healthier choices without sacrificing texture and flavor. It’s all about using the right ingredients. (And, of course, enough spices!)

Recipe Tips

Unlike fatty red meats, ground chicken is more dense and lacks the flavor that fat offers. So it’s important to add ingredients that break up the density and bring tenderness to your patties so you can enjoy your burger. Because nothing is more sad than a shitty burger.

Here are a few key additions:

  • Fat. The point of eating ground chicken burgers in the first place is to avoid extra fattiness, I get it. But you do need some fat in order to have good texture and flavor. And full fat Greek yogurt does the trick.
  • Binders. Eggs act as great binders and offer up moisture. Another important ingredient that acts as a binder and helps to soften ground chicken is panko breadcrumbs.
  • Flavor. You don’t have to be shy with seasonings when it comes to ground chicken. I go for fresh herbs when I can, but you can do dry. I also like to add a dollop of whole grain old style mustard—it adds a subtle tanginess.
  • Liquid smoke. This will really give you that charbroiled flavor we all love in a burger.
Left: Bowl of raw burger ingredients; Right: Sheet pan with cooked burgers, two with melted cheese.

Ingredients

  • Ground chicken
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • Garlic
  • Fresh thyme
  • White onion
  • Liquid smoke
  • Plain full fat Greek yogurt
  • Whole grain old style mustard
  • Egg
  • Panko breadcrumbs

How to Make Chicken Burgers

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and give it a good mixing with your bare hands until the mixture is well blended.
  2. Lightly oil your hand with a smidgen of olive oil; this will help keep the mixture from sticking to your hands because the mixture is a little sticky.
  3. One at a time, create four patties out of the mixture, placing each one onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each patty to make a divot.
  4. Pop the patties into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes to set.
  5. When ready, heat the grill to medium-high heat.
  6. Oil the grates up nicely to prevent sticking.
  7. Place the patties onto the grill, close the lid, and let the patties cook for 5 minutes.
  8. Carefully flip the patties, close the lid, and cook for another 5 minutes or until the patties reach an internal temperature of 165º F. About a minute before the patties are ready, you can top them with a slice of cheese to get a nice melty cheeseburger.
  9. When the patties are done, transfer them to a clean plate or serving platter.
  10. Then pop the patties onto some buns and dress your burgers to your liking.
Serving platter with two cooked burgers and buns with tomatoes and onions.

Useful Kitchen Tools

Swaps + Substitutions

  1. You can swap out the liquid smoke for Worcestershire sauce or low-sodium soy sauce. You won’t get the smoky flavor with the latter two, but you’ll get a great punch of umami.
  2. Using dry herbs in place of fresh herbs is totally okay.
  3. If you aren’t a fan of Greek yogurt and don’t want to buy a container of it just for this recipe, you could use sour cream or mayonnaise instead!
  4. The mustard is optional, and you could definitely use a nice spicy brown mustard or Dijon instead.
Burgers with melted cheese on a serving platter.

Have You Made This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!

You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme

More Ground Poultry Recipes:

Burger with melted cheese on a serving platter.

Best Chicken Burger Recipe

The best chicken burger recipe comes with juiciness and tons of flavor! It's easy, adaptable, and will change your mind about chicken burgers. 
5 from 67 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill in the fridge: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Dana Sandonato

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • A few cranks of cracked black pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic, grate to a paste or minced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1 TBSP liquid smoke
  • 1 heaping TBSP full fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 TBSP Whole grain old style mustard
  • 1 egg, ligtly beaten
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

  • Place parchment paper over a baking sheet.
  • Put all of the chicken burger patty ingredients into a large mixing bowl and, with clean hands, mix until well blended.
  • Lightly oil your hands with some olive oil to help keep the mixture from sticking to your hands. One at a time, form four patties out of the mixture, and place each one onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Gently press your thumb into the center of each patty to make a divot; this prevents the meat from shrinking over high heat.
  • Put the patties in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes so that they can set.
  • When you're ready, heat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grate dipping a wad of paper towel into some canola oil and then, with tongs, lightly dragging the paper towel over the grate to create a slick surface. This will keep the patties from sticking to the hot grates.
  • Place the patties onto the grill, close the lid, and cook for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the patties, close the lid, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the patties reach an internal temperature of 165º F. About a minute before the patties are ready, you can top them with a slice of cheese to get a nice melty cheeseburger.
  • Once the patties are done, transfer them to a clean plate or serving platter.
  • Put the patties onto some buns and dress your burgers to your liking!

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sugar: 1g