This healthy chicken burger recipe is grilled to perfection in just 10 minutes. The ground chicken is full of flavor, seasoned with Mexican-inspired spices like chili powder, smoked paprika, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño. These chicken patties are gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30, paleo, keto, and grain-free. I would say they check almost all of the dietary boxes!
Quick Look: Healthy Chicken Burger Recipe
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes
- 🍔 Serving: 4 burgers
- ⚡ Calories: 158 calories per burger
- 🍗 Flavor Profile: savory and smokey with a hint of jalapeño
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, perfect for a healthy lunch or backyard BBQ
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON:
Although barbecue season is almost year-round living in Florida, with the 4th of July around the corner, barbecues are ramping up all over the place. If you're looking to impress your guests or want to switch up your weekly meal prep, I highly recommend adding these delicious and juicy burgers.
You can serve these burgers over vegetables to keep them low-carb, similar to my burger skewer recipe, or pile them high onto a bun of your choice! I’ve topped these burgers with some fresh pico made with my pico de gallo seasoning recipe and a dairy-free jalapeño avocado lime aioli.
With this much flavor and so little prep time, these healthy ground chicken burgers are perfect for any barbecue, meal prep, and even a weeknight meal. You can even serve these burgers with a fresh, simmer-inspired tomato shrimp and cucumber salad!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: These burgers utilize ingredients commonly found in your kitchen or at your local grocery store.
- Easy to Make: Simply combine your ingredients, shape them into burgers, and grill. That's it!
- Better for You: Using ground chicken eliminates a significant amount of unhealthy saturated fat, making the burgers lower in calories.
- Juicy and Flavorful: The addition of olive oil and eggs creates juicy burgers, while the bold seasonings give them plenty of flavor.
- Customizable: It's easy to change up the seasonings to create your perfect burger.
- Great for Meal Prep: These freezer-friendly burgers are perfect for making double batches (or more) and storing for future meals.
Jump to:
Ingredients
I'm using Springer Mountain Farms ground chicken for this recipe. I love them because they never add hormones or antibiotics, and their feed never contains animal by-products.
You can find a full list of the ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Variations
- Seasonings: Use your favorite seasonings with these burgers. Try traditional chicken seasonings to accentuate the chicken aspect or a burger blend for a bolder flavor. Have fun trying things out!
- Mild: Omit the jalapeno for a mild version.
- Red Onion: Use white onion instead for a mellower, sweeter flavor.
- Cilantro: If you dislike cilantro, simply omit it. The burgers will still be delicious!
- Smoke: Add soaked wood chips of your choosing to give the burgers a smoky flavor.
- Air Fry: Air fry on 365 for 8-10 minutes. No need to flip.
- Protein: Make these burgers with ground turkey, pork, or, of course, beef.
How to Make This Healthy Chicken Burger Recipe
Step 1: Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Shape into four patties.
Step 3: Grill at 375-400 degrees until both sides have a good color and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees.
Step 4: Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Using your hands is the easiest way to mix your burgers.
- Don't overwork the mixture. Overmixing causes the burgers to get dry and tough.
- Be sure your grill is fully preheated before grilling the burgers. It's hot enough when you can only comfortably hold your hand about 3 inches above it for a few seconds.
- Make a shallow depression in the center of your burgers before grilling them. This keeps the burgers from contracting as they grill.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
- To prevent stinging eyes, refrigerate your onion for about 30 minutes before dicing it.
Healthy Chicken Burger Recipe FAQ
Chicken burgers can be a healthy option, depending on how they're prepared. These burgers are significantly lower in fat and calories compared to beef, making them a healthier option from the start. If they're pan-seared or grilled, they remain quite healthy. Processed chicken patties, on the other hand, are typically higher in fat and often contain preservatives and other additives.
Grilling is the healthiest way to cook a chicken burger. It also adds more flavor to the burgers.
For a juicy chicken burger, you'll want to ensure you add an egg to help bind the burger and add moisture and fat. It's also important not to overwork the meat. Overmixing causes the burgers to contract and squeeze out their juices as they cook.
📖 Recipe
Healthy Chicken Burger Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (1) lb ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon jalapeno finely diced
- 1 teaspoon red onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika smoked
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cilantro dry
- ½ egg (crack 1 egg, whisk, then spit in half) - simply double the recipe to use the whole egg
- 1 ½ tablespoon almond flour
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ lime juice
Toppings
- Pico
- Jalapeno avocado lime aioli
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 375/400 ℉
Burger Patties
- In a small bowl, combine all of the dry seasonings.
- Then, in a large bowl, combine ground chicken, almond flour, egg, lime juice, dry seasonings mixture, onion, and jalapeño. Using your hands mix all the ingredients together very well. I like to put on nitrile gloves before using my hands. Make sure that all ingredients are incorporated well into the ground chicken.
- Next, divide the ground chicken mixture into 4 evenly sized patties.
- Make a small dent in the middle using your thumb or a round spoon.
- Lastly, once the grill has reached temperature, place all 4 patties on to the grill.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush olive oil on to the top of the burger.
- Close grill and allow to cook for 5 mins per side.
- After the first 5 minutes, flip the burger, and brush the other side with olive oil.
- Close the grill and allow to cook for 4-5 more minutes. Once your chicken burgers have reached an internal temperature of 165°℉ they are done cooking and ready to be served.
- Place chicken burgers onto a plate. The chicken burgers may release some juice, which is completely fine. Using your pastry brush, simply brush the juice over the chicken patties.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Wrap individual patties in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Defrost if frozen, the microwave at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Using your hands is the easiest way to mix your burgers.
- Don't overwork the mixture. Overmixing causes the burgers to get dry and tough.
- Be sure your grill is fully preheated before grilling the burgers. It's hot enough when you can only comfortably hold your hand about 3 inches above it for a few seconds.
- Make a shallow depression in the center of your burgers before grilling them. This keeps the burgers from contracting as they grill.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
- To prevent stinging eyes, refrigerate your onion for about 30 minutes before dicing it.
Bev says
These were delicious! So juicy and full of flavor! my whole family loved them
Nicole Kendrick says
Nothing better than family dinner together. Enjoy, Bev!
Swathi says
These chicken sandwich is so good and easy to put together. I am going to make it again.
Nicole Kendrick says
Nothing better than a fresh chicken patty off the grill!