Chicken Smash Burgers with Green Chiles
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
Description
These Southwest-inspired Chicken Smash Burgers with Green Chiles are a fun way to switch up burger night!
Mix ground chicken with mild green chiles, warm spices, and a little mayonnaise for extra moisture, then smash on a hot skillet or griddle until beautifully browned with irresistibly juicy-crisp edges.
Pile onto toasted buns with your favorite burger fixings for an easy weeknight dinner that’s packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken
- one 4-ounce can diced green chiles (mild or hot), drained
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (sub full-fat yogurt if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- heaping ½ teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- neutral, high smoke point vegetable oil of choice
Instructions
- Mix the chicken burgers: Add the ground chicken, diced chiles, mayonnaise, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to a large bowl. Season with 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Use your hands to mix until just combined – take care not to overmix; overworking the chicken burger mixture leads to tough burgers. The mixture will be very wet – this is expected and intended!
- Divide and chill: Divide the mixture into 4 equal balls. If needed or desired, spritz a little bit of olive oil on your hands to make handling the burger mixture easier. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to the refrigerator and cool until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Griddle prep: Once the chicken burger mixture is chilled, preheat the griddle. If using an outdoor griddle, preheat on low for 20-30 minutes. The griddle should reach 450 degrees F. If using a cast iron griddle or large, heavy-bottomed skillet, preheat over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Smash and cook the chicken burgers: Just before smashing, brush the cooking surface with a light coating of oil. Working in batches if needed, place the chicken burger portions on the hot griddle/skillet. Use a large spatula to firmly press down, smashing the chicken into patties just barely larger than the size of your burger buns – you may need to reposition the spatula and smash down on the burger a second time for an evenly pressed patty. Cook the burgers, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip the burgers. If desired, top each with a slice of cheese and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes longer, until the cheese is melted and the chicken burger is cooked through.
- Assemble and serve: Place the chicken burger patties on a toasted bun and top with whatever fixings you love most. We love serving these chicken smash burgers with guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, and fresh corn salsa. Enjoy!
