Description
Seriously, the Best-Ever Grilled Chicken Burger recipe! The secret lies in using smart ingredients and grilling methods – combine ground chicken with 4 simple yet flavor-boosting pantry staples, form into chicken burger patties and grill for the most mega flavorful and seriously juicy chicken burgers (never dry or crumbly!). A go-to recipe you’ll come back to all summer long for weeknight grilling, weekend BBQs and everything in between.
Grilling tips and easy variations included!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ⅓ pounds 93% lean ground chicken
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely grated and squeezed of excess moisture (about ¼ cup grated)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (see Recipe Notes)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- nonstick cooking spray
- for serving, as desired: burger buns, cheese of choice, toppings of choice (e.g. lettuce, tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, pickles, etc.), condiments of choice (e.g. mustard, ketchup, etc.)
Instructions
- Prep: Line a small baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper or foil and set aside. Gather and prep all ingredients according to Ingredients List, above. To grate the onion, arrange a few paper towels on a cutting board, set a box mixer on top, and run the onion along the sides of the box mixer to grate it into fine, shredded pieces. Once grated, use the paper towel to soak up excess moisture from the onion. Too much moisture will make the chicken burger mixture very difficult to handle, so do not skip the extra 30 seconds it takes to blot the moisture from the grated onion. If your onion seems very wet, you can also wrap it in paper towels and wring out the moisture over the sink. Set aside.
- Mix the chicken burgers: Add the ground chicken, grated onion, garlic, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce 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 – overworking the chicken burger mixture leads to tough burgers; take care not to overmix.
- Form the chicken burger patties and chill: Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, forming each into a 1-inch thick burger patty. If needed or desired, spritz a little bit of olive oil on your hands to make handling the burger patties easier. The mixture will be very wet – this is expected and intended! There’s no need to fuss over making them look perfect at this point – just aim for forming them into the general shape and size you’re after. Set them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet with the chicken burger patties to the freezer. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Grill prep: Meanwhile, as the chicken burger patties chill, prep the grill. Prepare the grill for medium-high direct heat grilling, about 450-500 degrees F. Once preheated, clean the cooking surface by firmly brushing a wire brush over the grates. Just before placing the burgers on the grill, generously spritz a wad of paper towel with nonstick cooking spray. Use grill tongs to run the oiled paper towel over the grill grates, generously oiling the grates to prevent sticking.
- Grill the chicken burgers: Remove the chicken burger patties from the freezer. At this point they should be quite a bit easier to handle; finish forming them into 1-inch thick patties, using your thumb to create an indent in the center of each patty. Press each chicken burger patty down onto the prepared grill grates. Grill the chicken burgers for 6-7 minutes per side, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the chicken burgers registers 165 degrees F. If you’d like to add cheese to your chicken burgers, do so when there are 2 minutes left of grilling time.
- Serve: Build your chicken burgers as desired. Here at the PWWB house, we like toasty brioche buns, leafy lettuce, juicy summer tomatoes, and a drizzle of mustard, ketchup, or aioli. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Ground chicken: The secret to an irresistibly juicy grilled chicken burger is using the right ground chicken. The chicken needs a decent fat content, otherwise the burgers will dry out. Look for at least 93% lean ground chicken, though if you can find 90-92%, that’s even better! If you’re purchasing from your grocery store’s butcher counter, ask for ground chicken thigh or dark meat.
- Mayonnaise swaps: The littlest bit of mayonnaise is the other secret to an insanely juicy and flavorful chicken burger. Don’t skip it, but if you’d like to swap it with something you might already have on hand, an equal amount of sour cream or full-fat yogurt will work well.
- Quick variations:
- Stovetop chicken burgers: If you do not have access to an outdoor grill, you can also cook these chicken burgers on the stovetop. Rather than using a grill pan, I suggest using a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken burgers, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook according to Step 5 of Recipe Directions, above.
- Flavor variations: Craving a buffalo chicken burger, Caesar chicken burger, or other creative chicken burgers? Check the blog post, above, for plenty of inspiration!
- 15-Minute Meal Prep (make-ahead chicken burgers!): Chicken burger patties can be mixed and formed up to 3 days in advance. Follow Steps 2-3 of Recipe Directions above. Rather than placing the formed patties on a baking sheet and freezing to chill, transfer the formed patties to an airtight container, separating them with a piece of wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. When you’d like to make your chicken burgers, simply preheat the grill and get cooking – easy!
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover grilled chicken burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through and enjoy as desired.