These deliciously homemade grilled chicken burgers are a real treat, as they are made with juicy chicken breasts and flavored with lemon juice, garlic, and tarragon for the ultimate summer BBQ experience or mid-week 20-minute kitchen to table dinner. To all of this add your favorite burger toppings and wrap it in a toasted bun: here I present you the easiest and juiciest grilled chicken burger recipe!
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It is so hard to find an original yet easy-to-prepare grilled chicken burger recipe, as most of them require sauces and multiple kinds of cheese, or are simply grilled chicken breasts, which, let's admit it, are not real burgers!
If you have a look at Spice and Life you will notice how many recipes involve the use of chicken breasts, thighs, drums... you say chicken and I will cook it, as it definitely is my favorite protein,
This is a recipe I have been preparing for donkey years since everybody likes it but it doesn't require too much of an effort to prepare, and it is simply the result of a few happy trials, as I really wanted to start using tarragon in my cooking since I had it in a soup at a restaurant.
What is different from the other recipes, is that rather than using a whole chicken breast per burger or ground chicken, it uses chopped chicken, as I found it hugs the flavors of the chicken marinade quite well, while maintaining each bite moist.
This recipe requires very few simple ingredients, it can be modified to suit tastes and requirements, and you can have it ready to eat in 20 minutes. Enjoy!
How to make grilled chicken burgers?
- Start by preparing the homemade burger marinade by mixing in a bowl some grainy mustard, lemon juice, some thinly chopped garlic, salt and black pepper, some dry herbs, and some breadcrumbs (the best way is to toast a slice of bread and blitz it!); mix everything well and put the bowl aside.
- Once this is done, chop the chicken breast in small dice (5-7 mm size or 0.2 - 0.3 inch), with a knife or in a food processor; keeping the pieces this side will help keep the burgers juicy while having a bit of a bite and a nice rich consistency.
- Mix the chicken pieces in the seasoning well, ensuring it is spread equally throughout the mixture; once this is done, divide the mixture into four equal parts and form the chicken patties.
- Once the chicken burger patties are ready they can be cooked on a pan or in the oven; I do it on a pan with the help of some cooking spray or olive oil, as this allows me to achieve a nice barbeque effect.
Video Recipe: Grilled Chicken Burgers
People Also Ask [FAQs]
To grill chicken burgers on a barbeque or grill, either spray or coat both sides of the burger patties with oil; once the cooking surface is hot, add your burgers and cook for four to five minutes before flipping. Cook the burgers for a further five minutes or until the meat is fully cooked and a meat thermometer reaches 165*F.
These homemade chicken burgers only have 129 calories each on their own and use very few ingredients, so they can be considered healthy as part of a well-balanced diet.
Like all chicken recipes, these can be frozen raw if the meat was not frozen before preparation; in that case, prepare the patties, pack them ensuring they are separated one from the other (use some cling film or parchment paper), and then put them straight in the freezer, where they can be stored for up to three months. Before cooking the burgers, ensure they have thoroughly defrosted.
What can I serve with grilled chicken burgers?
Grilled chicken burgers can be served with the most delicious things! Choose burger toppings such as grilled or fresh red onions, thinly sliced pickles, cabbage and carrot coleslaw, as well as more traditional sliced tomatoes, leaf lettuce, and mayonnaise.
On the side, opt for some oven-baked potato wedges, French fries or sweet potato chips, or for something different creamy potato salad [perfect for BBQs!], leek mashed potatoes, roasted Mediterranean veggies, or even roasted fennel with thyme and rosemary.
Tips and Tricks for Grilled Chicken Burger Recipe
- Chicken Breasts: Should you prefer, you can use ground chicken instead of chopped chicken breast, but make sure you don't overwork the meat. It is important the chicken patties are not over-pressed so that the steam can pass through the burger, cooking the meat and keeping it moist.
- Bread crumbs: I tend to make my own breadcrumbs as I use them so rarely there's no reason for me to purchase a pot and wait for it to expire. If you have this as a standard ingredient in your home, feel free to use that instead.
- Seasoning: The burger marinade or seasoning can be amended to taste. Other good herbs and spices that work with this burger recipe are paprika, red chili flakes, sumac, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and mixed herbs. Read this if you need to substitute mustard or you want to explore the sumac spice substitute.
- Cooking Spray: If you don't have or don't use cooking spray, this can be swapped for vegetable oil or olive oil instead.
Chicken recipes are the go-to for many during the week and this I'm sure will be added to your favorites, as it is a crowd-pleaser, be it for an everyday meal or a weekend barbeque with family and friends!
There are very few meals that feel like summer as much as a nice burger, so make this delicious chicken burger your recipe for the season [although it tastes as good in winter!]. Enjoy!
🥗 For more chicken recipes inspiration, check these out:
🍽️ Recipe
Easy and Juicy Grilled Chicken Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g Skinless and Boneless Chicken Breast
- 1 Slice Whole-wheat Bread (Medium or Thick Slice) I used one 'thin'
- 1 tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon Dry Tarragon or other herbs if preferred, like parsley
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Clove of Garlic Peeled and Chopped Thinly
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 10 Sprays of Cooking Oil
Instructions
Prepare the homemade burger seasoning
- Toast the slice of bread until thoroughly crispy, but not burnt, and break it into pieces before putting it in a food processor to grind into homemade breadcrumbs.
- In a bowl add the homemade breadcrumbs, dry tarragon (or herb of choice), wholegrain mustard, lemon juice, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper, and mix well. The homemade burger seasoning is ready.
Prepare the homemade chicken burger patties
- Chop the chicken breasts in tiny dice, 5-7mm (0.2-0.3 inch) in size with a knife or roughly blitz in the food processor; chopping it by hand will maintain more the consistency of the meat while blitzing it will make this step very quick and the result will still be delicious.
- Mix the chopped chicken breast with the homemade seasoning, ensuring everything is evenly mixed.
- Once the meat is well covered in seasoning, divide it in four and create the chicken burger patties; ideally, you'd want the patties to be about 1.5-2 cm (0.6-0.8 inch) thick, so they can cook through easily but still keep moist and have a nice bite to them.
- Warm up a flat or frying pan on medium heat and cover it with 5 sprays of cooking spray; once the pan is warm, put the patties on it.
- After 2-3 minutes, reduce the flame and allow them cook halfway through; this will ensure you get a nice color on the outer part of the burger at the beginning and then cook it through. This step should take an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Once the chicken burgers are cooked halfway through, flip them and up the flame to medium again for 3-4 minutes, after which you will reduce the flame and allow them to finish cooking, which should take a further 2-3 minutes [or until thoroughly cooked].
- Enjoy!
Gina
Chicken burgers are so underrated but I love them! Really love the tarragon flavor in these.
Elle
Yes, the tarragon it them just elevates the taste!
Biana
I like how you are serving the burger on whole wheat bread instead of a bun, sounds delicious!
Elle
Thank you, Biana! Whole what bread is so tasty and it works so well with the seasoning of the burgers.
Jacqueline Meldrum
I love the flavours you added. So tasty!
Elle
Thank you, Jacqueline!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
These burgers sound so delicious and healthy! We actually prefer chicken burgers over beef burgers so will certainly be giving these tasty burgers a try!
Elle
Glad to hear so, Bintu! I too am a big chicken burger fan and these won't disappoint!
Beth Sachs
We love chicken burgers and these look so juicy and tasty!
Elle
Thank you, Beth! Chicken burgers rock and these are delicious!