This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These ground chicken burgers are juicy, moist, and flavorful! No more dry chicken, and you can have these burgers on the table in half an hour.

grilled ground chicken burger loaded with toppings
Photos updated 8/2020

This post was originally published on May 27, 2016. I’ve updated the post with new photos and more tips. Same great recipe as before!

Ground chicken doesn’t always conjure up mouthwatering images, but this chicken burger is moist! I don’t like that word, but when you think of chicken burgers, “moist” doesn’t always come to mind. Cardboard sometimes comes to mind.

As long as you don’t overcook this burger, it’ll be fantastic.

You may also like my Easy Ground Turkey Burgers, these Chicken Patties, or this Easy Salmon Burger Recipe.

easy ground chicken burgers collage (burger patty ingredients in a glass prep bowl on one side and it all mixed together in the glass bowl on the second side)

How do you make burgers with ground chicken?

Add the burger ingredients to a mixing bowl and gently use your hands to mix it all together. Form into patties and place them on wax paper. Create a depression in the center of each patty to make sure they cook evenly.

I added fresh oregano and chives to boost the flavor and impart a freshness. Breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and mayo are the secret ingredients to ensure these chicken burgers don’t dry out. There’s a clove of garlic in these burgers because this is my recipe, and apparently I can’t make stuff without garlic.

I whipped up a simple but flavorful mayo to complement these ground chicken burgers. Feel free to add it or skip it! As always, you can top these with your preferred toppings.

collage with ground chicken burger patties (raw) on wax paper and the burger sauce in a blue bowl

How long to grill chicken burgers?

It depends on the grill and the thickness of the burger patties, but with our gas BBQ we grilled them for 5 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the other side (lid down). When an instant read meat thermometer registers 165F in the middle, they’re safe to eat. The meat thermometer helps ensure that you don’t overcook them! Dry burgers are no fun.

homemade ground chicken burger toppings on a plate (bun, lettuce, tomato, red onions)

Tips and tricks to make the best grilled ground chicken burgers:

  • Don’t over handle the meat. You don’t want the ground chicken patties resembling hockey pucks.
  • Form patties and place them on wax paper.
  • Make a little depression with your thumb in the center of each burger so they cook evenly.
  • Make sure you oil the grill before it’s up to temperature so they don’t stick.
  • Slide the burgers onto the grill using a metal spatula.
  • Don’t have a BBQ? You could also use a grill pan or frying pan to make these.

What to serve with homemade chicken burgers:

I top the burgers with the suggested burger sauce, sliced tomato, avocado, red onion, and butter leaf lettuce, but the possibilities are endless. These burgers can be pretty healthy depending on how you top them. They would also be delicious served with a refreshing side salad like my Creamy Cucumber Salad.

grilled ground chicken burger patties (cooked) on a plate

Do you ever make burgers with ground chicken? I hope you will give this ground chicken burger recipe a try!

grilled ground chicken burger loaded with toppings
4.92 from 62 votes

The Best Ground Chicken Burgers

These ground chicken burgers are juicy, moist, and flavorful! No more dry chicken, and you can have these burgers on the table in half an hour.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

Burger sauce:

  • 1 cup mayo
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Burgers:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 2 tablespoons mayo
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  • 1 large clove garlic minced
  • Salt & pepper to taste

For serving:

  • Hamburger buns, butter leaf lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion, etc. optional, to taste

Instructions 

  • Stir the burger sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust as needed.
  • Oil and preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
  • In a medium-to-large bowl, add the burger ingredients. Using your hands, gently mix everything together, taking care to not over handle the mixture.
  • Form burger patties one by one and place them on a sheet of wax paper. You should be able to make six average-size burger patties or four larger ones. Using your thumb, create a depression in the center of each patty so they cook evenly.
  • Cook the burger patties until their internal temperature is at least 165F. Cooking time really depends on your grill and the thickness of the patties. Mine generally take 5 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the second side (gas BBQ).
  • Once the burgers are cooked, you can toast the buns on the grill for about 30 seconds if desired.
  • Assemble burgers by spreading the sauce onto each bun and adding the burger patties and toppings.

Notes

  • See more tips & tricks within the blog post.
  • Chicken is safe to eat when it's reached an internal temperature of 165F. Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness. Overcooked chicken burgers will be dry.

Nutrition

Calories: 184kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 209mg, Potassium: 439mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 69IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

Leave a star rating and comment below!
chicken burger with condiments on the side
Original photo from when this post was first published.

Hi! Iā€™m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

Leave a comment

Please leave a recipe rating!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

190 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My family loved these burgers, I made mini burgers and served them on Hawaiian buns. I cooked them on the grill, about 9 minutes total. Will definitely be making these again!

  2. Hi Natasha,
    This is my first time making chicken burger, been searching for recipes… I found yours.and tried making it. It was delicious , everyone loves it, moist and juicy!. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  3. 5 stars
    I just finished eating one of these burgers and all I can say is OMG!!! I have tried other chicken burgers before and I did not care for them. As self professed burger lover I never thought I would be typing these words. For all you reading this, THIS IS A GREAT RECIPE. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this recipe with us.

  4. 5 stars
    This is without a doubt the best chicken burger I have ever tasted.
    I ground fresh organic chicken breast and put a slice of provolone cheese on each burger on the grill.
    Other than that I followed the recipe exactly, our dinner company all gave this a 10 rating.
    Thank you so much, this recipe is now in my “best of” recipe rack.

    1. Hi Ted. I would like to grind my own chicken breasts as well. I’m curious as to what you used to do it? An old fashioned meat grinder, or a food processor?

  5. 5 stars
    Absolutely wonderful! So easy and flavorful and moist (I don’t like that word either šŸ™‚ The smoked paprika mayo sauce really made this burger special. Adding the fresh oregano which I had left over from Thanksgiving added to the freshness. Just follow this recipe and you won’t be disappointed. I did not have the bib lettuce so I used arugula..so good! Thank you this one I will be making it again!

  6. These are the best chicken burgers ever! So juicy and flavorful! I have made them several times, much better than beef!

    1. I started making these last year. My girls are hesitant on trying anything”new” so I called these crabby patties(they love SpongeBob) my girls absolutely love these! They are a monthly request now and I use 2lbs so we can have leftovers šŸ¤£.

  7. Surprisingly, I have never made a ground chicken burger. I usually just grill a chicken breast and then use that in place of a ground patty, but I’m thinking I should give this a try.

    1. I’ve done that too. It’s definitely a bit different and lighter than beef. Let me know if you do try it šŸ™‚

      1. 5 stars
        I made this tonight – and it was great! So I tweaked the recipe a little bit based on what was in my fridge…I happened to have Kewpie mayo (if you don’t know what this is, look it up and then hunt it down at your local Asian food store; you won’t be sorry) and Panko crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs. Also added a splash of Caesar salad dressing in place of the dijon and garlic, this did the trick. Everything else as advertised, including oregano. I had a bottle of yum-yum sauce (see Asian market reference above) so used that instead of the also-delicious-sounding sauce recipe provided. As Natasha said, make your burgers gently and then handle with care on the grill…check often to see that they’re getting those nice grill marks without burning. They were not at all dry as poultry burgers tend to be, and so awesome when topped off with a slice of provolone left to melt and some fresh avocado. I will definitely make this again. Thanks, Natasha!

        1. So happy you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing your tweaks! I definitely need to get some of that mayo. šŸ™‚