Super moist grilled chicken burgers can be yours with these easy to follow instructions. Don't serve your friends and family hockey pucks anymore.
Introduction and My Rating
I always see that ground chicken breast at the store and have planned to do this for a long time. The main problem with ground chicken is the same as with skinless boneless chicken breasts. There is almost no fat, and we all know what that can do. Cooked wrong and you have a dry tasteless disk. We shall call this the hockey puck syndrome.
So my usual research was complete and my conclusion. Confusion. I had "simple" as the label on a recipe with 13 yes 13 ingredients. That celebrity chief will remain anonymous. But after reading 20 plus recipes, there was one reasonably consistent theme. They mostly used a panade.
So armed with this knowledge, it was time for some cooking for two. I would season my chicken burger like I would a chicken breast. That meant mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and garlic. For the salt, pepper, and garlic I used my everyday seasoning of 7:2:2. For the panade, I would use common bread crumbs and add some mayo to the burger and depend on the moisture in the meat. Too much liquid would not do here.
My Rating
A nice solid 4. That's good for an everyday meal. Very moist with the panade. This is just a basic starting point for variations. A little heavy on the mayo.
The Panade
A panade is something like breadcrumbs (think starch) that can coat the ground meat particles with starch and keep moisture in. Generally, a panade will be breadcrumbs or something similar then moisture is added to that to make a paste that is then mixed with the ground meat.
Milk is often used like in meatloaf. But I chose mayo for this recipe.
If you want to know more about panades check out Panade: The Secret to Keeping Ground Meat Tender at JessicaGavin.com.
Tips
I went with 1/3 pound "burgers". That made a nice 1/2 inch thick burger. Thinner will be more likely to fall apart and dry out.
This is chicken and will take flavor very well. I see a southwest version, Italian version, etc.
While I cook this on high grill temperature, as long as you cook to a final internal temperature, you can use a lower temperature (like 450°). I will just take longer.
I used cheese flavored bread crumbs but use what you like.
Burger Recipes
How to Grill a Hamburger; A Beginner Tutorial
Smokehouse Burger on a Gas Grill
Instructions
Preheat grill on high.
Mix ground chicken with bread crumbs, 7:2:2 and a liquid. Use 1/3 pound of meat per burger and two tablespoons bread crumbs and one tablespoon of mayonnaise or milk plus 1/2 teaspoon of 7:2:2. If you don't have 7:2:2 then 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and granulated garlic powder.
Form into 1/2 inch thick burgers and add a slight "dimple" in the center. This helps prevent the puffing up you sometimes get with grilling a burger.
Clean and oil grill on the preheated grill. Grill over high heat for 4 minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the second side until an internal temperature of 165°. This is ground meat PLEASE use a thermometer.
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📖 Recipe
Moist Grilled Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 2/3 pound ground chicken breast
- 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise - or milk
- 1 teaspoon 7:2:2 seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat grill on high.
- Mix ground chicken with bread crumbs, 7:2:2, and mayo or milk. Use 1/3 pound of meat per burger and two tablespoons bread crumbs and one tablespoon of mayonnaise or milk plus 1/2 teaspoon of 7:2:2. If you don't have 7:2:2 then 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and granulated garlic powder.
- Form into 1/2 inch thick burgers and add a slight "dimple" in the center. This helps prevent the puffing up you sometimes get with grilling a burger.
- Grill over high heat for 4 minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the second side until internal temperature of 165. This is ground meat PLEASE use a thermometer.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Adjust to the number of chicken burgers you want.
- I suggest bread crumbs. Use the flavor you have. You can also use other starches like crackers.
- I like the mayo here but use milk if you prefer.
- Ground chicken needs to cook to 165° for safety but do not overcook or they will dry.
- The 1/3 pound size helps keep things moist.
- The dimple in the middle of the burger needs to be there to prevent it from puffing up and becoming harder to get to correct temperature.
- This recipe will work with a wide variety of grill temperatures. Just be sure to cook to the right final internal temperature.
- Chicken burgers are more "tender" than beef. So handle with care or they may fall apart.
ADJUST THE RECIPE SIZE:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.Nutrition
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally Published May 7, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos and a table of contents to help navigation.
We'd love one.
JBH
Can they be cooked on a charcoal grill?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi JBH,
Welcome to the blog.
This should do well on a charcoal grill. They are cooked on high heat which is a good fit for charcoal. But, as always, cook to the final internal temperature and never by time alone.
Dan
JPD
We made these into chicken sliders, added a little fresh garlic and a lemon pepper rib rub combo. Outstanding,super moist and great flavor.
Jim
These sound good but one question. I am a type 1 diabetic so counting carbs is critical for me. I see in nutrishinal info that one burger has 15 he of carbs. Is that all from the bread crumbs? I usually count 1 tbs as 5 grams.
Thanks
DrDan
Hi Jim,
I just check the database I connect to and a couple of other references. The breadcrumbs are about 5gm (plus a fraction) per tablespoon (2 per serving here) and the mayo is about 4 gms. There are some fractions in there so it rounds to 15 per serving. If you want, cut the breadcrumbs in half and you will still be very good.
Dan
Kristie
Have you ever made these ahead or frozen them? Would the patties keep in the fridge for a few days before cooking?
DrDan
I would say 48 hours max on the fridge and they should freeze well for a couple of months.
Nancy
What is 7:2:2 seasoning? I'd really like to make these chicken burgers.
DrDan
The 7:2:2 is a homemade seasoning 7 parts kosher salt and 2 parts each course pepper and granular garlic. It is in the FAQs. And in instruction #2 there is a substitute suggestion.
Susan
Excellent and fits into my eating plan easily. Thanks very much!