I'm obsessed with these Cheddar Jalapeño Chicken Burgers. I mean how could I not be? They are decked out with sour cream, GUACAMOLE and salsa. Shouldn't all burgers be decked out like this? I think so.
Table of Contents
Toppings make the burger, don't you think? Sometimes it's easy to get stuck in a burger and topping rut. Lots of times I just top my burger with some cheese and ketchup. That's what I've done for so many years - but it's easy to change the game with a few fun toppings. This juicy chicken burger is not only stuffed with shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro and jalapeños, it's enhanced even more with the addition of a spoonful of guacamole and a dollop of sour cream and some pico de gallo.
You could easily make this with ground turkey or ground beef. Either way the flavors from the jalapeño, cheddar, cilantro and guacamole makes these burgers incredible. Here's a video on how to make these Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole!
Variations & Substitutions
Ground Chicken - 93/7 ground turkey or 80/20 ground beef are great substitutes.
Yellow Onion - feel free to swap with a sweet onion or a white onion.
Fresh Cilantro - if you're not a fan of cilantro you can omit it or swap it for chives.
Chopped Jalapeño - if you're serving kids you can totally omit the jalapeño, I usually omit or reduce the amount when making chicken burgers for Poppy.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese - I love using either white or orange cheddar cheese in this chicken burger recipe, but monterey jack or pepper jack are great substitutions.
Ingredients
- Ground Chicken - try to use one that's not too lean.
- Yellow Onion - make sure to finely chop your onion as evenly as possible so it can blend into the burger uniformly. Here is my lesson on how to dice an onion.
- Fresh Cilantro
- Garlic Cloves
- Chopped Jalapeño - remove the seeds before chopping.
- Spices - I use ground cumin, paprika, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese - if you can buy the block and shred it yourself it's worth the little bit of extra prep.
How to Make Chicken Burgers
You can easily make chicken burgers outdoors on the grill or indoors on a grill pan or cast iron skillet. Start by preparing an indoor or outdoor grill or grill pan over medium heat.
Then begin making the burger patties. In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken diced onion, chopped cilantro, finely chopped garlic, chopped jalapeño, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Then using your hands, evenly incorporate everything together without over mixing the ground chicken.
Form the mixture into four ½"-thick patties. Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.
Serve each patty in a burger bun topped with guacamole and sour cream and any additional toppings needed.
Tips & Tricks
The key to juicy and flavorful chicken burgers is all in the ground chicken you use. A leaner mixture like 98/2 will yield dryer and tougher chicken burgers with less flavor. That's why I opt for something like a 90/10 or 93/7 mix to make my burgers.
FAQ's
How do you keep chicken burgers from falling apart?
Chicken burgers tend to fall apart on the grill when they are over mixed and not pressed firmly enough into a patty. A trick to prevent over mixing is when you remove the block of ground chicken from the packaging pinch off smaller 1-inch pieces of ground chicken from the block and add them to a medium bowl. Then when you add the other ingredients and spices everything easily incorporates together evenly without over mixing the ground chicken.
What makes a chicken burger a burger?
A chicken burger has a patty formed of ground meat where a chicken sandwich uses a whole chicken breast, cutlet, or thigh that is typically breaded or grilled.
How to Store Chicken Burgers
After forming them in patties freeze them raw, then thaw, and cook when ready!
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground chicken
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ⅓ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Toppings
- 4 burger buns toasted
- 1 cup guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Lettuce
- Sliced Red Onion
Instructions
- Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill over medium heat.
- Transfer the ground chicken to a medium bowl. Add in the onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Using your hands, incorporate everything together. Make sure everything is evenly incorporated without over mixing the ground chicken.
- Form the mixture into four ½"-thick patties. Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.
- Serve each patty in a burger bun topped with guacamole and sour cream and any additional toppings needed.
Notes
- Chicken burgers tend to fall apart on the grill when they are over mixed and not pressed firmly enough into a patty. A trick to prevent over mixing is when you remove the block of ground chicken from the packaging pinch off smaller 1-inch pieces of ground chicken from the block and add them to a medium bowl. Then when you add the other ingredients and spices everything easily incorporates together evenly without over mixing the ground chicken.
- You can easily make chicken burgers outdoors on the grill or indoors on a grill pan or cast iron skillet.
Nutrition Information
I significantly bumped up the jalapeño (mostly deseeded) and amended the spices a bit in 1lb chicken and they were fabulous! I Made 3 large patties and grilled 7 min each side. Served on bun with guacamole. Next time will double for more left overs!
My Amendments:
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 c (very finely) chopped jalapeño
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
I serve this with a mango salsa for a little acid and its fantastic
I meant five stars not three
These burgers were delicious and a huge hit with the family! Nobody complained that we weren’t having beef burgers because these were so flavorful!
Huge hit all around - from my kids to my husband to my guests. Great recipe and such a nice burger change!
Would give this 10 stars if I could. It was easy breezy and turned out so juicy and flavorful! I topped mine with cheese, too, because why not?!
These are so good!!! I used a Serrano instead of jalapeño. Will definitely make again!!! Winner winner!!
Love these and have in my rotation! How would I freeze (and then make) them? Cook and freeze cooked, then reheat in a skillet? Or freeze raw and cook for the first time from frozen?
I'd probs freeze them raw, then thaw and cook when ready!
Big hit here tonight! My twelve year old had two!
Made these tonight for the fam and everyone loved them! Definitely a keeper. Didn’t have pico but added sliced tomatoes and it rocked. Super easy to throw together!
Just made these for dinner tonight and they were amazing! We don’t have a grill so we made them on the skillet, followed the cooking instructions to a T and they’re perfect. Can’t wait to make them again! Also, super easy preparation!
A great burger. Wasn't dry at all. Great flavors. Everyone, 11 month old included, loved it!
made these tonight. the store was out of jalapenos, so I substituted a poblano pepper. It was delicious! Definitely on the repeat list!
Never been a fan of burgers made with something other than beef, but this blend is the bomb. Definitely a keeper recipe in my rotation. I did use a little variation, I had ground turkey and I used a chipotle pepper instead of the fresh jalapeno because I always have these stashed in the freezer. It's a real juicy burger and I didn't miss the fact it's not beef.
I've made this recipe a couple of times and my family flipped over them! I keep this in my tried and true recipe file, It's a real winner!