Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

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.

Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken burgers with guacamole, sour cream, pico, sliced red onion, and lettuce


 

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, sour cream, pico, sliced red onion, and lettuce

Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

Author: Gaby Dalkin
4.9 from 20 votes
If you're stuck in a burger rut this juicy chicken burger is the answer. It's not only stuffed with shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro and jalapeños, but it’s enhanced even more with the addition of guac, sour cream, and some pico. It's incredible.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

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
  • â…“ 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

Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 383mg | Potassium: 1318mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 534IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WhatsGabyCookin or tag #whatsgabycooking!

 

111 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

  2. 5 stars
    Huge hit all around - from my kids to my husband to my guests. Great recipe and such a nice burger change!

  3. 5 stars
    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?!

  4. These are so good!!! I used a Serrano instead of jalapeño. Will definitely make again!!! Winner winner!!

  5. 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?

  6. 5 stars
    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!

  7. 5 stars
    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!

  8. 5 stars
    made these tonight. the store was out of jalapenos, so I substituted a poblano pepper. It was delicious! Definitely on the repeat list!

  9. 5 stars
    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.

  10. 5 stars
    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!

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