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
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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
Can you tell me what is the nutritional breakdown of the recipe?
Do you think these would do well frozen raw and cooked later?? I'd love to make some extra for a later night.
Hey Emily! I haven't tried to freeze these but I would think they would be fine - just be sure to cover them really well so they don't get freezer burn! Happy cooking!
Tried these last night, and they came out UH-MAZING!! Thank you for the recipe - this one's a keeper!
yay!! Thanks Renee!
Just made these-absolutely fantastic! Thanks for a wonderful recipe
Oh, my. I don't even like chicken burgers but these sound amazing!
I am so excited for a burger recipe I , can enjoy I am an avocado lover and that dressing looks delicious....
These look fantastic! My favorite flavors in burger form!
oh these chicken burgers look amazing!
Those look amazing!
Those look so tasty! Bookmarked t try!
Where can I get ground chicken?
I find it at Whole Foods - but any local grocery store should have it!
These look amazing!! I have ground turkey that I need to use up - do you think this would work well with ground turkey instead of ground chicken?
turkey is a great substitute for the ground chicken!
I agree - every burger needs those toppings! Looks SO amazing... Me want! (down to child-like demanding). 😉
Oooowie these were so delicious. My boyfriend said if he ever gets the electric chair... This meal is top 3. We stuffed the patties with cheese so when we took every massive bite melted cheese would string out. Definately making again.
What a burger!! I want this asap!!