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
Now that is a burger I want to sink my teeth into!
Oh my goodness I want one of these bad boys right now!
Oh man, I will be grilling these up this week- it has everything my boyfriend and love! I also included the link to this recipe in my Sunday Meal Plan post
You are torturing me....such a yummy recipe...! My big issue is a good bun. I buy from Rudi's Bakery as they make they best bun I have found in my neighborhood! What is the key to holding them together? Is it the bread crumbs or use an egg?
Hi Gaby...want to try this this weekend. In response to Cheri you said the key to holding them together is the bread crumbs and the egg...but I don't see that in the recipe. Am I missing something? Thanks! Can't wait to try them.
nope! no bread crumbs and no egg! that comment was supposed to be on another thread! someone there was a little glitch
Ok.. I made these last night... only i altered the recipe just a tad.... I shredded the chicken and did it all in a skillet, so it was kind of like a "pulled pork" sandwich only "pulled chicken"... all the same flavors, just didn't turn it into a burger. We used guacamole and sour cream as toppings and I am telling you, this recipe is a total keeper and a new favorite in my house. Thank you!
These taste so good that we woke up thinking about them the next day!! I make my own ground chicken by throwing a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the food processor & pulsing until ground. For the cilantro, I used the kind in the tube, squirting it in. We dressed them with home-made guacamole, sour cream red onion, and chipotle hot sauce. Thank you for a great recipe I will be making often.
We just finished eating these for lunch and they were SOOOO good!! Even my 5 year old ate one! Thanks for sharing a fabulous recipe. Yummm 🙂
I made these tonight for dinner, but I used ground turkey as I have never worked with ground chicken before. We also put in a lot of Sriracha in there as well. Hubby loved them and said they must remain on the dinner menu. Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes!
These look awesome! Pinned! Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Sami
thescrapmaster.com
I love this recipe!! I made these brugers last week and loved them so much that I decided to feature your recipe on my recipe blog! http://myblueheavenhome.com/southwest-chicken-burger/
OMG!!! I almost wanted to lick the screen!!! These are going to be a new "fav" around the house!!!
Just made these and they were great. We'll be making them again! We chose bacon as a topping instead of sour cream and chipotle salsa but I look forward to trying those toppings next time. Also substituted Monterey Jack cheese for cheddar cheese as that's what we had. THANK YOU!
love it!! sounds like it was delish 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them!!
I made these tonight and they were delicious!! My husband claims that he hates any burger that does not involve beef, but he really liked these. Thank you for the great recipe! I just found your blog and so far, I am liking what I'm seeing! 🙂 I will have to check out your book too.
Just came over to browse your site and saw these lovely things. Mmmm I LOVE LOVE LOVE chicken burgers and WILL absolutely be making these! Also, one of my best friends is obsessed with your cookbook so I just bought it -- any suggestions on what to make first (and also for an appearance on my blog)? Thanks!
Hi Monique!! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Thanks for getting my cookbook! You rock 🙂
Oh I can't even think of what to make first! But if I had to choose, I vote bacon cotija guacamole!!
wow! wat a tasty and delicious look!!