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
These burgers are amazing! So delicious and fresh tasting! Made it with the Parmesan roasted potatoes. Everybody loved them. Thanks Gaby!!!
Made these tonight and my 10 and 6 year old sons rated a 10!!!!! They ask for 3rd’s! I served with potato wedges. Thanks Gaby!
SO happy to hear that!
Hi Gaby! Made these last night and loved them!! This is going in the regular rotation for sure. I’m always looking for lean sources of protein - could I make these ahead of time? If so, how far in advance? Could I freeze the patties, and if so, would you freeze them raw or cooked?
def freezable - either way would work
Made the chicken and guacamole burgers tonight went down a treat. Used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
SO happy to hear it!
Can I throw some chopped mushrooms in the burger mix?
sure
Made these today. Delicious! Will definitely make again.
Hi! Does anything need to be used to bind this burger?
just all the ingredients in the recipe!
These are amazing! I make it using ground turkey and they are fantastic! Thanks for the recipe, Gaby!
This looks great! I'm thinking about making it tonight but it's too cold to grill. Will it turn out the same if I cook the patties on the stove?
absolutely!
This is a winner! My son in law said "Oooooh Yeah!!! You can make it every week!
I altered the recipe just a little. I didn't have jalapeño so I substituted 2 tablespoons of Salsa Verde and instead of cheddar cheese I used pepper jack. Also, replaced sour cream with plain Greek yoghurt and I used minced turkey instead of chicken
Huge fan. We should have a backyard cookout where you make the burgers and I make the brownies. Weeee
This is a winner... Chicken burgers are something I've only recently started to make at home..
I spend a lot of time looking through your blog.. I must say that I get a big kick at how frequently you have guacamole in your recipes.. I love it... Keep bringing the guac... :O)
I'll find a way to put guacamole on ANYTHING 🙂 Glad you enjoy it too!!
Yum! This looks so delicious, especially with all of that guac!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Happiness on a bun!!
For goodness sake! this looks SO delicious!