Crispy Chicken Burgers (With Ground Chicken)
“Tried these for the first time last week and my family can’t get enough of them! They’re so flavorful and crispy and decadent! …nice change from a regular ol burger!” Kassie
Sink your teeth into juicy, crispy chicken burgers made with ground chicken and a crunchy panko coating. Minimal effort, no deep frying, and packed with flavor.
What to expect
Our recipe is different: Most crispy chicken burger recipes use deep-fried chicken breasts or thighs. Our version swaps in ground chicken for a lighter, easier, and less messy option -without sacrificing flavor or crunch.
- No marinating or brining necessary
- No deep frying or large amounts of oil
- Lower in calories and fat
- No special equipment needed
This ground chicken burger is a fresh twist on the classic, with tips how how to keep it juicy, crispy, and packed with flavor. Read on…
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Ground Chicken: Dark meat is the juiciest and most flavorful, but can be hard to find. White meat works too in this recipe, especially with the addition of a panade to keep it moist. Look for ground chicken with a 90:10 meat-to-fat ratio. Avoid 99% lean chicken unless you’re adding extra fat, as it can turn out dry.
Panade (the secret to juicy burgers): A simple paste made from milk (or mayo) and breadcrumbs or soft bread. It locks in moisture and improves texture.
Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, minced green onion, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh parsley give these burgers flavor without overpowering the chicken.
Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point like vegetable, canola, peanut, or light olive oil for pan frying.
Breadcrumbs for Coating: Panko crumbs create a light, crispier crust and absorb less oil. Regular breadcrumbs work too, but the texture will be slightly denser.
Substitutions
- Ground Meat: Ground turkey, beef, veal, or pork can all be used instead of chicken.
- Milk in panade: Swap with mayonnaise for a richer flavor or use a non-dairy milk if needed.
- Green onion: Replace with chopped chives or shallots
- Parsley: Use cilantro or basil for a flavor twist.
Variations for burger mixture
- Add herbs like thyme or oregano to the mix
- Stir in a spoonful of BBQ sauce, ketchup, pesto, or a bit of lemon zest
- For heat, mix in a dash of sriracha, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes
Step-by-step instructions
Tips for crispy, tender burgers
- To make tender burgers: Avoid overworking the meat. Handle the meat lightly when forming the homemade chicken patties to help keep the burgers light and juicy instead of dense and firm.
- To keep chicken burgers moist: Mix the ground chicken with the panade mixture of breadcrumbs and mayonnaise (or milk).
- To get the crispy factor:
- Don’t omit the flour as it acts as a moisture barrier. Moist breading will steam and not crisp up well.
- Let the breaded burgers sit at room temperature for 7 minutes (no longer than 30 minutes) before pan-frying them so that they don’t lower the temperature of the oil. (You can put them in the fridge for longer, but let them come to room temperature).
- Transfer the crispy chicken patties to a wire rack over a baking sheet after pan-frying. Keep them warm in a low-heat oven if you are making another batch.
Recipe FAQs
According to America’s Test Kitchen, a panade is a milk-and-bread paste that’s incorporated into ground meat before shaping it to keep the meat moist and tender. You can use mayonnaise instead of milk (as we do in this recipe) to add extra flavor and moisture to the meat.
Panko crumbs are a Japanese-style type of breadcrumb made from white crustless bread. They are drier and coarser, create a crunchier texture when fried, and absorb less oil than regular breadcrumbs.
No, chicken burgers do not need an egg to bind them, especially if you use a panade (milk-bread paste) in the filling.
Chicken burgers should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F/74C as measured by an instant-read thermometer. Don’t go by color. Even a little bit of pink is ok. It’s the temperature that matters.
What to serve with crispy ground chicken burgers
I love serving the burgers in brioche buns or regular hamburger buns with some great toppings such as:
- the traditional mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese and lettuce
- BBQ sauce or pesto
- grilled eggplant slices
- red pepper sauce
- sriracha aioli or another aioli like lemon, garlic or herb
- coleslaw including our yummy grilled purple cabbage slaw or spicy Asian coleslaw.
And check out these sides and salads to complement the crispy chicken burgers:
Shortcuts
Fresh seasoning is best for these ground chicken patties, but you can use garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley if you don’t have fresh herbs and aromatics.
More ground chicken recipes
- grilled chicken burgers with mango salsa
- chicken meatloaf with vegetables
- Hungarian chicken paprikash with meatballs
- saucy baked chicken meatballs
- wedding soup recipe with zest
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Crispy Chicken Burgers (With Ground Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, Note 1
- 1/4 cup neutral oil for pan frying vegetable, peanut, canola, olive oil
Panade and seasoning mixture
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular bread crumbs or 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (or milk or broth)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (about 2 tablespoons dried)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Breading
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 egg mixed with a tablespoon water
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular breadcrumbs ok, but texture less light and crispy)
Serving options
- hamburger buns and toppings, Note 2
Instructions
- PREPARE BREADING STATION: Place a beaten egg with a splash of water into a shallow bowl. Place flour into another shallow bowl. Place panko crumbs on a plate. Place a plate or cutting board nearby for the breaded chicken patties.
- MAKE CHICKEN MIXTURE: In a large bowl, mix panade (Note 2) and seasoning ingredients together. Let stand a few minutes if using milk or broth to allow liquid to absorb. Add ground chicken to the panade mixture. Using a clean hand formed like a claw, combine lightly. Try not to overwork the mixture.
- FORM BURGERS: Roughly divide chicken mixture into 5 parts. Wet your hands and lightly make a patty (about 1/3 pound/150 grams each). Patties will be wet and sticky, approximately 1 inch/2.5 cm thick. Dip each patty into flour to coat lightly. Shake off excess flour. Then dip patty into egg mixture, and finally into panko crumbs to cover entire surface. Repeat for all 5 chicken burgers. Let sit for 7 minutes to allow crumbs to adhere, flour to absorb moisture and burgers to come to room temperature.
- PAN-FRY BURGERS: Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or other nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. Add the number of burgers that fit comfortably. Don't overcrowd the pan. Pan-fry burgers for 4 minutes, then turn and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes , depending on thickness, until golden brown. If panko coating is browning to quickly, lower heat to medium heat. The internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer should reach 160F/71C. Temperature will rise 5 degrees on resting. Transfer the crispy chicken patties to a wire rack over a baking sheet after pan-frying if you are making another batch. Keep them warm in a low heat oven.
- SERVE: in brioche buns or regular hamburger buns with toppings of your choice. Note 3. Or skip the buns and just use toppings.
Recipe Notes
- Ground chicken: I prefer dark meat ground chicken – juicier and more flavorful. But hard to find. With the panade, white meat will work fine too. Try to get ground chicken (or turkey) with a 90:10 meat-to-fat ratio. This means 90% chicken and 10% fat. Even 93% meat. The 99% lean chicken in my experience is too dry. Substitute ground turkey.
- What is a panade? a panade is a milk-and-bread paste that’s incorporated into ground meat before shaping it to keep the meat moist and tender. You can use mayo instead of milk.
- Topping possibilities:
- the traditional mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese and lettuce;
- BBQ sauce or pesto;
- grilled eggplant slices;
- red pepper sauce;
- sriracha aioli or another aioli like lemon, garlic or herb;
- coleslaw like our yummy grilled purple cabbage slaw
- Seasoning variations: Try adding thyme or oregano, a dollop of ketchup, pesto or BBQ sauce, lemon zest or sriracha for heat. Chopped cilantro instead of parsley will infuse a different flavor profile as well..
- To lower calories and carbs:
- use light mayo or low-fat milk instead of full-fat mayo,
- skip the bun or use a low-carb bun,
- use leaner chicken e.g only 5% fat (if you must!),
- make smaller burgers – 6 quarter-pound burgers instead of 5 third-of-a-pound burgers.
- Alternatively, try our grilled chicken burgers with no breaded coating.
- Make Ahead:
- Make the burgers a couple of hours or a day ahead, then reheat them in a 350F/177C for 10 minutes or until heated through.
- Leftover burgers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Or freeze them for up to 3 months and defrost them before reheating.
I never leave reviews and I’ve made thousands of recipes off Pinterest, felt the need to finally leave one. These burgers are absolutely phenomenal!! My 10month old and husband both devoured them!! Thank you this will be in our rotation!
Aww – what a lovely comment Courtney – thank you so much! So glad the young and old like the recipe 🙂 I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment, especially with a 10 month old (I know how that can be).
I am new to your site, but I am thrilled to have found you. I have already made several of your recipes. One of the best is your Crispy Chicken burgers. They were made with turkey instead of chicken and I added fresh diced onion and garlic to replace the ground seasoning. This recipe was FABULOUS!! It was tasty, and CRUNCHY, with a reasonable cost to make. Better yet…all ingredients were at hand. Served on a bun with condiments, home made coleslaw and chips. Many, many thanks for sharing such a great dish. I cannot wait to try more from your home to mine.
PS- Leftovers were just as great!!!
I am new to your site, but find I am thrilled to have found you. I have already made several of your recipes. One of the best is your Crispy Chicken. I made it with turkey instead of chicken and added fresh diced onion and garlic instead of powder. This recipe was FABULOUS!! It was tasty, and CRUNCY, with a reasonable cost to make. Served on a bun with condiments, home made coleslaw and chips. Many, many thanks for sharing.
PS- Leftovers very just as great!!!
What a lovely comment Jackie – thank you 🙂 Good to hear the leftover burgers were as good as the fresh ones!
Tried these for the first time last week and my family can’t get enough of them! They’re so flavorful and crispy and decadent! Making them again tonight and I’m sure they’re going to be in regular rotation, nice change from a regular ol burger!
Music to my ears Kassie! Thanks very much for leaving a comment 🙂
Is is possible to make the patties advance and freeze? Then thaw and finish with the final flour, egg, and panko.
Absolutely!
These turned out great!!! My husband ate 3 patties! We paired with coleslaw
So husband-approved! Glad you both enjoyed them 🙂
Absolute perfection. We paired with roasted potatoes and will be a mainstay for our family!
We’re delighted you liked the burgers! Thanks for posting your comment 🙂
I’ve always made turkey burgers, have been wanting to try chicken burgers since I’ve been watching my calories. This is delicious. I used red onion instead of scallions because that’s what I had, and I added a jalapeno. I didn’t coat with panko because I didn’t have enough (although that sounds delicious). Not at all dry, wonderful flavor. I will definitely make again.
So glad you liked them Tracey, even without the panko. Thanks very much for taking the time to leave a comment. Much appreciated!
Perfect instructions! Delicious chicken burgers. Loved the crunch of the panko. Definite keeper, thank you so much!
You are very welcome Juenessa! Glad you found the instructions helpful and, most importantly, that you liked the recipe!
These look so good, going to try really soon… quick question… does the nutrition information include the hamburger buns?
No, the buns are not included in the nutrition information. At the end of the recipe notes (for most recipes when relevant), I write if the nutrition information includes any extras. I hope that helps.
Just made these tonight and they were so good! Came together very quickly, cooked up crispy, and came out juicy. Added ground mustard to the panade and a pinch of cayenne. Would either add more spice to the panade or with toppings next time for a little more heat, but that’s obviously a personal preference. And good enough for our very picky eater to gobble up. Would definitely make again!
I like your tweaks Mj. Thanks for sharing. Glad you liked the burgers!
Easy recipe that everyone loved.
So glad you all liked the chicken burgers Doug! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂