Crispy Chicken Burgers (With Ground Chicken)
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.
Servings (change as needed): 5 burgers
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.
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.
Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 764mg | Potassium: 804mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 416IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 3mg