These Grilled Chicken Burgers combine chorizo sausage with ground chicken breast to deliver a burger that will wow your crowd. The combination of meat nails it when it comes to flavor and texture. Chorizo adds just enough pizzaz to make this a juicy burger that you’ll want to make over and over.
Why Chorizo Is The Secret To Juicy, Flavor Packed Grilled Chicken Burgers
Many grilled chicken burger recipes rely on egg or breadcrumbs as binders to help retain moisture and prevent dryness. But there’s a better way to build a juicy, flavor-loaded burger—by combining lean ground chicken with rich, spicy Mexican chorizo.
Chicken breast alone can result in a burger that’s dry, crumbly, and lacking flavor. That’s where chorizo comes in. Mexican chorizo not only adds essential fat to keep the burger moist, but it also infuses every bite with bold, tangy flavor and a hint of warm heat. The result? A chicken burger that’s anything but boring.
This chicken and chorizo combination is a winning combination that stands up beautifully on the grill—juicy, flavorful, and perfectly satisfying. And to take things to the next level, we top it with quick cumin-lime pickles that add a bright, zesty crunch.
Grilled Chicken Burgers with Chorizo: juicy, smoky, a little spicy, and guaranteed to impress.
Choosing The Best Ground Chorizo
Please note, we’re making these grilled chicken burgers with bulk Mexican Chorizo, packaged and resembling ground beef. Mexican Chorizo sausage in a tube contains too much oil and would be difficult to form into a burger patty.
And please don’t confuse Spanish Chorizo with Mexican Chorizo. Spanish chorizo is dry cured and smoked. It’s commonly sold in links and simply won’t work to make this burger. Save that product for soups or your next charcuterie board.
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Grilled Chicken Burgers
- Ground Chicken: I’ve made these grilled chicken burgers using ground chicken breast and a package labeled ground chicken, which is a combination of breast and thigh meat. The latter will bring a little more flavor and fat, but both blends work well here.
- Onion: I like using a sweet or yellow onion here. And grated rather than chopped.
- New Mexico Chile Powder: Living so close to New Mexico, I’m very lucky to have a good stash of all kinds of New Mexico Chile Powders. Chimayo Chile Powder is my red chile powder of choice. You can also use Ancho Chile Powder which is readily found on the spice aisle at your local supermarket.
Ingredients To Make Quick Pickles
- Rice Vinegar: I like using Seasoned Rice Vinegar. It’s more flavorful due to the addition of salt and sugar. Check the label is you’re against MSG, some brands do add it.
- Cucumbers: Choose English cucumbers or Baby Cucumbers. Each of those varieties have a more pleasant and edible skin.
- Smoked Sea Salt: Check the spice aisle and look for a smoked salt product. It will enhance the flavor of the pickling solution. If you can’t find any, just substitute with Kosher salt.
Step By Step Instructions – Quick Pickles
These are called quick pickles because they’re not going through the canning process, however they still need to soak in brine to gain flavor. Since the cumin lime pickles need a couple of hours to make, let’s start with them first.
- Step 1: Slice The Cucumbers: Use a mandolin for even slicing which will equal even flavor. Slice them with skin on ⅛ inch thick.
- Step 2: Place them in a colander and sprinkle with a little salt. Set the colander on a plate or in the sink and let them drain for 2 hours. This will help them soak up the flavor of the pickling brine.
- Step 4: In a medium bowl, mix together the pickling brine ingredients. Add the cucumber and stir. Let them soak in the liquid for 1 hour.
Step by Step Instructions – Chicken Chorizo Burgers
- Step 1: Break up the ground chorizo into very small pieces and add it to the ground chicken. Place the meat in a bowl, add the grated onion, garlic and red chile powder. Use your hands to mix together gently, just as you would making meatloaf, being careful not to over mix.
- Step 2: Form patties and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat grill to 450 degrees, then lower to 350 degrees. Cook on each side about 6 minutes. Tent with foil towards the end to insure they are no longer pink inside. Use a digital read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees. No backyard grill? These chicken burgers can easily be made stovetop using a grill pan or cast iron skillet.
As you can see, these chicken burgers on the grill are holding together nicely and sporting some mighty fine grill marks. For just the two of us, I only grilled three patties and froze the rest to use at a later date.
About The Texture Of Raw Chicken Patties
While forming the chicken burger patties, you’ll find the texture to be very different than when making ground beef burgers. The meat will feel sticky and somewhat loose. Not to worry, refrigerating will help them firm up, and once they hit that sizzling grill, they’ll cook up just fine without falling apart.
Flavor Variations For Chicken Chorizo Burgers
- Healthier: Make these healthier by serving this grilled burger using iceberg lettuce leaves to replace a hamburger bun. Simply make the burger patties smaller.
- Southwestern: Skip the quick pickles and add a topping of smashed avocado or Molcajete Guacamole. Or, top with some Pickled Red Onions.
- Tropical: Top with a scoop of Jalapeno Pineapple Coleslaw instead of the pickles.
- Make it Cheesy: During the last two minutes of cooking, add a slice of cheese. Have fun and think outside the cheddar box. Try slices of Pepper Jack Cheese to compliment the flavor of Chorizo.
- Wanting some barbecue? As the burgers cook, baste each side with your favorite bbq sauce or some Cherry BBQ Sauce. It’s a great flavor for chicken.
Tips For Success
- Since we’re grilling a very lean burger, clean the grill grates well and then oil the grates. Just pour some oil on a bunched up paper towel and use grilling tongs to swipe the oiled paper towel over the grates before adding the burger patties. I like to use Avocado oil.
- Resist the urge to press down on the chicken patties as they cook. When you do that you’re releasing some of the juices. Let’s keep those burgers juicy and tender.
- Be safe and use a digital read thermometer to check the internal temperature before removing from the grill. Chicken burgers are ready to pull from the grill when they reach 165 degrees registered from the center of the burger.
- Grate The Onion: Grating onion is easy using a zester. Grating rather than chopping onion will help the burger hold together better. Chunks of chopped onion may compromise the burger’s ability to stand up on the grill.
What To Serve It With, Sides and Drink Pairings
This chicken chorizo burger would be great with sweet potato fries . Or try this Mexican Corn Salad with Citrus Aioli. Potato salad is always a welcome side dish, take a look at this recipe for Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Bacon.
Mexican Micheladas would make a refreshing beverage for grilled chicken burgers. Or check out my recipe for Spicy Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita.
FAQ’s
Everything about these grilled chicken burgers are gluten free aside from the bun. All you’ll need to do is substitute a regular burger bun for a gluten free bun.
Chorizo. We’re adding a bit of chorizo sausage which will bring some fat to the lean ground chicken. That chorizo will help add juicy texture and flavor to these chicken burgers.
Absolutely. This recipe makes 6 burger patties. With the two of us, I make three patties and freeze the remaining. Just wrap the patties individually with plastic wrap. Then place in a freezer safe container, or freezer safe zip-lock style bag. They’ll keep for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then grill.
Related Recipes
And if you’re burger fanatics like us, don’t miss my category for Hamburger Recipes. You’ll find one of the most popular burgers on my site for Bobby Flay’s Texas Burger with Coleslaw.
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Grilled Chicken Burgers with Chorizo and Cumin-Lime Quick Pickles
Ingredients
- For the quick pickles
- 2 ½ cups Persian cucumbers or baby cucumbers, or english cucumbers
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup Seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 limes zest and juice
- ¼ teaspoon smoked salt
- For The Chorizo Burgers
- ½ pound Mexican chorizo sausage bulk chorizo
- 1 pound Ground chicken thighs or chicken breast
- ¼ onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the Quick Pickles: Begin by slicing the cucumbers into a pickle shape by using a mandolin, or the slicing blade on your food processor. ⅛" thick is a good size. You can also use a very sharp knife and a keen eye to accomplish this.
- Place the cucumbers in a colander and add a pinch of salt and toss. Place them on a plate, or in the kitchen sink. The salt will extract some of the moisture which will allow them to absorb more of the pickling flavor. Let them sit for 2 hours.
- In the meantime, prepare the quick pickling liquid. Combine the vinegar, lime zest and juice, cumin, garlic powder, smoked peppercorns and salt. Pour over the cucumbers and let sit for about an hour.
- For The Chorizo Burgers:
- While the pickles are brining, break up the ground chorizo into very small pieces and add it to the ground chicken. Place the meat in a bowl, add the grated onion, garlic and red chile powder.
- Use your hands to mix together gently, being careful not to over mix.
- Form patties and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat grill to 450 degrees, then lower to 350 degrees. Cook on each side about 6 minutes. Tent with foil towards the end to insure they are no longer pink inside. Use a digital read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- To build the burgers, start with a toasted bun and the chorizo chicken patty. Top with a few of the quick pickles, a slice of tomato and some lettuce.
Notes
- Since we’re grilling a very lean burger, clean the grill grates well and then oil the grates. Just pour some oil on a bunched up paper towel and use grilling tongs to swipe the oiled paper towel over the grates before adding the burger patties. I like to use Avocado oil.
- Resist the urge to press down on the chicken patties as they cook. When you do that you’re releasing some of the juices. Let’s keep those burgers juicy and tender.
- Be safe and use a digital read thermometer to check the internal temperature before removing from the grill. Chicken burgers are ready to pull from the grill when they reach 165 degrees registered from the center of the burger.
- Grate The Onion: Grating onion is easy using a zester. Grating rather than chopping onion will help the burger hold together better. Chunks of chopped onion may compromise the burger’s ability to stand up on the grill.
Nutrition
Grilled Chicken Burgers …. It’s whats for dinner
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What a delicious-looking burger!
Thank you Nancy.
I an decidedly on the burger-are-made-from-beef side of the fence, but this recipe just might get me to change my mind. Great photos, btw.
I’m on your side of the buyers-are-made-from-beef side of the fence. This one was pretty darn good.
Chicken burgers sound delicious, but those pickles are like a siren song. Yum! Also, just love the pictures. The vibrant green pickles, the Frankoma bowl and the crinkled paper – girl!
Thanks Vickie. Bob art directed the shot after I said “lets see …… what plate would this burger look good on”. And I too love those little Frankoma bowls. Those pickles are really good.
I also find most chicken and turkey burger recipes lacking in taste. The chorizo in these sounds great along with those zippy pickles!
Susan, couldn’t agree more and the chorizo really does make this a good burger. But also rather defeats the “health” part. However, if you notice, I used a whole wheat bun. 🙂
I really want to make this recipe. It sounds amazing! Second one I have seen that uses Chorizo. Now I need to go get some so I can make these. Thanks for sharing!
Make sure you get chorizo from a butcher. Some of the grocery stores sell chorizo in a tube that’s got an awful lot of grease.
That chorizo most certainly didn’t hurt that burger. 🙂
Now I’ve made beef and chorizo burgers before, but never chicken… this will be going on the must try list for sure!
I’d like to try Beef Chorizo burgers too!
What a great looking sandwich, Lea Ann! I love the idea of a chicken burger, even better with chorizo.
Thanks Holly.
I am totally not surprised that this recipe caught your eye. I’m with you about chicken burger, but the addition of chorizo wins me over and the pickles…it is now a must try.
Those pickles really made that burger.
Wow – that looks like a delicious burst of flavor, with everything going on in that burger. YUM. What a great choice!
Thanks Shelley C.
So imaginative. I think this combination sounds delicious. Good looking burger Lea Ann.
Thanks Karen.
I would normally not get to enthused over a chicken burger, but the addition of chorizo got my attention. The pickle topping sounds perfect and I like being able to make them in a couple of hours. Great shot of it with the pickle that has fallen off.
I would normally not get enthused over a chicken burger either Larry. Especially since I always buy ground breast. Maybe I should try ground thighs next time. Anyway, yes, that pickle is a nice flavorful topping. Thanks for the compliment on the photo.
My mouth waters when I look at your photo! I just have to make these burgers! Thanks!
Thanks Lynne. And thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Nice, I think I could eat about 10 of these right now! Dee-lish!
I always feel that way about any burger. 🙂
Wow I would have to visit at dinner time. wish I could change what we were having for dinner. Those look amazing and great photos too
Thanks Marla, and thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Oh, man! This looks outstanding! Wow!
Thanks Adam
great flavor combo…the pickles look amazing..
Those pickles are special.
Those sound wonderful!
Thanks Ashley. And thanks for stopping by and the comment. Love the name of your blog.
This is an inspired combination of flavors. The pickles just made my Must Try list.
It’s a great recipe SeattleDee. We enjoyed the whole thing, from chicken to pickle.
I made these pickles when I had her blog – I love them!
Those pickles are GOOOO-od