Juicy, and packed with bold Southwest flavor, these ground chicken burgers with green chile peppers prove that chicken burgers don't have to be bland or boring. Roasted green chiles bring just the right amount of heat, and with warm spices, you’ll want to make this again next week.
Why You’ll Love These Grilled Chicken Burgers
- These burgers stay juicy on the grill.
- They are just right spicy in a warming sort of way.
- The flavor is bold enough that you don't need a mile of toppings to make them interesting.
- I've made a lot of chicken burgers that felt like a sad compromise to beef burgers. These aren't that. They taste like something you'd actually crave, not something you eat while wishing you'd made beef burgers instead.
How to Keep Ground Chicken Burgers Juicy On The Grill
Ground chicken burgers have a notorious reputation for having a rubbery, dry texture. I’ve made some of these, and here’s what I’ve done to correct that.
- I’ve added moisture directly to the ground chicken meat, rather than brushing it on the ground chicken patties once they hit the grill. Adding a vegetable with high moisture content, like roasted chopped Hatch Chile peppers will keep these burgers nice and moist, and bring Southwestern flavor. This combination also creates a flavor combo that doesn’t fall flat.
Ground Chicken Burgers That Won’t Fall Apart On The Grill
It’s been my experience that you can’t just form ground chicken into patties and expect them to behave like a beef burger one they hit those hot grates or your indoor grill pan. Ground Chicken is much softer than ground beef and has a tendency to fall apart. I’ve added Panko bread crumbs to the ground chicken mixture. It’s an easy trick, and along with a quick trip to the refrigerator will insure a solid chicken burger patty recipe that will stay together.
The chicken burgers will cook up like a charm, lets get started.
Ingredients For Grilled Southwest Chicken Burgers
Some recipes can drop a spice list on you that reads like a scavenger hunt list. Here’s what matters for a flavorful Southwest chicken burger.
- Ground Chicken: I like to use a package of ground chicken labeled “ground chicken”. Its a mix between breast and dark meat, providing a little more fat and flavor. Ground chicken breast will work well here also.
- Chile Peppers: Use roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped Hatch Chile Peppers. You can purchase canned, which are readily found on the Mexican aisle at the supermarket. I keep a stash of fresh roasted chile peppers in my freezer. If you don’t have access to chile roasters each Fall, you can order them directly from The Hatch Chile Store. They’re a great resource for all things related to New Mexico Hatch Chiles.
- Seasonings: Cumin brings an earthy and almost smoky flavor to these burgers and cilantro a bright grassy citrus note.
- Fat, Moisture and Binder: Mayonnaise, Dijon and Panko Bread Crumbs.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Cilantro: If you simply don’t like cilantro, just omit it.
- Dijon: Substitute regular yellow mustard for Dijon.
- Mayonnaise: Substitute Sour Cream for extra tang. Or be brave and use Chipotle Mayo in it’s place.
Tip: On Cleaning Roasted Chile Peppers: Friends don’t let friends use water to remove the blistered skins off roasted chile peppers. Just scrape the skins off with your hands. If you rinse them with water, you’re washing away some of that smoky flavor that we all love.
How to Make Ground Chicken Burgers
How To Shape Chicken Burger Patties So They Don’t Fall Apart
- Step 1: Combine ground chicken, cumin, chopped chiles, chopped cilantro, bread crumbs and salt and pepper.
- Step 2: Using your hands to gently mix until well combined. Don’t over mix or over work the patties, this will cause the meat to pack together which will result in a rubbery texture. Gently form them meat into patties until you feel they are holding together well.
Tip” Hands are always the best tool for mixing ground meat. Using a large spoon will crush everything together, creating a tighter mix, which can cause the meat mixture to be dry and too dense in texture = rubbery end result.
- Step 3: Divide the meat mixture into four patties. Important: Refrigerate the ground chicken patties for 30 minutes before grilling. This will help them firm up and bind together and keep them from falling apart on the grill.
- Step 4: Brush grill grates or grill pan with oil and grill burgers, flipping a few times, until good grill marks are present.
How Long To Grill Ground Chicken Burgers
Internal Temperature and Food Safety: Grill ground chicken patties until good grill marks are visible and instant read meat thermometer reads 165 degrees internal temperature. About 8 – 10 minutes.
Best Buns and Best Toppings for Southwest Chicken Burgers
- Toppings: You don’t need much. Avocado. Crisp lettuce and a slice of tomato. Maybe grilled onions. Keep it simple. The burger already has personality. Let it show.
- Buns: Choose a regular hamburger bun that's soft, sturdy and flavorful. No need to go gourmet here. Tip: I discourage the use of Brioche buns simply because they are too soft, too sweet, and their high butter and sugar content can lead to a soggy bun that will fall apart under the weight of a juicy burger.
- Best Way To Toast A Hamburger Bun: Just smear the inside of each bun with a little butter, margarine, or even a thin smear of mayonnaise (preferred). Place each bun half, oiled side down in the fry pan or on the grill until they're starting to toast. No need to scrape out the skillet to toast buns, those tiny bits of left over meat will add flavor.
Tips for Grilling Chicken Burgers Without Sticking or Drying Out
- Don’t skip the green chiles. Vegetables have a high water content and will help bring moisture and texture to that chicken burger. Example. This recipe contains chopped Hatch Chile Peppers. Or you can use small diced bell peppers. Sautee them until soft before adding them to the chicken patties.
- Oil The Grates: Oiling the grill grates will keep these chicken burger patties from sticking. Heat the grill, then use tongs and an oil soaked paper towel to wipe the grates. A high smoke point oil like canola or avocado oil work well here.
- Don’t cook them to death! They’ll dry out. Start with a high temperature to develop a sear, cooking about a minute or so each side, lower heat and finish cooking the burger. Please remember that chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a digital meat thermometer to determine temperature.
- Add tomato and lettuce to your chicken burger bun, they will bring a juicy slice of moisture to the overall experience.
The French get involved for a delicious finish to this recipe. A mixture of Dijon and mayonnaise make a great condiment for chicken burgers.
Ground Chicken vs Ground Turkey for Southwest Burgers
Both work. They're just different.
Chicken stays softer and juicier and ground turkey has more structure. I reach for chicken when I want tenderness and bold seasoning. Turkey when I want a sturdier bite. No wrong answer. Just preference. Check out my recipe for Turkey Burgers For The Grill for instance.
What To Serve It With
Think easy! Grilled corn, a quick slaw, a fresh salad with one of our favorite easy vinaigrettes, Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing. Or roasted potatoes like these Smashed Chimichurri Potatoes. Sides should keep up but not steal the show.
FAQ’s
In my opinion the answer to this question is yes and no. I’ve made many a chicken burger patty and my most successful chicken burgers have contained a binder. For my recipe Panko breadcrumbs keep those burgers from falling apart without the addition of egg. I’ve not had good success using egg in chicken burgers.
That’s the beauty of cooking with chile peppers. You can purchase mild, medium or hot. I find that a medium heat pepper are more flavorful than mild and without being too aggressive with spicy heat. Choose according to your heat tolerance, you’re in control of the spice level.
Absolutely yes. When my outdoor grill is in hibernation for the winter, I cook these stove top using a cast iron skillet, or better yet (for grill marks) a cast iron stove top grill pan. No need for any adjustments to the cooking time.
Make Ahead, Storing and Reheating
- Make Ahead: Since this recipe calls for the ground chicken patties to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking, this is an excellent candidate for make ahead chicken burgers. Make these up to a day ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
- Storage: For just the two of us, I make the chicken patties, then cook just two and freeze the other two raw patties to cook at a later date. If you have leftover cooked chicken burgers, store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to microwave them to reheat and the 50% power feature on the microwave is your best friend. Place a chicken patty on a microwave safe plate and heat in 30 second increments until warm enough to eat. This lower/slower method avoids any food explosions and will keep the burgers from drying out.
- Freezer: It’s easy to freeze uncooked chicken burger patties. Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap or a freezer zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to label and date the container. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator and grill the next day. You can also freeze cooked patties and reheat using my microwave method above.
Recipe for Southwest Ground Chicken Burgers
These homemade chicken burgers are easy enough for a weeknight meal and so satisfying with flavor. They may just be the perfect ground chicken burger.
And if love Southwestern style burgers, don’t miss my recipe for New Mexico Tortilla Burgers. Easy and full of flavor.
More Popular Burger Recipes
And if you’re looking for more Burger recipes, check out my category for Hamburger Recipes. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including one of the most popular on my site for Jalapeno Steak Sauce Burger.
And if you're looking to learn more about Colorado and New Mexico Chile Peppers and how to use them, don't miss my article on Chile vs Chili … Know The Difference.
This recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe = always reliable.
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Grilled Southwest Ground Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken Either ground chicken breast, or ground chicken (combo of breast and thigh meat)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 large Roasted Hatch Chile Peppers tops and skin removed, chopped (or two cans diced green chile, drained)
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves fine chopped
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs or fresh bread crumbs, chopped well.
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Canola oil for brushing
- 1 tomato sliced
- leaf lettuce Soft lettuce like red leaf, butter or bibb
- 4 Hamburger Buns toasted
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or sour cream.
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Combine chicken, cumin, chiles, chopped cilantro, bread crumbs and salt and pepper.
- Using your hands, gently mix and divide into 4 patties. Important: Refrigerate the ground chicken patties for 30 minutes before grilling. This will help them firm up and bind together and keep them from falling apart on the grill.
- Heat grill to medium high, or heat a grill pan over medium high heat stove top. Then use tongs and an oil soaked paper towel to wipe the grates. A high smoke point oil like canola or avocado oil work well here.
- Grill chicken burgers, flipping a couple of times, until good grill marks are present and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees internal temperature. 8 – 10 minutes.
- Grill buns, just until toasted, about one minute. Serve burgers on buns with tomato slices, mayo and mustard mixture, and lettuce.
Notes
Tips for Grilling Chicken Burgers Without Sticking or Drying Out
- Don’t skip the green chiles. Vegetables have a high water content and will help bring moisture and texture to that chicken burger. Example. This recipe contains chopped Hatch Chile Peppers. Or you can use small diced bell peppers. Sautee them until soft before adding them to the chicken patties.
- Oil The Grates: Oiling the grill grates will keep these chicken burger patties from sticking. Heat the grill, then use tongs and an oil soaked paper towel to wipe the grates. A high smoke point oil like canola or avocado oil work well here.
- Don’t cook them to death! They’ll dry out. Start with a high temperature to develop a sear, cooking about a minute or so each side, lower heat and finish cooking the burger. Please remember that chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a digital meat thermometer to determine temperature.
- Add tomato and lettuce to your chicken burger bun, they will bring a juicy slice of moisture to the overall experience.
Nutrition
Hatch Green Chile Ground Chicken Burgers … They’re what’s for Dinner.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
These burgers are moist and absolutely delish. I roasted my own Hatch chiles before putting the ingredients together. I was able to make 4, 5.5 ounce burgers and a 4 ounce burger with all the ingredients. I did make the chipotle mayonnaise for the bun, which was fantastic, but I wanted to taste those fresh roasted green chiles and it did cover the flavor somewhat. It was a party in my mouth and I would definitely make these again! Served with lettuce, tomato, red onion and air fried southwest potato wedges.
Im down for that! Looks yummy! Green chili anything is ok in my book!
Thank you for mentioning Hatch Green Chile. We would love to send you a free box of our Hatch Green Chile as a thank you. If you’re interested, please send me an email with your mailing address.
Mm, this sounds so good! I love the side items you went with-very refreshing! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
These look amazing. I am with you on Martha. I have almost all of her books and have never been steered wrong by one of her recipes.
Me too – so far.
I go back and forth on washing the skins off my Hatch chilies. You absolutely do lose some flavor, but they’re already so flavorful that I don’t know if it matters much. I should do a taste test one of these days! Anyway, I love burgers too. And almost always beef for me. Need to try these chicken burgers. Need to wait until later this summer when I can get Hatch chilies again — I’ve exhausted my frozen supply!
I’ve got a freezer full – come for a visit. 😉
I know I’m missing out on something very special with those Hatch chilies! Wish I could find them here. What a great idea to switch up the burger menu and give it a Southwestern twist. They look wonderful!
You can always order them. There are companies in NM that ship frozen.
I have never tried a chicken burger, probably because I’m not a fan of turkey burgers. However, this one sounds and looks delicious, so I think I’ll give it a go!
I’ll take my beef burgers any time, but it’s nice to try something new.
Love Hatch green chiles and love this burger. The flavor pairings sound amazing. (Glad the French got involved at the last minute!)
I’m glad the French got involved also – love that Dijon. 🙂
I’ve never eaten a chicken burger but this sounds very good. Green chiles make everything better and we plan to restock while out that way.
If you’re coming in July, we won’t have any available yet. Signed Debbie Downer.
What a great recipe! I am very into ground turkey but have texture issues and never thought of adding bread crumbs. This is a game changer. Thanks!
Martha’s original recipe didn’t call for bread crumbs, my idea. It seemed to work pretty darn good. I was just too afraid of that odd texture without.