Ground Chicken Burgers
by Sommer Collier — on Jul 6, 2026 I know for a fact that fewer calories doesn’t mean less flavor. My ground chicken burgers are a great example! I’ll show you how to easily turn classic American burgers into a familiar but lighter, super tasty sandwich. This recipe includes making chicken patties with a simple binder of egg and breadcrumbs, then I kick things up by adding tangy bbq sauce to the mix. These bbq chicken burgers are lean but juicy, and perfect to dress up with all kinds of toppings!
I live on a lake and have summer guests all season. Because of this, burgers are on regular rotation for when we are hosting several friends and family members at once. My famous hamburger patty recipe is a dish that everyone loves, both kids and adults without the grumbles. However, I personally get tired of eating traditional hamburgers all the time. Therefore, I’m constantly working on new burger ideas just to mix things up. (What can I say? I’m a lady that likes to live on the edge.) Today’s bbq ground chicken burgers recipe is a true crowd pleaser. It’s super simple to make with ground chicken, a little bit of breadcrumbs, an egg and a little extra seasoning. Then I add barbecue sauce right into the patty mixture as well for a surprising boost of flavor!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Not Your Average Burgers – As I mentioned, I like to change up the typical meat-between-two-buns game. I have an Asian chicken burgers recipe that incorporates rice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and other Asian seasonings. They’re absolutely delicious! However, these burgers made with ground chicken meat are still unique, but with fewer ingredients and a more down-home taste for pickier guests. (I’m looking at you, kids.)
They Really are THAT Good – Compared to traditional hamburgers these chicken burgers are quite lean and healthy, with way less fat. But that doesn’t mean tasteless! The barbecue sauce in the patty gives them deeper flavor and provides extra moisture packed in with the breadcrumb, which helps to keep them from falling apart. As the patties cook the breadcrumbs hold in all the juices and make the chicken burgers extra tender. No dry or crumbly ground chicken patties here!
Quick and Easy – Prep only takes about 10 minutes and involves little more than mixing the ground chicken meat with the binder ingredients (eggs, panko, sauce, and seasonings). Then they are shaped and seared in a large skillet or griddle on the stovetop. There’s no need to bother with a grill, and the burgers cook in only 10 minutes, max!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Ground chicken – You can use all white meat ground chicken, or a combination of white breast meat and dark ground meat. White meat chicken is much leaner, but can make the burgers a touch on the dry side. I prefer to use ground chicken with both, so there’s a bit more fat for the best burger patties.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Panko is lighter than traditional bread breadcrumbs. You can use traditional bread crumbs if you like, but note the patties might be slightly more dense. If using traditional fine crumbs, reduce the proportion by half.
- Egg – I set out a large egg on the counter 15-20 minutes before using, so it gets close to room temperature. Mixing very cold eggs with ground chicken meat will slow down the cooking process and can make the patties cook less evenly.
- BBQ sauce – Whatever you like! When I’m making burgers for just adults I’ll often use a bottle of spicy, punchy mesquite, or a boozy-tasting bourbon or whiskey bbq sauce. But I stick to sweeter sauces if I’m cooking for kids also.
- Seasonings – Let the flavor of the sauce shine! I’m only using onion powder, salt, and pepper to season the ground chicken patties.
- Olive oil – I drizzle just a bit of the oil onto the hot skillet before adding the patties. Feel free to use other high-heat and neutral-tasting cooking oil if you prefer! Avocado oil and canola oil are great options.
- Hamburger buns and toppings – Use your favorite burger buns like brioche, white bread, or potato buns. If I’m feeling “fancy” I’ll use brioche, but for casual dinners I like white bread buns.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Mix – I start by getting out my large mixing bowl, and set aside a silicone spatula and cast iron skillet (or griddle). I add all of the bbq burgers ingredients into the bowl, except for the cooking oil: ground chicken meats, panko, egg, bbq sauce, and seasonings. I wash my hands and lightly dry them, but not too much! I want them to be slightly wet so nothing sticks to my hands as I combine the ingredients into a very smooth, even mixture.
Portion – Next, I use my hand to gently smoosh the mixture into a even layer in the bottom of the boil. Then divide the mixture into 4 equal portions for the patties with the spatula.
Shape – Now I wet my hands again if they’ve gotten dry at this point. Then I scoop up each portion, one at a time, and use my hands to shape burger patties that are roughly 1 inch thick. But note that they should not be as thick as beef burgers, as they need to cook all the way through. I make them slightly larger than the buns as the patties will shrink a bit. I place the patties on a clean plate to hangout while I setup to cook.
Now, I go wash my hands again!
Cook – When I’m ready to cook the chicken patties, I set my cast iron pan on the stovetop over medium high heat. You can also use a stovetop griddle, or any large skillet with a heavy bottom. Once it’s hot I drizzle the oil evenly across the surface, wait a second or two while the oil gets hot, and then add the patties. I let them cook for a few minutes before using a spatula to gently lift the side of one burger to see if it’s browning or burning. I turn down the heat a smidge if they start to look charred, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. When they are all beautiful seared dark brown I use the spatula to carefully flip the chicken burgers with ground chicken. Don’t press down!
Let the patties cook for another few minutes before checking for doneness… After 3-5 minutes they will be browned on all sides with the meat inside completely cooked and no longer pink. If you want slices of cheese on your chicken burgers, now is the time to add them on so they melt slightly. Then I move them on another clean holding plate.
Expert Tips
I can’t stress this enough… do not press the patties down with the spatula as they pan-fry. I know it feels almost instinctual to flip and then smoosh them to sear, but you have to resist the urge! Squishing lean meats like chicken and turkey will release the juices and make the patties dry. Just flip ’em and walk away. Well, don’t really leave, but you know what I mean.
Unlike burgers made with beef, chicken burgers should not be undercooked. Instead, like my turkey burgers recipe, they need to be well-done without any pink in the middle. I usually give them a good poke with my finger to feel if they are firm or not. But to be totally sure I recommend using an internal meat thermometer to check that the internal temp reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit before removing from the skillet.
Serving Suggestions
What are the best toppings for burgers with ground chicken? Why, any of your favorite usual hamburger burger toppings! Load them with romaine or iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato and onion, bread and butter pickles… You get the idea!
As for burger sauces, you can’t go wrong with classics like ketchup, dijon mustard or yellow mustard, or mayonnaise. But these are barbecue chicken burgers after all, so you might consider using more of the sauce on top of your cooked patties! If you’re looking to try something a bit different I highly recommend my fabulous burger sauce (the name says it all), copycat Big Mac sauce recipe, or magic aioli sauce (again, great name).
They are also fantastic to use as leaner burger patties to make my spicy cowboy burgers with fried onions, or zesty Italian pizza burgers.
Speaking of leaner, since burgers made with ground chicken are a healthier option, I like to serve them with more, shall we say, indulgent foods for – um – balance? Whatever the case, you can make this a terrific chicken burgers and fries meal with any of these fry recipes:
- Deep Fried French Fries or Baked French Fries – depending on just how indulgent you want to get here
- Shoestring Fries
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries – also “healthier”
- Oven Baked Wedges or Air Fryer Potato Wedges
Storage Notes
These patties will keep well in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container. While they’ll technically keep well for 2-3 days, burgers made with ground chicken don’t have a lot of moisture content and will start do dry out fairly quickly. So I recommend eating leftovers within the first day or two.
You can freeze them also for 2-3 months in a large ziploc bag after wrapping each patty individually in plastic wrap. However, I’m not a huge fan… They need to thaw in the fridge overnight, and I find chicken burger patties, even more so than turkey burgers, get denser and drier after cooking, freezing, thawing, and reheating.
I like to reheat bbq chicken burgers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for a few minutes. But don’t overdo it or the patties will get dry and crumbly! To reheat them individually in a microwave, I first wrap the patty in a lightly damp paper towel, then cook in short 15-20 second bursts at 50% heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because there’s so much moisture in the patty before cooking, they are extremely delicate so this is not a great recipe for grilling. I would only cook these burgers on a griddle or in a skillet.
Sure! Simply use GF bread crumbs, and assemble your chicken patty sandwich on gluten-free bread.
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More Burger Recipes
Ground Chicken Burgers
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup bbq sauce
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
Optional Burger Toppings
- lettuce, tomato, onion slices, pickles, condiments
Instructions
- Set out a large bowl. Combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, barbecue sauce, egg, onion powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Mix by hand until the patty mixture is very smooth. Then divide into four equal portions.
- Shape each portion into a chicken patty about the width of the hamburger buns.
- Set a large skillet, or griddle, over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle olive oil in and gently place the chicken patties on the hot surface. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Check the patty after about 3 minutes by gently lifting up one corner with a spatula. If they start looking too dark, turn the heat down just a smidge, and continue cooking.
- Place the finished chicken patties on hamburger buns and top with your favorite burger toppings.
