Spicy Chicken Burgers (Healthy)

These deliciously succulent spicy chicken burgers are low in fat, quick and easy to make and bursting with flavour! Made using pantry ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes.

You might also like salmon burgers with cucumber and radish slaw.

Spicy chicken burgers ingredients

These healthy chicken burgers are made using naturally low in fat ground chicken breast.  The combination of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika creates a deliciously warming flavour while the fresh cilantro and onion add moisture.  I used panko breadcrumbs for binding as well as coating the burgers.

Can I use fine breadcrumbs instead of panko

The breadcrumbs play an important role in binding the ingredients together, absorbing excess moisture and creating soft, succulent burgers.  Panko breadcrumbs are simply more effective at this than fine breadcrumbs so I recommend panko. You can, however, use fine breadcrumbs for coating the burgers.

Panko breadcrumbs can be a little pricey but they are easy to make at home.  Here are my easy tips for making your own breadcrumbs.

Can I cook these burgers on a barbecue

It's up to you. These chicken burgers are quite soft and can be a little tricky to cook on a barbecue so I personally prefer to shallow fry them. If you want to barbecue these burgers that's fine too, but don't coat them in breadcrumbs.  Instead brush with a little oil as they sizzle away on the barbecue.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Combine the chicken with the spices, seasoning, onion, cilantro and 6 tablespoons of breadcrumbs.

2. Stir thoroughly until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated.

3. Form 5 burgers (approx. 2 cm thick) and coat both sides of each burger in the remaining breadcrumbs.

4. In a large non-stick pan heat up a little oil (about 1.5-2 tablespoons per batch) and fry the burgers over a low-medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Using frozen meat

Defrost the meat completely (overnight in the fridge is best) before making the burgers.  Burgers made with previously frozen meat should not be frozen. So if you are planning to freeze these chicken burgers use fresh meat.

Top tips and FAQs

• If you can't get lean ground chicken chop skinless chicken breast into chunks and pulse in a food processor until it has the consistency of ground meat (this should take seconds).
• The amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe will produce moderately spicy burgers.
• Make ahead: You can prepare the burgers up to 4 hours in advance. I don't recommend making them too far in advance as they contain raw onion which can affect the flavour of the meat if left uncooked for too long.
• The exact cooking time depends on how thick your burgers are. It is important not to overcook the burgers.
• You can freeze uncooked burgers but only if you used fresh, not previously frozen, meat.  Place the burgers in a plastic container and separate each with a piece of parchment paper so they don't stick to one another.  Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the burgers before frying.

Serving suggestions

These healthy chicken burgers taste delicious with lots of dips and sauces, including creamy roasted cauliflower dip, ranch dip, roasted tomato salsa or a dollop of homemade barbecue sauce.  Serve with salad leaves, slices of tomato and dill pickles.

Substitutions

• Cilantro: Substitute parsley if you prefer.
• Cayenne pepper: This can be replaced by chili powder/hot paprika or chipotle powder (omit the smoked paprika if using the latter). 
• Red onion: Use Spanish onions or green onions instead.

You might also like

• Oven Baked Super Crispy Chicken Fingers
• Vegan Beet Quinoa Burgers
• Crispy Cornflake Chicken Nuggets Recipe
• Yogurt Marinated Spiced Chicken Breast

Check out also this collection of over 13 easy one pot chicken recipes.

Keep in touch!

If you make these spicy chicken burgers I'd love to know how they turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Spicy Chicken Burgers (Healthy)

These delicious spicy chicken burgers are low in fat, quick and easy to make and bursting with flavour! Made using pantry ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes.

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Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Low fat

Prep Time: 13 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 21 minutes

Servings: 5 burgers

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

• ▢
  Large non-stick pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.1 pounds (500 g) ground chicken breast skinless, boneless
• ▢ 1 garlic clove minced/grated
• ▢ ½ medium red onion or 1 small, finely chopped
• ▢ 4 tablespoons cilantro/fresh coriander finely chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and smoked paprika each
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs plus 2 for coating
• ▢ Olive oil for frying
• ▢ 5 burger buns

Instructions

• Combine the chicken with the spices, seasoning, onion, cilantro and 6 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Stir thoroughly until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated.
• Form 5 burgers (approx. 2 cm thick) and coat both sides of each burger in the remaining breadcrumbs.
• In a large non-stick pan heat up a little oil (about 1.5-2 tablespoons per batch) and fry the burgers over a low-medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Notes

• If you can't get lean ground chicken chop skinless chicken breast into chunks and pulse in a food processor until it has the consistency of ground meat (this should take seconds).
• The amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe will produce moderately spicy burgers.
• Make ahead: You can prepare the burgers up to 4 hours in advance. I don't recommend making them too far in advance as they contain raw onion which can affect the flavour of the meat if left uncooked for too long.
• The exact cooking time depends on how thick your burgers are. It is important not to overcook the burgers.
• Best served immediately. Refrigerate leftover burgers, covered, for up to 3 days.
• Serve with sliced tomatoes, dill pickles, salad leaves, ranch dip or barbecue sauce (omit the smoked paprika if using the latter).
• You can freeze uncooked burgers but only if you used fresh, not previously frozen, meat.  Place the burgers in a plastic container and separate each with a piece of parchment paper so they don't stick to one another.  Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the burgers before frying.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg

*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.

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