Ground Chicken Burgers Recipe - Rosemary Apple Chicken Burgers (2024)

Ground chicken burgers with apple and rosemary, plus an apple slaw on top!

Ground Chicken Burgers Recipe - Rosemary Apple Chicken Burgers (1)

This post is sponsored by Safeway. Thank you, friends, for letting me partner with brands to help fund the costs of recipe development onthis site!

I’ve got my eye on the grill these days. It’s warming up outside, but it’s still too chilly at night for me to relegate all cooking duties to my husband on the grill just so I can sit inside with my feet up with a margarita. Whoops, I mean, I make intricate, delicious side dishes while he grills outside.

Fine, I drink a lot while scouring the fridge for something easy to throw together that will pass as side dish. I can be so lazy when it comes to side dishes. Ya feel me? I would rather spend an extra half hour on the deck laying in the sun lately.

I’m looking for easy, throw-together type meals these days. And if a side dish can double as a burger topping and even be used inside the burger, well, that’s even better. These rosemary apple ground chicken burgers with slaw come in at just 9 ingredients and 9 minutes of prep time. Now that I can do, even on a Monday.

Ground Chicken Burgers Recipe - Rosemary Apple Chicken Burgers (2)

What do you use to bind your ground chicken burgers together?

I think most people use eggs, but I’ve always been a mayonnaise gal. Specifically, olive oil mayonnaise. Even more specifically, the new squeezable Hellman’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise. It’s just fun to squeeze mayo! While I was at it, I bought squeezable Heinz Yellow Mustard, too.

Fret not if you can’t find these products in your store yet—they are new products! I got them at Safeway, and you can, too. They should have a flashy ‘new item’ tag on them.

So, ready, set 9 minutes of prep! First, combine the mayo, mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper. Next, grate half of the green apple. You need a really sharp grater to cut through the skin, or else you’ll get mush. Mush is still delicious, just so you know.

Don’t worry about what to do with the other half of the apple—we’re putting it in the slaw! Add the apple to the wet ingredients, mix well, and then finally stir in your ground chicken. I add the chicken last after I’ve made sure all other ingredients are mixed well, so that we don’t over-work the meat.

Next, it’s time to slaw! Grab a small cabbage. Here’s a little secret: the smallest cabbages are organic ones. It pains me, as a chick with a Master’s degree in agronomy to be so accepting of low crop yields, but organic cabbages are the right size for a family of two. Sometimes I see large families buy normal-sized cabbages and I get jealous. Is that weird? Anyway, if you luck out with a small cabbage, you can use half of it. A regular sized cabbage will only require ¼.

If you mix up these ground chicken burgers and pass them off to your partner to grill, you’ll have the side dish/ slaw/ burger topper ready before the coals are even hot. You’re so close to burger town!

If you're up for making your own hamburger buns, try my brioche bun recipe that makes just 4 buns!

Yield: 2

Dinner for Two: Rosemary-Apple Chicken Burgers + Slaw

Ground Chicken Burgers Recipe - Rosemary Apple Chicken Burgers (3)

Chicken burgers with tangy slaw--the best light burger.

Prep Time9 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time24 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoons Yellow Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 2 teaspoon fresh)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ a green apple, grated
  • ½ pound ground chicken
  • 2 whole wheat burger buns, split and toasted
  • Green Apple Slaw
  • ¼ head cabbage, shredded
  • ½ green apple, grated
  • 4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • handful fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. First, make the burgers: in a small bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper. Grate half of the apple and add it to the bowl. Stir very well to combine.
  2. Add the chicken to the mixture, and mix well, but be careful not to overmix your meat.
  3. Divide the mixture in half and shape two patties. Pass off to husband who is preheating the grill.
  4. Cook the burgers over a low flame (low and slow is best for ground poultry on the grill) for 5-7 minutes per side. Use a meat thermometer to ensure an internal temperature of 165 before removing from the grill.
  5. While the burgers cook, grate the other half of the apple. Thinly slice the cabbage.
  6. In a serving bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the grated apple, cabbage, and parsley to the bowl and toss everything to combine. The slaw tastes best if its allowed to sit for a few minutes before serving.
  7. When ready to serve, add a burger patty to each burger bun, top with slaw, and serve.

Notes

I use olive oil mayonnaise, but it's your choice.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 717Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 615mgCarbohydrates: 94gFiber: 17gSugar: 16gProtein: 31g

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Ground Chicken Burgers Recipe - Rosemary Apple Chicken Burgers (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep ground chicken burgers from falling apart? ›

If you find your burgers falling apart, try adding an egg or some extra bread crumbs. You could also try chilling the burgers in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before cooking them, which should help them stay together during the cooking process.

Can you grind chicken for burgers? ›

Ground chicken is a leaner alternative to ground beef or pork, but be sure to use white meat chicken. You can purchase boneless, skinless chicken breasts and ask the butcher to grind them for you, or — for the most control over texture and consistency — grind the chicken yourself in a food processor.

Why are chicken burgers so dry? ›

Chicken is a naturally lean meat with a much lower fat-to-protein ratio compared to beef. Because protein tightens when it cooks, when there's no fat to break it up it leaves behind a very tough piece of meat. Less fat also means less moisture, so a dry patty is inevitable when you use ground chicken.

What is a good binder for chicken burgers? ›

Chicken Burger Ingredients

Bread crumbs: Use store-bought bread crumbs or make your own at home. Onion: Half an onion lends texture and flavor. Egg: An egg adds moisture and helps bind the chicken patties together.

What helps homemade burgers stick together? ›

Bind the patty together

If you're going for a leaner meat or adding bulky ingredients (eg spring onions, onions, chillies), add an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs to bind the burgers.

Why do my chicken patties fall apart? ›

Excess fat will actually lead to your patties falling apart more - not less. You absolutely want fat in there (I like 85/15 but 80/20 lean/fat is good too) but the fat doesn't hold the meat together. Add some binders, bread crumbs and an egg are the two most common.

What is the best meat mix to grind for burgers? ›

Chuck is the most commonly used cut of beef in burger blends. Marbled throughout and well-balanced in flavor with a decent lean-to-fat ratio, chuck steak is generally the primary cut used in burger blends and is supplemented with one or two other cuts of meat. Sirloin or Tri-Tip.

Why do my chicken burgers fall apart? ›

Ground chicken doesn't contain much fat, although using ground dark meat chicken is a little better than using ground white meat. This means that the meat just doesn't want to stick together—it doesn't want to form a patty that will hold. Therefore the patties tend to be fragile and fall apart on a grill.

How do you add moisture to chicken burgers? ›

Milk: Helps to moisten the breadcrumbs, creating a tender, juicy chicken burger. Olive Oil: Used for cooking onions and also provides a touch of rich, savory flavor. Minced Onion: Cooking the onion first brings out the natural sugars, which in turn hold onto more moisture making for a super-juicy burger.

How do you keep ground chicken moist? ›

Also, since ground poultry has less fat than ground beef (as a rule), it's not a bad idea to add some moisture to ground chicken. The best way (in my opinion) to do this is to add one egg yolk (not the white) for every 1 1/2 (one and a half) pounds of uncooked ground meat.

What is the white stuff on chicken burgers? ›

The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”

Are chicken burgers healthier than hamburgers? ›

Pound for pound, chicken is the choice that gives you fewer calories and saturated fats compared with beef. However, that's inverted if you're considering a deep fried chicken burger, such as the Crispy Louisiana or the Southern Chicken.

Are chicken burgers healthy for you? ›

Eating a chicken burger can be part of a balanced diet, but it's important to consider the nutritional content and preparation of the burger. Chicken burgers can be a good source of protein, but they may also be high in fat and sodium if they are fried or prepared with added oils and sauces.

Are chicken patties healthy? ›

Is a chicken patty healthy? Ground chicken burgers offer a healthier alternative to traditional beef burgers, with fewer calories and lower saturated fat content, while still packing a solid protein punch. This makes them an excellent choice for those looking to enjoy a juicy burger without compromising on nutrition.

What do you put in hamburger meat to keep it from falling apart? ›

Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.

How do you firm up ground chicken? ›

Tips for grilled chicken burgers:

If you don't think your patties are firm enough for the grill, place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

How do you keep burgers from breaking apart? ›

Go easy on the shaping. When you're making your burgers, try not to manhandle them too much or else you'll end up breaking the meat into smaller pieces than you have to. We recommend simply shaping the beef into a vague burger shape with the least amount handling as possible.

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