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These amazing Greek Chicken Burgers are super moist and loaded with feta and Greek seasoning and finished off with a creamy Tzatziki sauce with a nice zing from the horseradish and served on a buttered brioche bun.
Here are some great drinks to wash down these juicy burgers: Sweet Tea, Rum Punch, Strawberry Ginger Lemonade, and Blackberry Mint Sangria.
The inspiration for this recipe came from two places. First, the annual Greek Festival in New Orleans that I haven't attended because of the Covid. The second is football season.
I wanted to add something different to the tailgate or football parties.
Plus, everybody will remember the deliciousness you served when you can serve juicy and succulent chicken burgers.
All those thoughts you just had about serving a dried chicken burger will be gone by the time you get to the recipe. I will share some chef tips that guarantee keeping these chicken burgers plump and juicy without drying out.
This is the recipe for the best homemade chicken burgers you'll have this year.
Key Ingredients:
To make these Greek chicken burgers, you will need the following key ingredients:
Ground Chicken
We're going to use ground chicken only with no mixture of different meats. It's incredibly lean, but we're going to cook it to perfection.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are an ingredient that I believe separates average and great Tzatziki sauces.
Feta
Use a crumbled feta to incorporate into your ground chicken burgers. You don't want too much moisture in the burger that will keep it from cooking evenly.
Horseradish
Adding some horseradish to the Tzatziki sauce gives it the perfect zing.
Greek Yogurt
I like to use 2% Greek yogurt to make my Tzatziki sauce. Feel free to use any kind for this delicious burger sauce.
Panko Bread Crumbs
Traditional bread crumbs can work, but panko bread crumbs allow us to use less and get more moisture in the chicken burgers.
Greek Herbs
I use a combination of chopped dill, basil, oregano, and thyme to make a homemade Greek seasoning.
Hamburger Buns
I love the extra flavor that brioche buns add to my burgers.
Ingredients For Chicken Burgers
To make the best chicken burgers, you need a recipe that's tested and proven to be a crowd-pleaser. Here's how you make these amazing burgers.
- Tzatziki Horseradish Sauce:
- Cucumber
- Kosher salt
- 2% Greek Yogurt
- Garlic clove
- Chopped dill
- Chopped mint
- Cayenne
- Horseradish
- White vinegar
- Olive oil
- Chicken Burger:
- Ground chicken
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Chopped dill
- Dry oregano
- Dry basil
- Dry thyme
- Cayenne
- Panko bread crumbs
- Crumbled feta
- Fresh parsley
- Romaine lettuce leaves
- Red onion
- Brioche buns
How to make the best chicken burgers
These are the steps and techniques you need to follow to make these excellent chicken burgers.
Step 1: In a small bowl, mix cucumber and salt, set aside for 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, rinse cucumbers under running water and dry in paper towels of access water.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 200°F. While cucumber marinates. In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, black pepper, dill, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne, bread crumbs, feta, and parsley until ingredients are well blended.
Step 3: Mold the ground chicken into 8 oz. burgers about ½ inch thick. Turn the heat to medium-high in a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add 4 burgers, and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Keep raw burgers in the fridge. Then repeat the process until burgers are cooked. Keep burgers warm in the oven.
Step 4: While the burgers cook, in the same bowl, combine dried cucumbers, yogurt, garlic, dill, mint, cayenne, horseradish, white vinegar, and olive oil until smooth.
Step 5: To assemble burgers: bottom bun, 1 tablespoon tzatziki sauce, lettuce leaf, red onion, burger, and bun. Serve hot with chips, fries, or salad.
Can I make the Chicken Burgers ahead?
Storage
Chicken Burgers – You can make the chicken burger patties 2 days in advance. If you want to make this dish ahead of time, here's how to do it:
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook. Keep cooked chicken burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days.
Tzatziki Sauce – You can make the burger sauce one day in advance and stored them in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days.
Chicken Burger Recipe Tips & Tricks:
Here are some of my top tips and tricks to help you make the juiciest chicken burgers ever:
- If you like, you can get your butcher to ground chicken fresh for you. Make sure you do a blend of chicken breast and thighs.
- You can use your favorite burger sauce as a swap for the Tzatziki sauce.
- A cold burger patty will always hold better and not fall apart while cooking.
- I like to squeeze my burger mixture into a tight ball before shaping it into a patty. I find this also helps the burger hold its shape during cooking.
- You can make these burgers as sliders.
- If your skillet has sticky residue from your burgers, scrape with a spatula to remove before cooking your next burgers.
- If you want to use ground turkey as a swap for ground chicken, feel free.
- You can use traditional or gluten-free bread crumbs in place of panko.
- Feel free to omit the cucumbers in the Tzatziki sauce if you're in a pinch for time.
- You can use any hamburger buns for your chicken burger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about chicken burgers.
When you buy ground chicken at the grocery store, it is usually made from a mixture of dark (legs and thighs) and white meat (chicken breasts). It also contains skin which adds flavor to the burger patties.
Adding some healthy fats like olive oil will make your burgers extra moist because they'll coat every piece of meat as it cooks. Do not skip this step!
It only takes about four minutes on each side to cook chicken burger patties until they're cooked through, and juices run clear. You can also use a digital thermometer to be precise – the internal temperature should be 165°F.
If you want to make a meal ahead of time, store your uncooked patties in an airtight container and put them in the freezer for up to three months. If thawed completely, they will last two days, so no need to worry about food safety.
You should be able to make 8 four-ounce burger patties, but it depends on how large you make them and the size of your burger buns.
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Are there any other ways to flavor these burgers?
You can add all kinds of extra spices and flavors to your chicken patties, like cumin or chipotle powder. You can also mix fresh herbs and finely chopped vegetables such as carrots or corn kernels for extra crunch.
Can you cook the burgers in the oven?
Absolutely! If you would like to use your oven. I recommend using your broiler. Move your oven rack one level below your broiler. Place your chicken patties on a greased baking sheet. Heat your broiler to high, cook the burger patties for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the patties.
What can I serve with the Chicken Burgers?
You can add several toppings to these incredible chicken burgers; here are some of my go-to.
More Delicious Tailgating Recipes
If you're looking for more recipes for your tailgate or football party. Here's a list of a few great recipes.
- Best Cheeseburger in America
- Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bars
- Meyer Lemon Sweet Tea
- Grilled Shrimp Chimichurri
- 20-minute Creole Jambalaya
- Red Beans & Rice
Why not try this recipe for juicy, flavorful Greek chicken burgers and be the envy of your next BBQ? The best part is that you can prep these in advance and then just grill them when it's time to eat. It doesn't get simpler than that! Remember to come back and leave me a 5-star review if you give my recipe a try. I know you'll love it as much as we do at our house!
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Recipe:
📖 Recipe
Greek Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
Tzatziki Horseradish Sauce:
- 1 cucumber peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 oz. 2% Greek Yogurt
- 1 garlic clove chopped small
- 2 teaspoons chopped dill
- 2 teaspoons chopped mint
- ¼ teaspoons cayenne
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Chicken Burger:
- 2 lbs. ground chicken
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped dill
- ½ teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon dry basil
- ½ teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- 8 oz. crumbled feta
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 4 romaine lettuce leaves
- ½ red onion sliced
- 4 brioche buns toasted
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix cucumber and salt, set aside for 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, rinse cucumbers under running water, and dry in paper towels of access water.
- Preheat oven to 200 F. While cucumber marinate. In a large bowl mix ground chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, black pepper, dill, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne, bread crumbs, feta, and parsley until ingredients are well blended.
- Mold burgers into 8 oz. portions ½ inch thick. Turn the heat to medium high in a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add 4 burgers and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Keep raw burgers in the fridge. Then repeat process until burgers are cooked. Keep burgers warm in oven.
- While burgers cook, in the same bowl combine dried cucumbers, yogurt, garlic, dill, mint, cayenne, horseradish, white vinegar and olive oil until smooth.
- To assemble burgers: bottom bun, 1 tablespoon tzatziki sauce, lettuce leaf, red onion, burger, and bun. Serve hot with chips, fries or salad.
Notes
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook. Keep cooked chicken burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days. Tzatziki Sauce – You can make the burger sauce one day in advance and stored them in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days.
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