I’m not saying that I’ve given up on beef smash burgers. But with burgers like these cheddar jalapeno chicken burgers with guacamole, I find myself eating them a bit less and less of the beef versions these days. These chicken burgers pack crazy wonderful flavor in every bite. And a little heat. The patties are tender and juicy. As a bid to my beefy smash burgers, I like to get a bit of a ‘crust’ on the outsides. A little crunchy texture to offset that great chicken. Some guacamole to cool off from the jalapeno. These burgers do not disappoint. They’re easy to assemble, easy to cook and darned easy to eat.
To The Moon
I kept the toppings on my cheddar jalapeno chicken burgers with guacamole pretty simple. Guac. Onion. Done. I could’ve kept going. Pile it on. You can do whatever you want. Cheese. Lettuce. Sour cream. However you like. The patties are so flavorful that I didn’t want to hide them.
Depending on your ground chicken, you might want to add a bit of breadcrumbs to the meat mixture to help firm it up. Don’t go crazy with it. I form my patties and put them in the fridge overnight to help them ‘set up’. Otherwise they tend to fall apart as I put them on the grill. I handle them fairly gingerly. Unlike my beef patties, which I can kind of manhandle without worries, the chicken patties can fall apart fairly easily. And they like to stick. But with a little patience and care, they always turn out fantastic!
You’ll want to be careful flipping your burgers. Let them get a good char on them before the first (and last) flip. Don’t go flippin’ crazy. Just once is all they need. The more you flip, the better the chances of burger disaster. So do it once, gently, and let them do their thing.
- Here’s your 5-piece set for griddle success…
- Get creative with the right tools to make your own…
Serve these burgers with some of my super-cheesy Velveeta Tex-Mex rice on the side!
Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken burgers
- 1 pound ground chicken I prefer 85/15. If you use leaner chicken you might have to add a bit of breadcrumbs to help form patties.
- ½ cup yellow onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons jalapeño seeded, finely chopped. I used an entire medium jalapeno for extra heat.
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ⅓ cup cheddar cheese finely shredded
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 hamburger buns
- guacamole
Other toppings
- sour cream
- lettuce chopped or pieces
- red onions sliced
- salsa
- bacon
Instructions
- Heat a grill or griddle over medium heat.
- Place chicken into a medium bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients up to the buns. Using your hands, gently mix everything together. You want the ingredients to be distributed evenly throughout but try to not overwork the chicken.
- Form chicken into 4 equally-sized patties. They'll end up around 5 ounces each.
- Grill burgers for 5-7 minutes per side or until temperature reaches 165 F as measured in several spots.
- Toast buns as desired.
- Slather cut sides of buns with guacamole. Now is not the time to be shy with it.
- Add patties and any other desired toppings and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
- Here’s your 5-piece set for griddle success…
- Get creative with the right tools to make your own…
