Healthy Crispy Chicken Burgers

Healthy crispy chicken burgers are a fun dinner that the whole family will love.

Growing up, traditional burgers were my favorite food. Fast forward and I now try to limit my red meat consumption. These juicy chicken burgers are a great way to enjoy a delicious burger while keeping healthy!

Julian and I were in the mood for a treat. Instead of making a regular burger, I made these healthy burgers instead. They were incredible and did not taste like a healthy substitute at al! I highly recommend you make these to enjoy with friends and family!

What are Healthy Crispy Chicken Burgers?

They are a healthy take on a fried chicken burger. Brine chicken breasts in low fat buttermilk, then dredge in beaten eggs and a flour mixture to create the perfect coating. Then, it is air fried, baked, or pan fried to achieve the perfect crispy yet juicy burger!

These healthy chicken burgers do not use lean ground chicken. Instead, we use chicken breasts for our patties.

How to Make Healthy Crispy Chicken Burgers

While full recipe instructions are available below, here are some tips to make the best chicken burger!

• First, we prepare our chicken burger patties. Place your chicken breasts in a plastic bag and seal tightly, with no extra air inside. Take a meat mallet, heavy skillet, or other heavy object and beat the thick side of the chicken until it even thickness with the thin end. Remove from the bag and cut in half.
• Now we need to brine the chicken. Place each chicken patty in a large bowl and add light buttermilk and a pinch of kosher salt. Let the chicken brine in the fridge for one to four hours. This is an important step, because it prevents having dry burgers. Acid in the buttermilk helps tenderize the chicken but is gentle enough prevent it from drying out. The result is juicy delicious burgers!
• Next, we will season our homemade chicken burgers. Beat an egg in a large, shallow bowl. In another shallow mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Using tongs or your hands, take each chicken patty out of the buttermilk. Shake excess buttermilk off. Next, dip in the beaten egg on both sides, gently shake to remove excess. Then dip each side into the flour mixture and shake gently to remove excess. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Now we're ready to cook our chicken burgers! Check out the next section to see different ways you can cook your burger!

How to Cook My Burger

This recipe is a great choice for burger night because there are many ways you can cook your patties!

• Oven: Preheat your oven to 350F and place your seasoned chicken patties on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spray each patty with olive oil. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Flip patties half way through cooking and spray with oil again.
• Frying Pan: Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add oil and chicken to the pan. Let your chicken patties fry on each side, without disturbing them, for approximately 5 to 8 minutes per side. Minimize how many times you flip your burgers to avoid losing the crispy coating.
• Air Fryer: Line your air fryer basket with a small piece of parchment paper. Do not cover the whole basket, because you want to allow airflow to crisp the chicken. Set your airfryer to 400F for 15 to 20 minutes total. Flip the chicken approximately half way through. Watch your chicken to make sure it reaches your desired crispness and to avoid burning - air fryers can be variable in their power.

For all three cooking methods, you will know that your chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the center of the chicken shows an internal temperature of 165F.

Putting Your Chicken Burger Together

My favorite buns to use for this healthy recipe is a brioche burger bun. You could also make this low carb and use lettuce leaves to create a lettuce bun. I also love using simple ingredients to create a slaw. It is a healthier alternative to high fat toppings such as blue cheese or a special sauce. This adds so much flavor I don't even miss cheese!

To make this delicious slaw, shred red cabbage and toss with lime juice fresh cilantro, and pinch salt. Let sit for a few minutes while the chicken patties cook. Add a little bit of light mayonnaise to your burger bun, then your slaw and patty. Enjoy!

Looking for Other Air fryer Recipes?

If you enjoyed this recipe and want to try other dishes in the air fryer, check these out!

• Air-Fried Bang Bang Cauliflower
• Chicken Strips Without Breading
• Simple Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

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