This Mediterranean-inspired grilled chicken burger full of vegetables is juicy, flavorful and healthy. This recipe is really easy to make and trust me, it will be a keeper!

I love adding vegetables and cheese to my burger mixtures. Vegetables add moisture and texture, cheese adds creaminess and salt, and they all add flavor. This method also cuts down on the amount of animal protein, which decreases total saturated fat in the burger, and helps keep leaner cuts, like chicken breast, moist.

Vegetables

The color and texture combination of red bell peppers, green spinach and red onions is delicious.  They could stand alone as a side salad, but instead they have found a home in my chicken burger! This decreases the amount of chicken, which decreases the total number of calories and saturated fat.

This chicken burger will turn even the biggest veggie haters into fans!  With that said, feel free to try different vegetables like carrots, shallots and cauliflower. Adding caramelized onion or shallots on top of the chicken burger would also be amazing!

Looking for more inspiration? Check out my cookbook The Mediterranean DASH Diet and the Greek Turkey Burger recipe! It includes a grated zucchini, which makes the burger extra moist. If you decide to add zucchini, I recommend adding an egg for binding.

Cheese

Cheese Please! I used feta because it is tangy and salty, which pairs well with the chicken burger.   Feta is a great source of calcium, riboflavin and other nutrients.¹ It also holds its shape and texture when you cook these chicken burgers.

I prefer to buy feta in hunks that is wrapped in butcher paper or sitting in brine.  This keeps the feta moist and more flavorful.   Feta is a salty cheese. If you are on a low sodium diet you can rinse the feta in a colander to remove some of the salt then pat it dry before adding to the chicken burger.

Alternatively, you can use a different cheese.  Parmesan is great to mix into the chicken burger.  If you prefer your cheese on top of the chicken burger, try blue cheese. It is more pungent than feta, but also has a salty flavor.  You can also never go wrong with the classic options of American and Cheddar cheese!

Bread Crumbs

Bread crumbs serve as the binder to make a patty with all our chicken burger ingredients.  “Italian style” bread crumbs is always a great option, it includes herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary.

Bread crumbs can be high in salt. Progresso Bread Crumbs have about 400 mg sodium in a quarter cup. That is about 18% of your daily recommended value.  Alternatively, you can make your own bread crumbs!

Homemade bread crumbs are quick, easy and you will taste the difference in the chicken burger.  Use your favorite bread – wheat, white, multi-grain, etc – and blend it up! I prefer using a food processor, but a blender will work too.  Add whatever spices and herb you like when blending. I often blend more than I need and store the extra in the freezer.

Lettuce Wraps

For my chicken burger recipe, I decided to keep with the vegetable theme and serve it in a romaine lettuce wrap.  Romaine is crunchy from the high water content and is sturdy enough to hold the chicken burger. I also love using Boston bibb lettuce and gem lettuce.

Cooking Tips

If you feel it’s not a burger without those deep dark grill marks, rest assured you can achieve this indoors! If you do not have an outdoor space to grill, use a cast iron or grill pan on the stovetop.  The grill marks are not needed for me, so I made my chicken burgers in a cast iron pan.

There are many options of cast iron pans, skillets and griddles. Cast iron is great because it distributes the heat evenly giving you a perfectly cooked chicken burger.  It is important to preheat your cooking surface.  This will sear the chicken burgers and lock in the moisture.

After preheating the pan, add the cooking oil or spray and allow that to warm up as well. Otherwise the oil will be absorbed by the chicken burger and you will need to use more oil!

I prefer to mix the chicken burger ingredients with my hand.  When mixing raw meat and seafood, I like to mix with one hand and keep the other clean.  Always make sure to wash your hand(s) after mixing!

What are you waiting for?! My recipe for chicken burger with vegetables can be ready in about 20 minutes and is nutritious and delicious.

Similar Pages

Looking for more chicken recipes? Try my Mediterranean Chicken Skewers, Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Cream Sauce or my Healthy Chicken Salad.

References

1. FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173420/nutrients. Accessed January 10, 2020.

Confetti Chicken burgers

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken burger, poultry burger

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 1 medium red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 2 cups spinach finely chopped
• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Place all ingredients into bowl and mix together well.
• Heat up a grill pan and spray with olive oil. Split mixture into 4 patties, grill 4-5 minutes on medium heat, flip and cook 4-5 minutes on other side. To ensure cooking, can add an ounce of water and cover pan after flipping.

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