These pub-style crispy breaded chicken burgers deliver huge taste with just a few ingredients. BEST of all, you can make a whole whack of them and freeze 'em for when you're craving a greasy spoon type dinner without all the grease.
I'm not sure where my obsession with copying diner recipes came from but it's true; my life is and always has been ruled by copying and perfecting good, bad food.
Things like french fries, pizza and hamburgers. I'm still on a quest for the perfect good, bad onion rings. Not fancified high end restaurant style ones ... I want to be able to make them the way a greasy spoon does. You know. Like frozen onion rings.
Say what you want about crappy food, but the truth is, if it didn't taste good it wouldn't be so popular. The problem with crappy food is ... it's crappy. And usually frozen, overloaded with salt and filled with ingredients like Xantham Gum (which isn't necessarily bad for you in small quantities but it can make you tooty.) Sadly, I'm pretty sure it's those weird ingredients that are key to successfully copying many diner foods.
Years ago I used to buy "Jane's Pub Style Chicken Burgers". The kind of salt loaded, crispy frozen chicken burger that you'd get at one of the grimier establishments in town. The sort of establishment that you have to ask for a key to the washroom.
Those are the chicken burgers I used as my model for a healthier but just as delicious homemade version.
The actual Jane's chicken burgers include ingredients one would normally never think to put in a chicken burger. Like whey protein powder. That seemed like a weird ingredient to put in a chicken burger.
How good is this chicken burger? At the end of the meal you're gonna start looking over your shoulder to get a refill on your fountain pop.
Homemade Chicken Burgers
Just like with hamburgers you're going to have better luck if you add binders - in this case it's an egg and some breadcrumbs.
Whenever you're making any type of burgers (chicken, turkey, beef) mix your ingredients together gently. It helps retain the texture of the meat so they don't end up mushy.
I almost always make my burgers too big, so I use a ⅓rd cup to measure out the meat. It also helps to start to get it formed into a patty. Shove it in the measuring cup then plop it out into your hand.
Set the burgers in the fridge to firm up if you need to before breading them with flour, egg and breadcrumbs (in that order.)
Dip your chicken burger into the flour, egg and then breadcrumbs. Push the burger into the breadcrumbs to make sure they're good and stuck. And don't forget the edges of the burgers!
I'm using store bought breadcrumbs here but if you want to go all out you can make homemade seasoned breadcrumbs.
Then you panfry them in 4 tablespoons of oil or as much as you need to create a layer of oil on the whole bottom of the pan. You're pan frying, so don't be skimpy. Skimpy is for bathing suits.
Cook the chicken burgers on medium/low heat for around 4 minutes on each side.
Check to make sure they aren't burning because they brown up quickly.
I always use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. I had a close call a little while ago with cooking chicken. I came very close to not overcooking it. Almost unheard of for me to not overcook chicken.
Ground chicken must be cooked to 165°F.
Now eat it. You're done. You made a diner style chicken burger - with less fat, salt and weird ingredients.
TO FREEZE:
- Cook the chicken burgers then freeze them. When you want some, let them thaw and flash heat in a 450°F oven for 2 minutes on each side.
2. OR you can freeze the burgers uncooked right after the breading stage by laying them on a waxed paper lined plate until frozen solid. Transfer them to a freezer bag or storage dish once frozen.
Homemade Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 hamburger buns
Breading Ingredients
- ⅛ cup flour
- 1 beaten egg just add a little water or milk if you think 1 egg doesn't look like it's going to be enough
- ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil Use whatever neutral cooking oil you like.
Instructions
- Mix chicken, egg, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder together.
- Mix in bread crumbs.
- Form into patties using ⅓rd cup as measuring tool.
- Coat with flour, egg then breadcrumbs.
- Panfry in 4 Tablespoons of cooking oil for 4 minutes on each side or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F
Notes
Nutrition
Now. Who needs a key to the bathroom?
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Stephanie
Ok smarty pants...looks delicious...but can you tell me HOW to make ground chicken from my home-raised broilers...aka whole chickens? Or even better yet, chicken sausage? Without the use of strange and uncommon kitchen machinery?
Karen
Stephanie - I'm afraid yu need strange and uncommon kitchen machinery. I grind my own meat with a grinder attachment on my Kitchenaid stand mixer. I got it as a gift and now that I know how useful it is, I realize I should have bought one myself. Yes they're expensive, but they're indispensable. And this is coming from someone who does everything the hard way. Here's my post on how to grind beef. The same would be true for chicken ... ~ karen!
Stephanie
Awh thanks Karen...I was afraid of that. I have been resisting getting a Kitchenaid for years (much to the bewilderment of my mother and all my trendy-brightly-colored Kitchenaid dawning friends). BUT after seeing your beef grinding video, I just may have been convinced...and YAY for the hard way!
Karen
Stephanie - It really is great and if you do a lot of stuff in the kitchen yourself, it really is worth it. I also have a pasta making attachment for it! ~ karen
Charlene Austin
Karen, I've been wanting the KA grinder attachment for a while so I can do my own ground chicken. Do you literally just buy chicken breasts and grind those or do you do a mix of thighs etc for a moister consistency. I buy the fresh ground chicken but it is so expensive. Safeway sells big boxes of frozen chicken breasts for cheap every so often but I've never bought them. They scare me but I do wonder if they'd be good enough for grinding as they will go on sale for $2.99/lb. Thoughts?
Mary Werner
Beer batter makes the BEST onion rings and after drinking a few, they taste even better!! Looking at all the burger pictures makes me wonder - what do you clean your camera with? or do you keep it covered in plastic bags?
Pat
Noted the nail polish and matching egg shell! Always love the pics...and yes the burger looks/sounds delish!
Kevin
These burgers looks pretty delicious!
Might try this soon... thanks for the recipe! :)
Shari
Hey Karen - Xantan Gum may be weird to those unfamiliar with it, but it's an essential ingredient to anyone who has to be on a gluten free diet and bakes their own gluten-free baked goods. It's now readily available at any natural food or health store and in many supermarkets with a gluten free aisle.
Charlene Austin
I love Xantham Gum when making homemade iced coffee in the blender. Just a touch keeps them thick and doesn't separate.
Kerri
We make these a lot.. pretty much the same recipe, the kids love them! As for onion rings.. I'm lazy. I just dip the onions in pancake mix. The boxed kind. I might as well sleep while I cook, I take the shortest route for everything.
Deb
I gotta ask if that is your nifty, newly learned photoshop skills at work in the grease in the frying pan. I like the brick wall reflection. During one of my many Stupid ventures, I sold stuff on eBay for a living and know how hard it is to photograph reflective things without getting the camera (or your face) in the photo. Either way: Well done, Karen.
Karen
Deb - When I was setting up my shot I noticed the brick from my backsplash reflecting on the oil so I quickly took the picture before the light changed. I liked it! It was gone pretty quickly. One of those flukes. ~ karen
Langela
I was also going to comment on how mesmerizing that photo is. Unfortunately, I now have to go back and reread the post as I was so distracted I forgot to pay attention. Sorry.
Melissa
I didn't think I was a chicken burger type of person until I saw this post. Yum! Have you ever used ground turkey? I am going to try this very soon. Thanks :D
Karen
Melissa - I've made ground turkey burgers before and they were AWFUL. I'm not sure why but they were GROSS. I used a recipe I saw on Oprah. Which kind of proves why you shouldn't trust Oprah for recipes. I'm not sure how this would turn out as a turkey burger. Try the chicken first, then do turkey and let me know how they compare. ;) ~ karen
Beckie
with ground turkey, you can't get the 100% lean or white meat variety
it is flavorless
you definitely want some dark meat in the mix
Stefanie
I have to admit, I've never even heard of a chicken burger. Despite how gross ground chicken looks- the finished burger looks incredible. I can't imagine what the flavor is like.
Deborah Flanagan
This looks and sounds really good. Thanks for the tutorial.
Barb
Is this the recipie that makes my kids love homemade chicken burgers? I sure hope so! Thank you, Karen! Now- how do I make seasoned bread crumbs?
Karen
Barb - Like this! ... https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/italian-bread-crumbs/ ~ karen
Debbie
These look marvelous, even without the Xantham gum.
Belinda
can't help but notice the pickled beets *beside* your burger...y'know the next step is to put them on the burger, but not a chicken burger, definitely a beef burger...with an egg ;) Then you could write a post about some weird foreign food you've tried :D
mimiindublin
Lol, the kind of place where you get a key to the bathroom!
Karen, I have to thank you for the weedkilling recipe of boiling water. I've been on a psychopathic weedkilling spree, barely containing myself to 100 weeds a day so the neighbours don't get suspicious. Some days I wait till after dark so nobody sees me carrying out the dastardly deed!
Probably the best discovery of my life!
Karen
Excellent! Glad to oblige. ~ karen
Elle
Do you think this will work with turkey breast? I have some and no idea what to do with it.
and for Nikki Kelly - Karen is so talented, she can take beautiful pictures with her teeth operating the camera (:
Beckie
you can use ground turkey for anything you would use ground beef/veal/pork for
meatballs, burgers, lasagna, stuffing mushrooms, etc
hmm....now I need to stop at the store after work!
Karen
Beckie/Elle - While technically that's true, each meat has its own texture, fat content, etc. etc. which give you a different result. Pork is very dense for instance, so a meatball made with a combination of beef and pork is firmer and denser than a meatball made only with beef. And turkey has a tendency to be dry when it's cooked from ground. So while you can interchange things the finished product will always be different from the original (whatever that meat may be). ~ karen!
Diane
Love the post, and don't want to seem picky... ah what the hell, WHAT is up with the grammaticals and spellicals? 'Questioned for' and'masted how to make them'. What's going on? You need sleep? More sex? This is MOST unlike you. I worry.
And will be chicken frying this weekend at the lake.
Karen
Diane - Hah! They've since been corrected. Hot, tired ... and don't have enough time to proff read my posts very well. Heh. Get it? ~ karen
Kim from Milwaukee
"It took one true.
I hit it dead on."
...sorry...missed one...
Karen
Uch.
Molly
Food itself is not bad. It's the industrial production of food that turns it into fatty, chemical bombs (ever heard about the making of margarine??? Eeeewwww!)
You're doing a great job in figuring out how to cook these things from scratch!
Amanda
Oh i am so going to make these!!! they sound good, old-fashioned, greasy and wonderful!!!!
My fav burger recipe comes from Indianapolis though... There's a little greasy dive diner there called the Triple X... sounds like porn but instead of that they are a perfect example of a classic diner... They name all their burgers after Hoosier coaches. My favorite is the "Pervis Burger" I know still sounds like porn LOL It's a classic cheeseburger with all the fixins with 1 BIG difference... They put peanut butter on it. I never would have tried it if it weren't for my Aunt insisting that I had to and offered to buy me something different if I didn't like it. Needless to say IT WAS AMAZING!!!! The trick is to let the peanut butter get warm and gooey before you put it on the bun, and add veggies and ketchup... don't be afraid it's freakin FANTASTIC!!! mmmmm might go make me one right now!!!
I hope you try it Karen! Either way I'm going to make these chicken burgers... probably next week when I have a little more time and everyone is back home. The kids and boyfriend get upset when I make the good food when they are gone LOL
Karen
Amanda - Ewwww. It's early in the morning and the thought of peanut butter hamburgers is kind of horrifying! The fella will try it for sure I bet. I'll reconsider in a few hours. :) ~ karen
Amanda
I understand... I went on vacation with my Aunt, and she and her husband talked about it for weeks before I considered it. Seriously though it was only because she halfway made me and promised new food when I didn't like it that I even tried it... SO glad I did!!! Now my kids/boyfriend give me dirty looks while I joyfully add peanut butter onto my cheeseburgers.
I hope The Fella likes it, and maybe one day you will try it too. It's hard to describe what it taste like... But I'm a fan! Also The Fella might like that it's double the protein... Good for the athletic types! :)
Amanda
Also... WAAAAAAY better than brussel sprouts LOL
Renee
A popular burger joint in our town serves a burger with PB and bacon on it once a week, which they call the Elvis, because apparently he liked peanut butter & bacon sandwiches!
Check out their other interesting burgers, including the Greg Brady:
http://www.jackbrownsjoint.com/food.html
Amanda
mmmmmm I'm so adding bacon the next time I make perverts whoops I mean pervis's LOL
Nikki Kelly
I think an explanation is warranted for the 6th picture in this post. As in, where do you keep your third picture taking arm?
Nikki Kelly @ the ambitious procrastinator
Laura
Yes! Where?
J9
YUM! Well played Karen, well played.
Karen
J9 - Indeed. ~ karen!