Description
These Buffalo Chicken Burgers are a healthy, flavorful twist on the classic burger, featuring lean ground chicken mixed with grated zucchini and a spicy buffalo sauce kick. Perfect for a Paleo and Whole30-friendly dinner, they can be served on buns or wrapped in lettuce for a low-carb option.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken (93-96% lean)
- 3/4 cup grated zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 2 Tbsp. cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. buffalo sauce
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
For Serving
- Buns (or lettuce for lettuce wraps)
- Lettuce
- Ranch dressing
- Additional buffalo sauce
- Other burger favorites like sliced tomatoes, red onion, avocado, pickles, cheese
Instructions
- Prepare Zucchini: Squeeze the excess moisture out of your shredded zucchini by placing it in a clean paper towel or kitchen towel, wrapping tightly, and pressing firmly to remove as much liquid as possible to avoid soggy burgers.
- Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, grated zucchini, sliced green onion, cilantro, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and salt. Stir with a fork or mix with your hands until ingredients are well incorporated.
- Form Patties: Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and gently form each into patties approximately the size of your buns or slightly larger, keeping in mind the burgers will shrink slightly when cooked.
- Cook Burgers: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add burgers in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding. Cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, ensuring they are fully cooked through.
- Assemble and Serve: Transfer cooked burgers to a clean plate. Build your burgers on buns or lettuce wraps, layering with lettuce, a drizzle of ranch dressing, additional buffalo sauce, and your favorite toppings like tomato, cheese, onion, or pickles. Alternatively, serve burgers on a bed of lettuce as a burger bowl.
Notes
- Be sure to thoroughly squeeze the zucchini to prevent excess moisture that can make the patties soggy.
- You can substitute buffalo sauce with your favorite hot sauce or make it milder by reducing the amount.
- For a low-carb or Whole30-compliant meal, serve the burgers in lettuce wraps instead of buns.
- Adding fresh herbs like cilantro enhances the flavor, but you can swap with parsley if preferred.
- Use a meat thermometer to accurately check doneness for juicy and safe burgers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger patty
- Calories: 157 calories
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 843.7 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 24.8 g
- Cholesterol: 111.2 mg
