Mouthwatering Chicken Smash Burgers

Find the full recipe at the end of this post.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. As always, thank you for supporting my blog.

My recipe for mouthwatering chicken smash burgers calls for tender chicken mixed with red pepper, green onions, and a touch of garlic, salt, and pepper. Combined, these ingredients create an incredibly healthy, flavorful, and absolutely mouthwatering chicken patty. Cook the patties on a hot griddle or in a cast iron skillet. Add some melted cheese of your choice, smashed avocado, and pickled red onions on top. Then serve them on a toasted Brioche bun with a touch of Sriracha mayo and you will instantly understand why I call these chicken smash burgers mouthwatering.

I’m not sure what it is about summer and burgers, but they are a match made in heaven. This summer I created a new healthier burger recipe made with chicken breast. Although I love a good grilled hamburger, recently I’ve fallen in love with the smash burger. You may be asking yourself, “What is a smash burger?”… Thank you for asking!

A smash burger is a burger that is cooked on a very hot surface, like a griddle or a cast iron skillet. When burgers are cooked on an extremely hot surface, a reaction is achieved. This reaction is called The Maillard Reaction. Basically, it’s a nonenzymatic reaction between sugars and proteins that occurs upon heating. It produces that browned, charred, toasty, and delicious flavor of some foods, such as meat.

When it comes to burgers, this reaction only happens at the surface of the patty, because the proteins need to be in direct contact with the heat. When you smash burgers, they flatten. A flatter patty means more contact area for a tastier – Maillard Reaction – burger.

Some people say that pressing down on a burger while it’s cooking is bad because it releases all the juices creating a less juicy burger. No one likes a dry burger. However, if a burger is smashed correctly, none of the juiciness inside is lost. Smashing the burger within the first 30 seconds of it hitting the griddle or cast iron skillet will allow the juices to lock in the burger and not drip out. I highly recommend using a cast iron flat grill press to achieve the perfect smash. Smashing a burger makes the meat (or chicken) taste like a proper diner burger. I’m telling you, it’s mouthwatering!

* Cook chicken to the temperature recommended by FDA (165°F). Check out my absolute favorite instant-read meat thermometer here.

There is nothing I love more than a recipe that uses simple and healthy ingredients. Add in the fact that all the ingredients are staples in my pantry and fridge and I’m sold! Here is everything you need to make these mouthwatering chicken smash burgers:

• Chicken breast
• Red pepper
• Green onions
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Cheese (I use American or Pepper Jack slices.)
• Brioche buns

I cannot be alone when I say it’s the “fixins” that go on burgers that truly make them extraordinary. These chicken smash burgers are no exception when it comes to accouterments. Here is what I love to put on mine, but you can add or omit whatever you want:

• Pickled Red Onions
• Avocado
• Sriracha Mayo (Recipe can be found below.)
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Pickle slices
• Crispy bacon
• Fried Egg

Using store-bought ground chicken can be an alternative to finely chopped chicken breast. However, I can tell you from experience that store-bought ground chicken doesn’t make the juiciest and best chicken smash burger. I’m not sure why, but after trying it once in hopes of a possible shortcut, I decided that taking the time to chop the chicken breast was definitely worth the extra time (which honestly doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes).

You can also make smash burgers with ground beef, bison, and pork. I’ve even seen someone make them with finely chopped bacon to serve with lettuce, tomato, and mayo for the ultimate BLT.

When I serve these burgers at the farm, I typically serve them with all the fixins, thin-cut (restaurant style) fries or potato chips, Grilled Sweet Corn Summer Salad with Pickled Blueberries, and Peach Cobbler with Bourbon Cream. Talk about the perfect summer supper!

I hope you enjoy these mouthwatering chicken smash burgers as much as we do. For more delicious recipes, easy DIYs, home decor sources, styling tips, and more, join me on Pinterest and Instagram too. I look forward to seeing you there!