Air Fryer Chicken Burgers

When in doubt, serve chicken. But make it pretty. Make it exciting. And make it with very little effort. Say hi to our Air Fryer Chicken Burgers. Moist, packed with flavor and sure to please even picky eaters.

Air Fryer Chicken Burgers

I have a long loving relationship with chicken burgers. This sentiment may seem like an odd revelation since most versions of chicken burgers include dry, hockey puck-like patties of poultry. However ours, every single one, is moist, flavorful and obviously much healthier than an all beef burger. Our most notable recipes in our archives are our Cajun Chicken Burgers, 5-Ingredient Guacamole Chicken Burgers (a reader favorite!) and Mozzarella Chicken Burgers.

And while all versions of these chicken burgers are very easy to replicate yourself, today’s Air Fryer Chicken Burgers are the quickest yet, thanks to (as you might infer from the title) the air fryer.

Honestly, aside from the Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Burger, you could probably take any of those recipes and transfer it to the air fryer for a much quicker cook time.

I wanted this recipe to be somewhat basic so you can tailor it to your taste or dress it up any way you please. The patty itself is flavored with lime, plenty of onion and garlic, cumin and black pepper. We top each juicy patty with a garlicky aioli and then your basic burger dressings.

Ingredients in Air Fryer Chicken Burgers

Ground chicken. To keep these ultra healthy, we like to use ground chicken breast. You could use ground chicken thigh but keep in mind it will add more calories and fat. Don’t worry about the meat drying out, we will moisten them up with plenty of other ingredients to keep them juicy.

Spices. We load these up with garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper.

Veggies. One of the key ingredients to keep these air fryer chicken burgers tender and juicy is grated onion. Grating the onion adds a liquid base to the ground chicken that helps to keep them super moist while cooking. We also add in plenty of minced garlic and diced red pepper.

Bun. I love to use a brioche bun, but use whatever you want!

Toppings. I keep things simple here, lettuce, tomato, avocado and aioli.

Let’s make Air Fryer Chicken Burgers

Make the patties. Add the ground chicken, onion, shallot, garlic, spices and red pepper to a large bowl. Use clean hands to mix everything together. DO NOT OVER MIX. Score the mixture to make four even quadrants. Form each quadrant into a 1/2-inch patty.

Make sure you grate the onion! Grating the onion on the large holes of the grater will release moisture in the onion and keep the patties moist.

Cook the patties. Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees for five minutes. Spray the air fryer with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the tops of the patties. Cook at 380 degrees for six minutes or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Add another minute or two if needed.

Check them after five minutes, you do not want them to overcook!

Make the aioli

While the patties cook, make the aioli. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Mayo
• lime juice
• garlic
• salt, pepper, cumin

Add everything together in a small bowl, mix to combine. Season to taste. Done!

Do I have to use chicken breast?

No! Use chicken thigh or ground turkey.

Do I have to use the air fryer?

No! Check out this Chicken Burger recipe to see how to cook them on the stovetop.

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Don’t over mix! If you are too hard on the chicken patty mixture, they will become tough. Mix just until the mixture comes together.
• If you want a texture similar to a meatball, add one egg and 1/3 cup breadcrumbs.
• For extra spice, add in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.

For other burger recipes, check out these posts!

• These turkey meatball burgers are one of my favorite burger recipes of all time!
• Coconut, red curry, pork – what more could you ask for?!
• These Hatch Chile and Bacon Cheeseburgers are the perfect summer sandwich!