Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Burgers
Want juicy, delicious burgers in 15 minutes without having to turn on the stove or go outside and grill? These air fryer chicken burgers are the perfect solution.
Getting a good-for-you dinner on the table doesn’t have to be a ton of work. I love to let the air fryer do most of the heavy lifting for me! These simple chicken burger patties turn out crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside with very little work! This is the ultimate weeknight meal that everyone in your family is going to be excited to eat.
Made with simple ingredients, these gluten free chicken burgers are super versatile and it’s easy to change the flavors based on what you are craving. My personal go-to is to add some chipotle mayo or to change up the spices to create a more Cajun or Greek inspired meal.
If you love having the air fryer help you with dinner and want your meals to be quick and easy, you have to try Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs (serve with pasta for a quick meal), Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken or Air Fryer Chicken Cubes (with taco seasoning, served in tacos).
What is the best ground chicken for burgers?
For the juiciest, most flavorful burgers, avoid extra lean ground chicken (like 99% lean), which tends to dry out in the air fryer. Instead, choose ground chicken with 8–15% fat. I used ground chicken with 8% fat in this recipe, and it worked perfectly.
Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup almond flour - or gluten free bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp dried chives
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 pound ground chicken
Instructions
- In a bowl add the almond flour, spices and apple cider vinegar. Stir well to combine.
- Add the ground chicken to the bowl and stir well to incorporate the spices throughout the mixture.
- Press the ground chicken down in the bowl into an even layer then score the meat into 4 even sections.
- Take 1/4 of the chicken mixture and form into a patty. Press down the center of the chicken patty with your thumb or a spoon to make an indention.
- Optional: Put down a silicone liner or parchment paper with holes cut out down in the air fryer.
- Place the chicken burgers in the air fryer basket so they are in one layer, no overlapping.
- Cook at 390F for 14 minutes total. After 9 minutes (5 minutes left), pause the air fryer and flip the chicken burgers. Resume cooking for the remaining 5 minutes. If possible let the chicken burgers rest for 3-5 minutes for super moist, juicy burgers.
Equipment
Notes
Top tips
- Substitute almond flour for 1/4 cup of your favorite gluten free breadcrumbs if needed.
- Use your own ranch seasoning – you need 1.5 tablespoons
- Make turkey burgers by swapping ground chicken for turkey.
- Press down in the center of each burger with your thumb to make an imprint. This helps the burgers cook evenly and come out evenly sized when cooking.
- To double the recipe, you will likely need to cook 2 batches back to back unless your air fryer is very large. For the second batch, cook the burgers 1-2 minutes less since the air fryer will be preheated.
- Use a silicone liner or parchment paper liner (cut a few holes in the parchment paper for circulation) to help ensure the burgers don’t stick to the air fryer basket. If you don’t have this, spray the bottom of the burgers with olive oil or avocado oil spray to ensure they don’t stick.
- Don’t overlap the chicken patties in the air fryer basket. This helps to ensure that everything cooks evenly. This may mean that you have to cook the burgers in batches.
- Try not to overwork the meat when mixing in the spices. This is why I recommend stirring the spices together first before adding the meat.
Flavor variations to try
- Italian: Swap the spices for Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, tomato paste, and use balsamic vinegar.
- Greek: Use Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder, salt, tomato paste, and red wine vinegar instead of the original spices.
- Curry: Replace the spices with curry powder, turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, and salt.
- Sundried Tomato: Use Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and chopped sundried tomatoes in place of the original spices.
- Pesto: Skip the spices and vinegar, add garlic powder, salt, pesto, and a little extra almond flour for texture.
- Sriracha: Omit the spices and vinegar, then add garlic powder, salt, sriracha, coconut aminos or soy sauce, and a bit more almond flour.
- Cajun: Replace the spices with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
Storing leftovers
- Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the air fryer at 375F for 5-7 minutes, on the stove 3-4 minutes per side on medium heat or in the microwave for 1:30-2 minutes.
- Freezing tips: You can freeze these chicken burgers before or after cooking. To freeze raw patties, shape them and freeze on a parchment-lined tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen following the instructions in my air fryer frozen turkey burger recipe. For cooked burgers, cool completely before freezing. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition Information
Topping ideas
These air fryer chicken burgers are super versatile. I like to keep things simply by adding lettuce, tomato and red onion. Oh and I never skip adding homemade ranch dressing (my personal favorite). Some other good options would be easy pickled red onions, avocado, and spicy chipotle mayo.
Ways to serve chicken burgers
These air fryer chicken burgers are great on a bun, tucked into a tortilla or lettuce wrap, served over salad greens, or paired with sweet potato tots for a satisfying meal.
