The secret to keeping these Chipotle Chicken Burger juicy is a creative blend of panade and mayo with adobo sauce for flavor, all mixed right into ground chicken and grilled to perfection. This ensures that every bite is filled with delicious juicy flavor. The Chipotle Chicken Burger is finished with melted pepper jack cheese and an amazing Adobo Aioli.
Don’t worry this burger isn’t overly spicy. We like to say it has spice for flavor, not for heat. Of course, if you want more heat, add more chipotles and maybe a sprinkle of cayenne powder.
We have no shortage of burgers for the grill here at Mom’s Dinner. Next up you can try this Grilled Chicken Burger with Dill Pickle Slaw , Fresh Salmon Burger, or Grilled Turkey Burger.
Ingredients
Pictured below are the ingredients you need to make Chipotle Chicken Burgers, plus some tips on a few ingredients:
Ground Chicken: For the best grilled chicken burgers you want to purchase a ground chicken that has some dark meat included, will usually be marked 93% lean ground chicken and 7% fat.
You want to avoid the extra lean ground chicken. Sometimes marked as ground chicken breast meat, or extra lean ground chicken, or it will be labeled as 98% lean and 2% fat.
Bread: the mixture of bread and milk in this recipe makes a panade, which is a combination of a starch and liquid to keep ground meat recipe juicy.
Choose a bread that is white or wheat. Avoid breads that are filled with seeds, grains, and nuts.
Mayo: Not only are we using a panade to keep the chicken burgers moist, a little mayo helps this chicken burger retain juices when grilled. Not to mention it adds a little flavor too!
Adobo Sauce: when you buy a can of chipotle peppers they come in adobo sauce. It is a smoky and spicy sauce that adds just the right punch of flavor to your burgers. Spoon out a tablespoon and add it to the mixture.
Chipotle Aioli
To really ramp up the flavor of the Chicken Burger we are adding a Chipotle Aioli. If you’re unfamiliar with aioli, think of it as a fancier, more flavorful cousin of mayo. Except in this recipe we will be using mayo as the base.
Our Chipotle Aioli is crafted with a base of mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and of course, chipotle peppers. It is an irresistible smoky, tangy, and spicy spread that enhances the flavor of your grilled chicken burger.
Other Ways To Use Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
Generally when you buy a can of chipotle in adobo you don’t use the entire can/jar. Recipes usually call for 1-3 peppers. They are pretty spicy!
You can absolutely freeze the chipotles in adobo for up to 6 months. Or you can pop them in the fridge and have a week full of chipotle recipes:
Ground Chicken Burger on The Grill
You will start by making the ground chicken patties. You can make the aioli at this time or after you grill the burgers. It come together quickly!
- Get The Grill Ready
- Make Ground Chicken Burger Mix
- Form Patties
- Form Patties
- Make The Aioli
- Serve
Preheat grill to high heat and prepare a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and sprayed with nonstick
cooking spray.
Combine the parsley, adobo sauce, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, milk, and
mayonnaise. Add in the bread cubes and mash the mixture together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the ground chicken. Gently mix everything together until just combined.
Form the mixture into 4-5 equal sized patties. They will be quite sticky. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and spray the tops with cooking spray to prevent sticking to the grill.
Grill the burgers over direct heat for approximately 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer. Top with pepper jack cheese slices the lastminute of grilling time.
While the burgers rest, make the Adobo Aioli:
In a small bowl stir together the ingredients: mayonnaise, sugar, chipotle chile in adobo sauce, adobo sauce, garlic, and lime juice.
Serve burgers on toasted brioche buns topped very generously with the Adobo Aioli and your favorite burger toppings. We like to add lettuce, tomato and onions.
Side Dishes
- Grilled Corn on the Cob: The sweet, charred flavor of grilled corn balances the smoky spiciness of the chipotle chicken burger beautifully. You can sprinkle some chili powder, lime, and salt for an extra kick. Or make some Corn on the Cob in your Instant Pot.
- Sweet Potato Fries: These provide a sweet contrast to the spicy chipotle. Serve them with a cool yogurt dip to really bring out their flavor.
- Coleslaw: An American BBQ classic, coleslaw is a fantastic accompaniment to any burger. The crisp, cool, creamy coleslaw works great in contrast with the hot and spicy burger. Try this Cilantro Lime Coleslaw!
- Chips and Guacamole: guacamole or creamy avocado salsa and crispy tortilla chips are a match made in heaven for the Chipotle Chicken Burger. The cool, creamy avocado dip can help offset some of the chipotle’s heat.
- Grilled Vegetables: Grilled zucchini, bell peppers, and asparagus can add a healthy and tasty side to your meal.
More Burger Recipes
Grilled Chipotle Chicken Burger Recipe with Adobo Aioli
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley - chopped
- 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce - from canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – see note #1
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 slice white or wheat sandwich bread - crusts removed and cut into very small cubes ⅛”
- 1 pound ground chicken - – NOT extra lean all breast meat – see note #2
- 4-5 slices pepper jack cheese
- non stick cooking spray
Serving
- Brioche Buns - -toasted on the grill or under a broiler in the oven
- Favorite burger toppings: lettuce, red onion, tomato
Adobo Aioli
- ½ cup mayo
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- 1 small chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce - finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon adobo sauce
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- juice of ½ a lime
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat and prepare a baking sheet lined with wax paper cut into squares and spray them generously with nonstick cooking spray.Pro Tip: The wax paper squares will help you transfer the sticky chicken burgers to the grill!
- In a medium bowl combine the parsley, adobo sauce, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, milk, and mayonnaise. Stir to combine.1 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. onion powder, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. pepper, 2 Tbsp. milk, 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- Add in the bread cubes and mash the mixture together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the ground chicken. Gently mix everything together until just combined.1 slice white or wheat sandwich bread, 1 pound ground chicken
- Form the mixture into 4-5 equal sized patties. They will be quite sticky. Place them on the prepared wax paper squares on the baking sheet. Then spray the tops of the patties with cooking spray to prevent sticking to the grill.
- Grill the burgers over direct heat for approximately 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer.
- Top with pepper jack cheese slices the last minute of grilling time.
Serving
- Serve burgers on toasted brioche buns topped very generously with the Adobo Aioli and your favorite burger toppings.
Adobo Aioli
- Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl.½ cup mayo, ¾ teaspoon sugar, 1 small chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, 1 garlic clove, juice of ½ a lime, ½ teaspoon adobo sauce
Recipe Tips and Notes:
- Buy a small can of Chipotle Chili Peppers in Adobo Sauce. You will find it in the Mexican Food aisle at your grocery store. They are spicy! But we are not adding enough to make your Chipotle Chicken Burgers overly spicy!
- Ground Chicken: For the best grilled chicken burgers you want to purchase a ground chicken that has some dark meat included, will usually be marked 93% lean ground chicken and 7% fat. You want to avoid the extra lean ground chicken. Sometimes marked as ground chicken breast meat, or extra lean ground chicken, or it will be labeled as 98% lean and 2% fat.
Andrea Howe says
I’ve recently had to really cut back on red meat, but I love a good burger! This recipe was easy and delicious and fit my burger craving 🙂 Thank you!