Dinner tonight is Healthy Buffalo Chicken Burgers! These juicy chicken burgers are made with grated zucchini and a buffalo kick you’re going to love. They’re a fresh, easy dinner any time! (Paleo & Whole30-Friendly)
I love this time of year! Grilling season and hot weather make me crave light, fresh dinners, and these Buffalo Chicken Burgers are one of our favorites for summer.
We use an easy technique to make them tender and juicy, then top them with a mix of creamy ranch and tangy, spicy buffalo sauce, and a few fresh toppings. SO GOOD!
Paired with our Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries or something light like this Keto Cucumber Salad, they make a delicious fresh summer meal!
Best of all, they start with simple ingredients. Let’s take a look:
Start With Simple Ingredients
- Ground Chicken. Ground chicken forms the base of our buffalo chicken burgers. I usually use ground chicken in the 93-96% lean range rather than 98-99% lean. It’ll have better flavor and hold together better.
- Grated Zucchini (Squeezed!). To keep your chicken burgers from falling apart, it’s fairly common to use some kind of a binder. Often, this is bread crumbs, grated cheese, or an egg. I use a little grated zucchini, like I do for my chicken zucchini poppers. It’s not much (and my zucchini-averse husband doesn’t mind one bit!), but the zucchini helps hold your buffalo chicken burgers together beautifully. The trick is to squeeze out the excess liquid from the zucchini before adding it to your burgers. (See the recipe card for a how-to!)
- Green Onion. To season the burgers and add layer upon layer of flavor to every bite, I add a few extra things to the mix. First up is a little green onion. It’s mild onion flavor works beautifully and lets the other flavors shine.
- Cilantro. Next up, is a little cilantro (or parlsey if you’re not a cilantro fan!). I love the note of freshness!
- Buffalo Sauce or Frank’s Red Hot. For the signature kick and flavor, you’ll need some Buffalo Sauce or hot sauce. Tessemae’s and Noble Made are two paleo/Whole30-approved buffalo sauce options, or you can use straight up Frank’s Red Hot (original recipe) or a homemade buffalo sauce (it’s easy to make!).
- Garlic Powder. Then, you’ll add a little garlic powder (I find it distributes better in the burgers than minced garlic).
- Plenty Of Salt. And, finally, salt. Make sure you season these generously!
CAN I MAKE BUFFALO BURGERS WITH TURKEY INSTEAD? I believe it would work to make these as turkey burgers by swapping in ground turkey for the ground chicken, though I haven’t specifically tried it that way. (I have a weird aversion to the flavor of ground turkey.)
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Burgers, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
- Squeeze The Water Out Of The Zucchini. If you haven’t already, squeeze the excess moisture out of your shredded zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Wrap the zucchini tightly and squeeze excess moisture out.
- Combine. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, zucchini, green onion cilantro, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and salt. Stir with a fork to combine, or mix with your hands to combine well.
- Divide & Shape. Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions and gently form into patties. I suggest making them roughly the same size as your buns or slightly larger (as they’ll shrink slightly when cooking).
- Cook The Burgers. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add chicken burger patties to the pan. (Note: the burgers shouldn’t touch each other in the pan, so work in batches of 2, if needed.) Cook burgers 5-7 minutes per side, or until they’re fully cooked through, with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on a meat thermometer.
- Serve & Store. Transfer cooked chicken patties to a clean plate and build your burgers with your favorite toppings! Store leftover chicken burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days.
3 Yummy Ways To Serve These Chicken Burgers
Think of this like a choose your own adventure! You can serve these burgers in several different ways, but these are our go-to’s:
- ON A BUN OR GLUTEN-FREE BUN. The most classic way to serve buffalo chicken burgers is tucked into a bun or a gluten-free bun. When I’m in the mood for a bun, the Trader Joe’s gluten-free hamburger buns (pictured) and Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free burger buns are our favorite. (I get the Canyon Bakehouse buns at Target or many chain grocers.) Or, you can make these keto hamburger buns with almond flour!
- IN A LETTUCE WRAP. For paleo & Whole30 eaters, a lettuce wrap is a great option! I do this a lot–I LOVE the crunch of a lettuce-wrapped burger! (This video walks you through how to do this easily–I like wrapping them in parchment paper afterward to keep them together.)
- AS A BURGER SALAD OR BURGER BOWL. I’ve been REALLY into our burger bowls with special sauce lately, and these buffalo chicken burgers can totally work as burger bowls! Add a bed of lettuce, some sliced tomato, and maybe a little cucumber (or other things like pickles or carrots!), then add your buffalo chicken burger on top. Drizzle with a blend of our ranch dressing + some more buffalo sauce and you’ve got an incredible buffalo chicken burger bowl!
Let’s Talk Toppings!
Now that you know how to make buffalo chicken burgers, let’s talk about burger toppings!
- A BUN. Naturally! This is a great way to keep your buffalo chicken burger together. Scroll up to the section above to see our favorite GF burger buns!
- LETTUCE. Add some lettuce (or make a lettuce wrap!). I love green leaf lettuce for burgers on buns, while iceberg works well for lettuce wraps. Green leaf & romaine are my favorites for burger bowls.
- RANCH. I LOVE serving my buffalo chicken burgers with ranch. The ranch helps temper the buffalo kick and gives them a gorgeous creamy note without needing any cheese. (Try our famous Homemade Ranch! It’s naturally paleo & Whole30-approved!)
- BUFFALO SAUCE. To give our buffalo chicken burgers a sumptuous, luxurious feel, I like drizzling on a little extra buffalo sauce along with the ranch. It’s creamy, spicy, tangy, delicious!
- FRESH TOMATO SLICES. My favorite! I love thick slices of tomato on my buffalo chicken burgers. They’re fresh, juicy, and a perfect complement to the other flavors going on.
- AVOCADO. Since buffalo sauce can run a bit spicy, some cool, creamy avocado can help you strike the perfect balance if you’re not into ranch.
- RED ONIONS. If you like onions on burgers, a few rings of red onion won’t go astray.
MORE OPTIONS TO TRY: Feel free to add slices of cheddar cheese, a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles, or blue cheese dressing if you tolerate dairy!
FAQ + Tips For The Best Buffalo Chicken Burgers
MAKE SURE TO SQUEEZE YOUR ZUCCHINI! As with our chicken zucchini poppers recipe, it’s important to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the grated zucchini before adding it to your buffalo chicken burger mixture. Zucchini will add moisture to the recipe (in place of things like breadcrumbs or egg), but you don’t want it *wet* or your burgers may not hold together. Be sure not to skip the squeezing step!
FLIP + FLIP + FLIP. Depending on what kind of pan you’re using to cook your chicken burgers, you may find it’s better to flip them several times rather than just once during cooking. This helps keep the sides from burning/browning too quickly. (Cast iron will brown more quickly than nonstick or ceramic.)
PALEO OR WHOLE30? READ THIS! Our Buffalo Chicken Burger recipe is 100% paleo & whole30-approved if you use compliant buffalo sauce (like Tessemae’s or Noble Made) or stick with straight Frank’s Red Hot (original). You can even make your own homemade buffalo sauce (it’s easy to make!). Then, you’ll just need to serve your burgers without the bun. I recommend a lettuce wrap or our burger salad option! (Scroll up to see how we do that!)
Buffalo Chicken Burgers (Paleo & Whole30)
- Total Time: About 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 Burgers 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Burgers – Lean chicken burgers with grated zucchini and a buffalo kick make a fresh, easy dinner any time! (Paleo & Whole30-Friendly)
Ingredients
FOR THE BUFFALO CHICKEN BURGERS:
- 1 lb. ground chicken (I recommend 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
TO SERVE:
- Buns (or lettuce for lettuce wraps)
- Lettuce
- Ranch Dressing
- Additional buffalo sauce*
- Other burger favorites, like sliced tomatoes or red onion, avocado, pickles, cheese, etc.
Instructions
- Squeeze The Water Out Of The Zucchini. If you haven’t already, squeeze the excess moisture out of your shredded zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Wrap the zucchini tightly and squeeze excess moisture out.
- Combine. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, zucchini, green onion cilantro, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and salt. Stir with a fork to combine, or mix with your hands to combine well.
- Divide & Shape. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and gently form into patties. I suggest making them roughly the same size as your buns or slightly larger (as they’ll shrink slightly when cooking).
- Cook The Burgers. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add burgers to the pan. (Note: the burgers shouldn’t touch each other in the pan, so work in batches of 2, if needed.) Cook burgers 5-7 minutes per side, or until they’re fully cooked through, with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on a meat thermometer.
- Serve & Store. Transfer cooked burgers to a clean plate and build your burgers with your favorite toppings! Add burgers to buns and layer with lettuce, a drizzle of ranch dressing, drizzle of buffalo sauce, and any other desired toppings (tomato, cheese, onion, pickles, etc.) Alternatively, you can serve these burgers wrapped in lettuce or on a bed of lettuce for a burger bowl.
Notes
*Paleo & Whole30 Notes: To keep your burgers paleo/whole30 compliant, use a plain hot sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot) or a compliant buffalo sauce, like Tessemae’s or Noble Made. Then, opt for a lettuce-wrapped burger, or eat it as a burger bowl.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger patty (bun + toppings not included)
- Calories: 157
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 843.7 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 24.8 g
- Cholesterol: 111.2 mg
These are really good! They feel a lot more wholesome than regular burgers (and they hurt so good)!
The buffalo chicken burgers came together super quick even making my own Buffalo sauce. With just the right amount of kick without being to spicy. Carrot and celery sticks with some frozen French fries on the side, perfect for a busy day.
Oh, yum! That sounds so good! I’m so glad you loved them. THANK YOU for leaving a review!!!
Have you tried this in a BBQ grill
I haven’t, but it should work! For best results, grease your grill grates well, and consider chilling the burgers for 20-30 minutes before grilling (they’ll hold together better).