These juicy spinach chicken burgers are packed with hidden veggies and ready in under 20 minutes. Serve in buns or lettuce wraps with a creamy avocado mayo.
If you love easy healthy chicken recipes, also try my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders and Easy Grilled Chicken Salad.
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Spinach chicken burgers are one of those recipes that sounds healthy and somehow still manages to be the best thing on the table. Ground chicken gets mixed with chopped spinach and simple seasonings, grilled up in minutes, and topped with the creamiest avocado mayo you've ever had. Even the people in your house who claim they don't like spinach will love these.
They work in buns, in lettuce wraps, or just straight on a plate with good sides. And they come together in under 20 minutes.
The burgers are so tasty on their own, but I highly suggest you trying out mom's avocado mayo. Mom wants you to know that the avocado mayo really brings all the flavors together and is so simple to make! It's not easy arguing with mom!
This recipe came together completely at the last minute. Sometimes I wonder how to keep my family excited at lunch with my recipe creations. I have my kids at home still with virtual school and it has been a year of fun lunches together. Chicken or turkey burgers are usually the star of lunch a couple times during the week.
The tricky part is how to present the burger in a fun and different way. As I tend to have jars of magical pickled veggies, it's usually pretty easy to jazz up the burgers. Leftover steamed spinach from the night before became the star of these tasty burgers.
I did really want to add in some of the gorgeous ripe avocados I had on my counter, but mom was NOT interested in a chicken avocado burger. She said an avocado does not belong inside of an avocado, but mom came up with the idea of making a little side sauce.
So if you have cooked spinach on hand, this is the perfect recipe to use up those leftovers! Enjoy these burgers like we did on a nice platter with fresh spinach (or any lettuce you like) and any thing you have pickled. Or use lettuce leaves to make a bun (or use your favorite buns and make it a sandwich).
Why These Spinach Burgers Are So Good
- Hidden veggies your family will actually eat. A full cup of spinach mixed right into the patty - you'd never know it was there.
- On the table in 20 minutes. Mix, form, grill. That's it.
- The avocado mayo is everything. Mom's idea, and she was right - it takes these from good to really good.
- Works for almost any diet. Naturally gluten-free, Whole30 and Paleo friendly - but honestly just a great burger regardless.
- Perfect for meal prep. Make a double batch and freeze half for fast weeknight dinners.
What ingredients are needed to make these chicken spinach burgers?
- Ground chicken: You could also sub in ground turkey if you prefer. Grind up your own chicken breasts in a food processor.
- Spinach: I had about 2 cups of leftover steamed spinach on hand. You could use fresh or steamed spinach.
- Coconut flour: I add a little to bind the mixture together. I find with ground turkey that it dries out the mixture too much. You could sub in almond flour.
- Garlic: I always have a small jar of my own ground up garlic in oil. You could use chopped garlic or garlic powder. Or you could use some chopped onion, shallots or scallions.
- Spices: I kept it simple with salt and pepper, but spice it up how you like it.
Can I use ground turkey in place the ground chicken?
Yes, like I mentioned above, you could sub with ground turkey. Ground turkey breast is dry. If you can find ground dark turkey meat, your turkey burger won't turn out as dry.
How to make Chicken Spinach Burgers
These burgers are really easy to make. Here is what I did.
First, I prepped the chicken mixture. Gather all your ingredients together. If you have fresh spinach on hand, chop it up into small pieces. I had some leftover cooked spinach. I squeezed out the extra liquid and added that to the ground chicken.
If you are using a grill pan, now is the time to heat it up. You could also make these in a skillet or cast iron skillet.
I have a magical jar of my own ground garlic. A small spoonful got added in. You could also use garlic powder. Chopped shallots, onions or even scallions would work great! Salt and pepper and whatever spice you want to to add is fine! I kept mine simple.
Since the mixture is very sticky, I wet my hands a little bit and formed them into 5 patties. You could do 4 larger size patties. I sprinkled a little bit of coconut flour on the plate and then on top of each patty.
Once you are ready to make the burgers, lower the heat to medium so they don't get burn marks instead of the nice grill marks. Whatever pan you choose you have to prep it with some oil or cooking spray. I also like to brush the burgers a little with some oil. This all is to make sure they don't stick.
While the burgers are cooking up, make the avocado mayo.
I used my small food processor. You could use an immersion blender or even use a fork to mash up the avocados. Once the sauce is ready set it aside while you finish cooking up the burgers. This mayo is so smooth, so flavorful. You will make it and use it for other recipes (or just eat it with a spoon!).
Once the burgers are all cooked up, it's time to enjoy! Serve with that fabulous avocado mayo. The avocado mayo really does make these burgers extra special! I served mine on a platter with some spinach, lettuce, pickled cucumbers (mom's recipe)...or use these easy pickled cucumbers (omit sugar to keep it Whole30 + Paleo), jalapeños (red and green...for some spice).
But you could serve this with whatever sides you like.
Mom and my daughter really loved this burger and mayo idea! Mom said I better make sure to share this on the blog so I don't lose the recipe and because other people should try it!
I am not the family griller, so I like to make my burgers inside on a grill pan. They could definitely be made on a grill outside. Keep an eye on them they don't overcook. You want to make sure they get to 165F internal temperature.
When forming the patties, tuck in the spinach as much as you can. I had about 2 cups of cooked spinach on hand and used about 1 cup to mix in. I broke it up into small pieces before mixing it in and ended up with burgers bursting with spinach.
So if you have cooked spinach on hand, this is the perfect recipe to use it up!
Chicken burger tips
- I find that 99% lean ground chicken is too lean (for my taste, but if you like it, go ahead and use it!)…try to find ground chicken that is labeled between 90% and 93% lean.
- If you have a food processor on hand, you could make your own ground chicken. Cut up chicken breasts into small pieces and add it to your processor. Pulse until the chicken breast is ground up.
- Use your (very clean) hands to mix ingredients together and form the patties. Wetting your hands a little helps to get them nicely shaped.
- I am obsessed with my grill pan and always use it to make any burger. But you could use a frying pan or cast iron skillet to make the burgers, if you prefer.
- If using a grill pan (or on the grill), brush the burgers with a little oil (I used olive oil) so they won't stick to the grill pan or grill.
- To get the nice grill marks, you have to leave them cooking on one side for at least 4 minutes on a higher heat. Then flip them and finish cooking on the other side.
- The internal temperature should read at least 165° F.
- Keep the meal very low-carb (Whole30)and serve in lettuce wraps. If you're not low-carb, use your favorite burger buns. If you're gluten-free, use your favorite GF bun (or Keto buns). Make it a platter (or a bowl) like we did!
FAQ'S
Once they have cooled down, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.
Yes, you can! Wrap each burger and store in a zipped lock freezer bag or airtight freezer safe container.
Some other healthy recipes to try:
- Whole30 Orange Chicken Meatballs
- Italian Breakfast Hash-Whole30 Egg-Free Breakfast
- Whole30 Broccoli Salad
- No Bean Butternut Squash Chili
Did you make this and love it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)
I would LOVE IT if you can leave me a star rating and a review down below and let me know your thoughts! It means the world to me to hear how you liked it.
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Spinach Chicken Burgers with Avocado Mayo
Ingredients
- For the chicken burgers
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup spinach finely chopped (mine was steamed)
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour optional- acts as a binder
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, or another mild flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or chopped fresh garlic, use a little more if you like garlic flavor…I used both)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the avocado mayo optional
- 1-2 medium avocados
- 2-3 tablespoon avocado oil or coconut or extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of one lime or a lemon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- additional toppings:
- pickled cucumbers
- pickled or sliced red onion I had my mom's homemade pickled onions
- sliced jalapeños I used red and green, or use sweet peppers
- sliced tomatoes
- lettuce for wrapping
- buns low-carb or keto buns for paleo/keto...regular buns if you're not low-carb
Instructions
- BURGERS
- Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill. When it is heated, add some extra-virgin olive oil to the pan (or avocado oil).
- Lower the pan's heat and prep the chicken burgers.
- In a medium bowl, add the ground chicken, spinach, coconut flour (optional, but it helps it bind together), oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Use a large spoon to mix it all together (you could also use your clean hands to combine it all together).
- Sprinkle a little bit of flour on a plate. Wet your hands slightly and form the meat mixture into burgers (I had 5 burgers, but you could do 4 large ones if you prefer). Place the burgers on the flour and gently pat some on both sides.
- Raise the heat of the pan (if it cooled down to much as you prepped the burgers, if it's still nice and hot, leave it. Mine smokes way too much if I leave it on the higher heat).
- Add the burgers to the grill pan when it's nicely heated up. Use a spatula to gently flatten each burger. Cook
- Lower the heat a bit and cook the chicken burgers.
- Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until it reaches an internal temperatures of 165F.
- AVOCADO MAYO
- The avocado mayo comes together in a couple minutes.
- In a small food processor or blender, add in the avocado, oil, lime juice and salt. Pulse it all together until it is nice and smooth. You could also add the ingredients to a small bowl and use a fork to mash it all together and stir well to combine. Set aside and cook up the burgers (leave an avocado pit in the avocado mayo to prevent it from browning).
- Serve with the avocado mayo and green sides (and wrap with lettuce or buns). Use the avocado mayo same day.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
These were absolutely fantastic! They will be a regular on our meal plan from now on.
Hi Sheila-THANK YOU for taking the time to write me and let me know you love these spinach chicken burgers...I make them all the time!! Enjoy!