These chicken parm burgers are a fun twist on classic Chicken Parmesan in sandwich form! Perfectly seasoned and cooked until tender in hearty marinara sauce, these chicken patties are great to serve on buns, pasta, and zoodles, along with a side salad or veggies. Plus, they’re ready in less than 30 minutes! (Gluten-free, low carb)
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Healthy Chicken Parmesan Burgers
If you love a classic chicken parm, then you are going to fall in love with this recipe. It’s basically a cross between chicken parmesan and chicken burgers. These chicken parmesan burgers are made from scratch in minutes for one delicious and healthy meal that the whole family will love!
Ground chicken patties are seasoned with parmesan, garlic and seasonings before they are pan-fried and cooked in marinara sauce. They are then topped with a sprinkle of mozzarella and fresh basil for one delicious bite!
If you’re a fan of ground chicken burger recipes, be sure to also check out my Pesto Chicken Burgers and Chicken Feta Burgers too!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Parm Burger Recipe
- Quick and easy: Super simple to prep with everyday ingredients, these chicken parm burgers are ready to serve in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for a family weeknight meal.
- Make ahead: Be sure to make a double batch of these burgers, as they can be made several days ahead of time and are also freezer-friendly.
- Healthier option: Made with extra lean ground chicken, they are packed with protein while being lower in saturated fat. You can serve them up in a variety of different ways, depending on your dietary needs!
Ingredient Notes
- Ground chicken: Use extra lean ground chicken for this recipe for the healthiest option that’s lower in saturated fat. You can also make these patties with ground turkey or even lean ground beef.
- Almond flour: This is a great, naturally gluten-free binder for chicken burgers. You can also sub in regular or gluten-free bread crumbs.
- Parmesan cheese: If you can, use freshly grated parmesan cheese in these burgers. It has a much bolder flavor. Pre-grated can also be slightly dry in texture and often contains caking agents.
- Seasonings: Fresh garlic cloves, fresh parsley, kosher salt, and black pepper add a burst of flavor.
- Marinara sauce: The chicken burgers are cooked in a layer of marinara sauce for a lovely rich flavor that complements the other flavors so nicely. You can use store-bought sauce for convenience or substitute homemade marinara sauce if you have some on hand! If you opt for store-bought, ideally look for one that’s lower in sodium with no added sugar.
- Mozzarella cheese: Provides extra flavor to the burgers and lots of melty goodness that everyone is sure to love. You can also sub in Swiss, Asiago, Havarti or Provolone cheese.
- Fresh basil leaves: For garnish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the ingredients for the burgers to a large bowl.
- Combine until evenly mixed.
- Form mixture into four equal patties. Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add chicken burger patties to pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side.
- Flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes on the second side.
- Add marinara sauce so that it covers the bottom of the pan and surrounds each burger. Evenly sprinkle shredded cheese over each patty.
- Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with freshly chopped basil.
Expert Tips
- Do not over-mix the burger mixture, as it may result in tough burgers. Instead, mix ingredients until just combined.
- Form the burgers with your hands and pack the mixture tightly so that they don’t fall apart when flipping. You may wish to wet your hands a bit so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands. The patties should be about 1-inch thick.
- Don’t press down on the burgers while cooking them, as this presses out the juices, which may result in dry burgers.
- It’s best to use a meat thermometer to determine if the burgers are done. You’ll know that the burgers are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- If you’re planning to serve these chicken parmesan burgers on a bun, you’ll probably only need 2 cups of sauce. However, you may wish to add extra sauce to the pan if serving the burgers over pasta, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. You’ll want enough sauce to coat the noodles!
- As a time-saving tip, you can double or triple the burger recipe and freeze the extra burgers raw so that all you have to do is cook the burgers and add the sauce and cheese!
- Be generous with the fresh basil. It adds such a great flavor to the burgers.
- If you choose to serve these burgers on a bun, I recommend toasting the bun in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
It’s generally best to use a meat thermometer to determine if the chicken burgers are cooked. Insert the thermometer into the centre of the burger. You’ll know that the burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Yes! If you prefer, you can also cook the patties on the grill. Cook the patties for 4-5 minutes per side. While the burgers are cooking on the grill, heat the marinara sauce separately in a frying pan. Add the grilled burgers to the sauce and top with cheese as per the recipe directions.
Yes, but this will certainly change the flavor profile! The marinara sauce keeps the chicken burgers moist and juicy and adds a bold tomato flavor common in traditional chicken parmesan. If you need to avoid marinara sauce for any reason, try serving the burgers with a little fresh basil pesto on top for a summery, herby flavor.
Storage Guidelines
Refrigerator: You can store the cooked burgers in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container. Uncooked patties can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days (depending on the freshness of your chicken).
To freeze: You can freeze these burgers either from a raw or cooked state. Uncooked patties should be separated with parchment before being frozen so that they don’t freeze together. Thaw frozen burgers overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: Uncooked chicken burgers can be cooked as per the recipe. For already cooked burgers, you can add them directly into the hot tomato sauce to warm them through. The best way to reheat individual chicken patties is in the oven at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through or pop them in the microwave to 1-2 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
These burgers are convenient because they’re so versatile, so you can switch up how you serve them! Serve them with melty mozzarella cheese on top and a little extra marinara sauce.
These chicken patties are great:
- On hamburger buns
- Over pasta
- On zucchini noodles
- On spaghetti squash
- Over rice
- Along with roasted veggies (like this Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan or Healthy Roasted Potatoes)
These burgers also taste great paired with a side salad like this Healthy Caesar Salad, Cucumber Noodle Salad, Tossed Green Salad or Asparagus Tomato Salad!
Recipe variations
- Switch up the protein: Sub in ground turkey if you prefer the taste or don’t have ground chicken on hand. You can also use half Italian sausage and half ground chicken for extra flavor without quite as much fat.
- Spices & herbs: You can add in a dash of red pepper flakes for an extra kick of heat. You may also wish to add in some Italian seasoning or dried oregano for even more flavor. Some minced sun-dried tomatoes or olives would add an extra kick, too!
- Try a different sauce: Use regular store-bought marinara sauce or your favorite homemade sauce, like this low sodium spaghetti sauce! You can also use a spicier variety if you want to incorporate some extra spice to the sauce.
- Make chicken parm meatballs: Form the patty mixture into even-sized balls then brown on the stove and simmer in sauce like normal. So good over pasta!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Eggplant Parmesan without Egg
- Chicken Burger with Avocado
- Zucchini Turkey Burgers
- Chicken Caprese Burgers
- Chicken Muffins
- Vegan Spicy Black Bean Burger Recipe
- Chicken Spinach Pizza
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Easy Ground Chicken Parm Burgers Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground chicken
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup almond flour (can also sub in regular or gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 cups marinara sauce*
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
For serving:
- Fresh basil
- Whole-grain buns (or pasta, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, parmesan cheese, almond flour, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Form mixture into four patties. Add oil to a large frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add patties to pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes on the second side.
- Add marinara sauce so that it covers the bottom of the pan and surrounds each burger. Evenly sprinkle shredded cheese over each patty.
- Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Garnish with freshly chopped basil.
- Serve burgers and sauce on buns or over pasta, zucchini noodles,or spaghetti squash.
Notes
- Do not over mix the burger mixture as it may result in tough burgers. Instead, mix ingredients until just combined.
- Form the burgers with your hands and pack the mixture tightly so that they don’t fall apart when flipping. You may wish to wet your hands a bit so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.The patties should be about 1-inch thick.
- Don’t press down on the burgers while cooking them as this presses out the juices, which may result in dry burgers.
- It’s best to use a meat thermometer to determine if the burgers are done. You’ll know that the burgers are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- If you’re planning to serve these chicken parmesan burgers on a bun, you’ll probably only need 2 cups of sauce. However, you may wish to add extra sauce to the pan if serving the burgers over pasta, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. You’ll want enough sauce to coat the noodles!
- As a time saving tip, you can double or triple the burger recipe and freeze the extra burgers raw so that all you have to do is cook the burgers and add the sauce and cheese!
- Be generous with the fresh basil. It adds such a great flavour to the burgers.
- If you choose to serve these burgers on a bun, I recommend toasting the bun in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in March 2021 and was updated in October 2024 to include more helpful tips.
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