Crispy Ground Chicken Burgers with Juicy Panade and Panko Crust
By Olivia Hayes
Prep
15 min
Cook
18 min
Total
40 min
Servings
5
Level
Easy
Resting the breaded patties lets the flour absorb surface moisture and helps the panko stay attached instead of steaming in the pan. These crispy ground chicken burgers have a juicy, lightly seasoned center and a golden, crunchy panko coating without deep frying.
The chicken mixture uses a panade of panko and mayonnaise, fresh parsley, green onions, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. The paste adds moisture to ground chicken, while light handling avoids a firm, compact patty. Each patty gets flour, egg mixed with water, and panko in that order; the flour separates the wet mixture from the outer crumbs.
Expect wet, sticky patties about an inch thick before breading, then a fully covered panko surface after coating. During pan-frying, the crust should turn golden brown while the burgers cook without crowding the skillet. The common problem is overly fast browning, so lower the heat to medium when that happens. A wire rack prevents the finished coating from softening while another batch cooks.
Serve in brioche or regular hamburger buns, or leave off the bun and use toppings. Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese, lettuce, BBQ sauce, pesto, red pepper sauce, aioli, grilled eggplant, and coleslaw are listed options. Refrigerated leftovers keep in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven.
Why you'll love this recipe
- The panade of panko and mayonnaise holds moisture in the ground chicken, helping even white-meat chicken produce a tender rather than dry burger.
- A flour layer separates the wet patty from the coating, so the panko can fry into a crisp shell instead of steaming.
- Letting the breaded patties rest for seven minutes gives the crumbs time to cling and prevents cold burgers from cooling the oil.
- Medium-high pan frying browns the panko without deep frying, while lowering the heat prevents the coating from darkening faster than the center cooks.
- Using a wire rack after frying keeps air moving around the crust, which helps preserve its crisp texture while later batches finish.
- The recipe offers oven and air-fryer routes with flipping halfway, giving the same breaded patty format different cooking options.
Ingredients
- •1.5 lb ground chicken
- •0.25 cup neutral oil (for pan frying; vegetable, peanut, canola, or olive oil)
- •0.33 cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs)
- •3 tbsp mayonnaise (or milk or broth)
- •0.33 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped; or about 2 tablespoons dried parsley)
- •2 tbsp green onions (finely chopped; or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
- •0.25 tsp garlic powder
- •1 tsp kosher salt
- •0.5 tsp ground pepper
- •1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- •3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- •1 egg (beaten)
- •1 tbsp water (for mixing with egg)
- •1 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular breadcrumbs may be used, but the texture will be less light and crisp)
- •hamburger buns and toppings (for serving)
Instructions
- 1
Place the beaten egg mixed with water in a shallow bowl.
- 2
Place the flour in a second shallow bowl.
- 3
Place the panko breadcrumbs on a plate.
- 4
Set a plate or cutting board nearby for the breaded chicken patties.
- 5
Mix the panade and seasoning ingredients together in a large bowl.
- 6
Let the panade stand for a few minutes if using milk or broth, allowing the liquid to absorb.
- 7
Add the ground chicken to the panade mixture.
- 8
Using a clean hand formed like a claw, combine the chicken mixture lightly without overworking it.
- 9
Roughly divide the chicken mixture into 5 portions.
- 10
Wet your hands and lightly form each portion into a patty about 1 inch thick.
- 11
Dip each patty in flour to coat lightly and shake off the excess.
- 12
Dip each floured patty into the egg mixture.
- 13
Coat each patty completely in panko breadcrumbs.
- 14
Let the breaded burgers sit for 7 minutes so the crumbs adhere, the flour absorbs moisture, and the burgers come to room temperature.
- 15
Heat the oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- 16
Add only as many burgers as fit comfortably in the skillet without overcrowding.
- 17
Pan-fry the burgers for 4 minutes.
- 18
Turn the burgers and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness, until golden brown.
- 19
Lower the heat to medium if the panko coating browns too quickly.
- 20
Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160F/71C on an instant-read thermometer, then allow the temperature to rise 5 degrees while resting.
- 21
Transfer cooked patties to a wire rack over a baking sheet if making another batch, and keep them warm in a low-heat oven.
- 22
For baking, place breaded burgers on a wire rack over a baking sheet and lightly spray both sides with oil.
- 23
Bake at 425F/218C for 15 to 22 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the internal temperature reaches 160F/71C.
- 24
For air frying, preheat the air fryer to 375F/190C and lightly spray both sides of the breaded patties with oil.
- 25
Air fry the patties in a single layer for 10 to 14 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and the internal temperature reaches 160F/71C.
- 26
Serve in brioche buns or regular hamburger buns with toppings of your choice, or serve without buns.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
407
Protein
28g
Fat
26g
Carbs
17g
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