The last day of #AKZucchiniWeek has sadly arrived, but I’m pretty sure this year was a HUGE hit with all of you. Especially that lemon blueberry zucchini cake. Ayyyyy. Don’t forget to enter our giveaway — details at the bottom of this post!
These burgers were one of my personal favorites from this year’s zucchini week because well…your girl really loves good burger makeover. Thankfully my mom feels the same, so when she was recently in town to spend time with my little sweetheart Sidney, we decided to have a girl’s night and make these healthy buffalo zucchini chicken burgers paired with grilled sweet potato fries (japanese sweet potatoes are my latest obsession!).
Truthfully, mom and I couldn’t stop raving about how good these burgers were. Nice and juicy from the shredded zucchini, a little spicy thanks to buffalo sauce in and on the burger, and of course, topped with all the thangs: creamy avocado, zesty red onion, extra buffalo sauce and maybe even a little ranch for dipping. Time to make the most of the rest of summer with these burgs ppl. #hellyes
Ingredients in buffalo zucchini chicken burgers
For the burger:
- Ground chicken: use 93% ground chicken or ground turkey. I do not recommend using 99% lean
- Zucchini: shredded zucchini will give these burgers the perfect amount of moisture. Make sure you squeeze it of excess moisture after you measure the zucchini out!
- Buffalo sauce: feel free to use hot or medium buffalo sauce.
- Yellow onion: for added depth and a little crunch in the burgers.
- Spices: garlic powder, cumin, salt & pepper. Aka the ultimate burger spices!
- Cheddar cheese: I like topping these buffalo chicken burgers with sharp cheddar cheese slices, but feel free to use any cheese you’d like or skip it to keep the burgers dairy free.
Optional for assembly:
- Hamburger buns: feel free to use your favorite buns (gluten free if you’d like) or even a lettuce wrap.
- Buffalo sauce: a bit more for topping your chicken burgers.
- Avocado: I love the creaminess of avocado on top of burgers and to balance the buffalo flavor.
- Butterhead lettuce & red onion: for the perfect freshness and crunch.
How to cook healthy zucchini chicken burgers
To make your zucchini chicken burgers on the grill: Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Once grill is hot, add burger patties and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes per side. If you’re adding cheese, turn off the grill, add cheese to each patty and close the grill lid for 1-2 minutes longer, or until cheese has melted. Serve immediately. Burgers are done when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.
How to make chicken burgers on the stove (in a skillet or nonstick pan): Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to a nonstick skillet. Cook burgers over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Burgers are done when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.
Tips for making zucchini chicken burgers
- Be sure to use 93% lean ground chicken or turkey. Anything higher (like 99%) will not be very juicy.
- Squeeze out all of the excess moisture from your zucchini after shredding so that it doesn’t add too much moisture to the burger patties
Customize your zucchini chicken burgers
The options are endless in terms of toppings, so feel free to add things you like!
- Not a fan of buffalo sauce? Add the same amount of BBQ sauce instead. Or try my sweet potato bbq chicken burgers.
- Keep your zucchini chicken burgers dairy free by using dairy free cheese slices on top or simply omit the cheese. You could also add this delicious jalapeño cashew cream sauce, these vegan cheese sauce, or tahini sauce.
- Top with extra veggies like fresh, juicy tomato slices.
- Add blue cheese crumbles or my homemade greek yogurt ranch to complement the buffalo sauce. YUM.
- To make these paleo, simply leave the bun off and try a lettuce wrap + use any of the sauces listed above!
How to store & freeze buffalo chicken burgers
To store: store any leftover buffalo zucchini chicken burgers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.
Freeze before cooking: shape your chicken burgers and place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container or bag. If you’re stacking the burgers I’d recommend putting wax or parchment paper in between the layers so that they don’t stick together. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, you can either let them thaw in the fridge before cooking or cook them directly from frozen – you may just need to cook them a bit longer from frozen.
Freeze after cooking: let your chicken burger patties cool completely before placing them in airtight, freezer-friendly containers or bags. As I mentioned above, put wax or parchment paper in between the layers of burgers if you’re stacking them. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, let them thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop for a couple minutes on each side. You can also reheat these directly from frozen – I recommend doing so on the stovetop.
What to serve with buffalo zucchini chicken burgers
Sesame Garlic Grilled Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Curry Dip
Best Healthy Coleslaw Ever (no mayo!)
Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese
The Best Guacamole You’ll Ever Eat
Tony’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Grilled Brussels Sprouts
I hope you love these buffalo zucchini chicken burgers! If you make them be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked them. You can also post a photo to Instagram and tag #ambitiouskitchen – xo!
Buffalo Zucchini Chicken Burgers
Juicy buffalo zucchini chicken burgers with delicious spices, zucchini and buffalo sauce added right to the patty. These flavorful, easy zucchini chicken burgers come together in under 30 minutes and stay together without any bread crumbs. Add your favorite burger fixins and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken (or sub ground turkey) -- do not use 99%
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess moisture with a paper towel (from ½ of a medium zucchini)
- 2 tablespoons hot or medium buffalo sauce
- 1/4 cup very finely diced yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- For assembly:
- 4 hamburger buns of choice, toasted if desired
- 4 tablespoons buffalo sauce, for topping
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- Butterhead lettuce
- Sliced red onion
Instructions
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Preheat grill to medium high heat (about 400 degrees F). Brush the grates with olive oil to prevent sticking.
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Make the chicken burgers by adding the ground chicken/turkey, shredded zucchini, buffalo sauce, onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into 1/2 inch patties.
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Grill over medium-high heat (around 400 degrees F) for 6-8 minutes per side or until burgers are cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. During the last few minutes of cooking the chicken burgers, add a slice of cheddar cheese on top of each burger patty; cover the grill for about 1 minute while the cheese melts.
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Place the onion on the bottom of the bun, then the burgers, top with a little bit of extra buffalo sauce, avocado and lettuce. Serve immediately. Great with sweet potato fries or fresh fruit!
Recipe Notes
To keep these burgers dairy free: use your favorite dairy free cheese slices or simply omit the cheese.
To keep them paleo: omit the cheese and use a lettuce wrap instead of a whole grain bun.
To store: store any leftover buffalo zucchini chicken burgers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.
Check the full post for freezing instructions.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
14 comments
Planning to make these next week but may possibly turn into a meatloaf! Maybe combine the shredded cheddar into it? Can’t wait!
Love that idea! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Just made the buffalo chicken burgers. Awesome! And the zucchini blueberry cake with lemon buttercream icing-Amazing! Moist, just sweet enough and soooo pretty with th3 blueberries peeking through.
I have yet to be disappointed
So happy you loved both! Perfect dinner + dessert 🙂
Found these burgers very moist and delicious with the perfect amount of heat! Thinking of adding pepperjack cheese instead of cheddar the next time I make these. YUM!
Absolutely! Pepperjack sounds amazing. Glad you loved them!
Delicious!! I just loved zucchini week. Your recipes always look so perfect, and I finally had the time to go all-out and try these recipes. I made these burgers for dinner, paired with your grilled brussel sprouts. Then, with the rest of the shredded zucchini, I made the blueberry lemon cake for dessert! Thank you for sharing all of these amazing recipes!
So happy to hear that, Shannon! One of our best weeks yet 🙂
So yummy! I didn’t have buffalo sauce, so I just used a sweet & spicy BBQ sauce that I had. These burgers stayed together so well, unlike other burger recipes I’ve followed in the past. We had them as lettuce wraps, with avocado slices and grilled onions. A big hit! Thanks!
Perfect! Glad you liked them!
These were so yummy and easy! Great to mix it up instead of normal burgers. We cooked on the stove top and they turned out great. The zucchini really helps keep them juicy! Will be making all year round
One of THE best burger recipes! I can’t believe they don’t have breadcrumbs. So flavorful, this now part of our regular recipe rotation. Also makes great leftovers!
Absolutely! Glad you love these!
This is the first recipe I ever made from AK and it’s one of my absolute favorites! The patties are so filling and still taste great as leftovers.