These southwest chicken burgers are made with diced red bell pepper, shallots, and southwest spices, and pack a ton of flavor. Assembled and cooked in under 20 minutes, you can’t find an easier meal to make!
What you’ll need to make this recipe:
- ground chicken breast (fat free ground chicken)
- bell pepper
- shallot
- panko breadcrumbs
- fresh parsley
- a bunch of seasonings:
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cumin
- coriander
- salt
- pepper
- cayenne pepper
That’s it.
This makes an excellent meal prep option because of how quickly it comes together. These burgers also reheat really well throughout the week, I highly recommend making these for your lunch meal prep one week!
Here’s how I stored this meal for meal prep:
How to make Southwest Chicken Burgers
This recipe is extremely easy to make, all you have to do is mix the ingredients together to form patties and grill them. That’s really it.
First, take your ground chicken out of the package and place it in a large mixing bowl. Next, dice up some bell pepper and shallots, and add them to the bowl. You’re going to want to make sure these veggies are diced very finely, since you won’t want to bite off large chunks of the veggies when eating the burgers. You want the veggies to incorporate into the mixture well.
Next, you’ll add your spices, parsley and the panko. Using your hands, work the meat mixture so that the ingredients are evenly distributed and combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this makes the meat tough. The mixture should look something like this once it’s mixed together:
This mixture is going to make six really generously sized burger patties. These patties will weigh around 6 ounces each raw!
To divide the mixture into six equal portions, you can weigh the entire batch to get the total weight, and then divide by six. Otherwise, eyeballing it is fine too.
In this case, I weighed the mixture. Once I got my total number and divided by six, I formed 6 equal portions of the mixture.
I did not form patties out of the mixture at this point; since the meat is very sticky, I find it easier not to form patties.
What I do instead is smash each portion flat onto the grill pan, using my spatula. I find this method to be easy and also mess-free. Cook the patties for 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat, flipping once. The internal temperature should be 165F.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
- I really like using this avocado oil cooking spray when making a meal like this
- I use this stove top grill pan to grill inside. It works perfectly on electric cooktops also.
- I rely on my meat thermometer to measure when the burgers are thoroughly cooked.
- Can you use ground turkey instead? Yes! I use whatever option is cheaper at the store that week.
Toppings and Serving Suggestions
These burgers are super versatile; you can serve them on buns with cheese, lettuce and tomato like traditional burgers. You can also serve them “bowl style” like I did here, with brown rice, mixed greens, avocado, and fresh salsa. I like this option for a really healthy but filling and nutritious lunch.

Southwest Chicken Burgers
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- grill pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fat free ground chicken breast
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 shallot, large, or two small, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your grill pan (or outdoor grill) on medium high heat.
- Using your hands, combine the chicken breast with all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- To portion into equal-sized patties, weigh the entire mixture. Form six equal sized portions of the mixture, in balls.
- If using a grill pan, spray with cooking spray. Place each portion on the preheated grill pan, then smash with your spatula to form a patty shape.
- Grill until cooked through, approximately 5 minutes per side. Internal temperature should be 165F.
Weight Watchers
Notes
- 2 WW points (green plan)
- 0 WW points (blue and purple plans)
Nutrition
You might also enjoy:
Greek Turkey Burgers with Cucumber Salad and Yogurt Sauce
My family & I love these burgers. It is so versatile I can swap chicken or turkey.
These burgers have been a staple for me during my WW journey! We absolutely love them!
These burgers turned out amazing! My entire family loved them and want them added into our weekly rotation. I included about a tablespoon of light mayo to my mixture for some more moisture (I have a tendency to overcook chicken) but that was my only change. Can’t say enough about the flavors in these patties!
We made this last night for dinner and it is delicious. I had it on a bun with light siracha mayo. Very easy and flavorful, and makes enough for leftovers. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these tonight and they were excellent!!! My boys 12 and 14 ate them w no issues. They give me a problem about everything and usually eat what i make but it’s always a fight and long drawn out fiasco. Tonight they didn’t say a peep and ate them in record time!!!! I skipped coriander bc I’m not a fan but everything else i kept incl the salad avocado and brown rice. What a great filing low point meal.
These were absolutely delicious! I used ground turkey because my store didn’t have ground chicken and I meal prepped out 4 for my lunches with the rice, greens and avocado. I’m not big on meal prepping as I get bored eating the same thing but Im trying and I was looking forward to lunch everyday with these!
What is the best way to reheat these without making them dry out too much? PS – I’m using turkey because it’s what I have on hand. Thank you!
These are delicious! We’ve made them with ground turkey and they come out great! Definitely an easy recipe and a fave for the family.
Ah-mah-zzing!! I top with frozen mango, so fresh and delicious! Perfect for lunch!
Made this for meal prep this week for the first time. So delicious! Will definitely be part of my rotation.
I made these with ground turkey because that’s what I had and they turned out great! Meal prepping them for lunch for the week.
These are really really good and make a huge serving size. Definitely recommend.
These are the most flavorful chicken burgers I’ve made! Thanks for another great recipe!
AMAZING!!!Usually chicken burgers are dry and tasteless. There are so juicy and delicious! Way to go!
These were really good! Make a great meal prep and such large burgers too! Fresh salsa was soo good with them.
These worked so well for meal prep!! I had them over salads as well as with cheese on a bun and both were delicious. Will absolutely be making again.
These burgers were delicious! So much flavor. I could’ve eaten 2! Now I can’t wait for lunch. I served on toasted bun with lettuce and guacamole 😋
Very delicious and moreish! Greetings from Melbourne, Australia! We had them in a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and bbq sauce. Loved by adults & teenagers alike! Thank you for a very tasty recipe!
I made these today for lunch and my daughters loved them do much they asked me to make them a batch each for themselves and their husbands.
I made these burgers today for meal prep they were so good I only have 3 left!!! My husband who doesnt eat ground chicken ate 3 so much for lunch prep for the week lol!!!
I made these for the first time and my family loved them. Next time I would add a bit more salt and I actually cooked them in the air fryer at 390 for about 10 minutes each side until they were at 165 degrees.
SO juicy, healthy and delicious!
These are my new favorite, I don’t change a thing. I put them all on the griddle and use them in different ways all through the week. Thanks for a great recipe!
Loved these burgers! So full of flavor and not even a little bit dry. My family ate them on buns and I ate them with the suggested avocado ranch salad kit. Filling, so full of protein. Thank you for another delicious recipe!
So delicious