Take a classic chicken burger up a notch by mixing some pesto in to it and drizzling a creamy pesto sauce on top. If you love burgers, but are stuck in a bit or a rut or you want to make more burgers at home, then give these Chicken Pesto Burgers a try!
Adding pesto to your chicken burgers not only adds lots of extra flavour, but it keeps them nice and moist too. Boost the pesto flavour by adding our creamy pesto burger sauce and you are in pesto heaven!
Put the burger in between a soft bun with some melted cheese and some peppery rocket lettuce and you have a burger that will blow all others out of the water.
If you are looking for more ways to use pesto, why not try our Chicken Pesto Pasta, Pesto Salmon or Pesto Chicken Sandwich?
Jump to:
Why you will love it
- Quick - Ready in 15 minutes, so it's quicker than going out for a burger.
- A new way to enjoy a burger - If you are burger lovers, then this is a new ways to mix up burger night.
- Adaptable - This chicken pesto burger is easy to adapt with different flavours, so carry on reading for more ideas.
- Kids will love them - Our kids love pesto and burgers, so this is the perfect combination for them.
Ingredients need and substitutions
- Chicken breast - We used boneless and skinless chicken breasts to keep it nice and lean. However, you could use boneless and skinless chicken thighs, which are juicier and would give the pesto burgers more flavour.
- Shallots - These add a touch of sweetness to the burgers. You could use a small brown onion instead.
- Pesto - This is the star of the recipe, so the quality is important. We used our Mixed Herb Pesto recipe, which is a great way to use up leftover herbs. But to save time, you can use a store bought pesto. Make sure to use the best quality you can, as you really will be able to tell the difference. You could use a red pesto instead.
- Breadcrumbs - This helps to bind the burger together by absorbing the moisture. You can use any breadcrumbs, but using panko will add a nice crispiness.
- Burger buns - We used wholewheat for added fibre, but brioche burger buns are lovely and buttery.
- Rocket (arugula) - An easy way to add some greens to the finished burger and it has a lovely strong peppery flavour too.
- Low fat yogurt - This is what gets mixed with the other half of the pesto to make an amazing creamy sauce.
- Mature cheddar cheese - You can't have a burger without cheese, right?! We used a mature cheddar because it's strong and a little goes a long way.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Chicken Pesto Burgers -Step by step
One: Put the chicken, shallots and half the pesto into a food processor and blend until minced.
Two: Combine the mince with the breadcrumbs and form the mixture into two burgers.
Three: Make the pesto burger sauce by mixing together the rest of the pesto with the yogurt.
Four: Add a little oil to a frying pan and cook the burgers for 10 minutes or until they reach 75°C/167°F, flipping every couple of minutes. Melt the cheese for a couple of minutes before finished.
Five: Stack your burger by adding some sauce to the bottom and top bun, then putting some rocket on the bottom, topping with the cooked burger and putting the bun top on.
Variations
Cheese - Anything that melts well will work here. Cheddar, mozzarella, blue cheese, goat's cheese, Swiss.
Bacon - Everything is better with bacon, right? Try our Air Fryer Bacon recipe.
Salad - I know, I know! But it does have a place in a burger. We added some rocket lettuce (arugula), but chopped little gem or iceberg would work. You could also add slices of tomato, onions or avocado. For a kick of heat, add some jalapenos.
Pesto sauce
A burger seems a little bit naked without an epic sauce to go with it and this pesto burger sauce just takes things to the next level. It's so simple it's genius!
We just mixed 2 tablespoons of low fat yogurt with 2 tablespoons of pesto - that's it. Shop bought pesto works great, but we used our amazing Mixed Herb Pesto for this recipe.
What to serve with Chicken Pesto Burgers
Burger and fries is the perfect combination. Why not try our Air Fryer Chips, Masala Chips, Air Fryer Potato Wedges or Sweet Potato Wedges?
We love slaw on the side of a burger and we have got you covered there too. Try our BEST Homemade Coleslaw, Broccoli Slaw, No Mayo Slaw or Mexican Coleslaw.
We love hosting burger nights and to bulk it all out a bit we serve them with some of these sides that go down very well:
- Baked Jalapeno Poppers
- Cheesy Cauliflower Nuggets
- Parmesan Truffle Fries
- Baked Halloumi Fries
- Oven Baked Onion Rings
FAQs
We fried our burgers in a pan to give them that nice crispy coating, but you could always grill them instead. Either put them under the grill (broiler) or pop them on the BBQ. For grilling, they will need about 5-7 minutes each side.
Yes, you can cook these in the air fryer. They will take around 12 minutes.
Once the burgers are made up with the buns, sauces and toppings, they need to be eaten straight away. However, you can make extra of the burger patties themselves and store those. You can wrap them up and store them in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 days.
The same goes for freezing. You can't freeze the made up burger, but you can freeze the chicken burger patties. Wrap them in cling film and then put them in a freezer bag and they will keep for up to 3 months.
Extra tips
• You could use lean beef mince instead of chicken to make a pesto beef burger.
• Sneak a some vegetables in by adding in some grated courgette. It will bulk the burgers out a little and add some extra goodness.
• If you don't like the strong peppery flavour of rocket lettuce, you could swap it for iceberg instead.
• Go bun-less and use a giant lettuce leaf instead for a low carb option. You could even use grilled Portobello mushrooms.
• We fried the burgers in a pan, but you could save yourself some oil and cook them under the grill instead or on the BBQ.
• Mix things up a little and swap the cheddar for some Swiss cheese or goat's cheese.
• These go great with some Onion Rings.
More burger recipes
If you’ve tried this pesto burger recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Chicken Pesto Burgers
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put 150 g Chicken breast, 2 Shallots and 2 tablespoon Pesto into a food processor and blend until minced.
- Combine the mince with 4 tablespoon Breadcrumbs and form the mixture into two burgers.
- Make the pesto burger sauce by mixing together 2 tablespoon Pesto with 2 tablespoon Low fat yogurt.
- Heat 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil in a frying pan and cook the burgers for 10 minutes or until they reach 75°C, flipping every couple of minutes. Melt 30 g Mature cheddar for a couple of minutes before finished.
- Stack your burger by adding some sauce to the bottom and top of 2 Burger buns, then divide 1 handful Rocket (arugula) on the bottoms, topping with the cooked burger and putting the bun top on.
Recipe tips
- You could use lean beef mince instead of chicken to make a pesto beef burger.
- Sneak a some vegetables in by adding in some grated courgette. It will bulk the burgers out a little and add some extra goodness.
- If you don't like the strong peppery flavour of rocket lettuce, you could swap it for iceberg instead.
- Go bun-less and use a giant lettuce leaf instead for a low carb option. You could even use grilled Portobello mushrooms.
- We fried the burgers in a pan, but you could save yourself some oil and cook them under the grill instead or on the BBQ.
- Mix things up a little and swap the cheddar for some Swiss cheese or goat's cheese.
- These go great with some Onion Rings.
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
allison
this looks amazing!
Ray
Sounds good. I am going to have try this over the next couple of days. I am very much about trying to eat healthier right now. Always good to have an extra recipe or two in my "toolkit". Thanks!
emily
that looks delicious! definitely going to give the recipe a try :) x
shobha
Burgers look so inviting ..
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Mmmm, I do love me a good burger! The patties are definitely always better when you make your own - you never know *what* goes into the pre-made ones. And pesto is a firm favourite in this house too, even more so now that we have the allotment and all sorts of novel greens to make into experimental pesto :)
Jo of Jo's Kitchen
sounds very delicious and healthy too! xx
Kate @ Veggie Desserts
Burgers rock. I can't quite get my head around the current trend of using portobello mushrooms as the bun (surely it's really drippy?), but I love a good chickpea veggie burger. Or Moroccan spice... mmm...
Kavey
Chicken and pesto are a classic winning combination! Like very tasty.
Kellie@foodtoglow
This is quite serendipitous, Dannii. For the first time ever I recently made homemade chicken mince for burgers. I grated in beetroot and spring onion, and stirred in an egg, coriander and Lebanese baharat spice mix. I started them on the hob but the freaky red colour made it hard to judge doneness so they went in the oven!
Kezia @ Super Naturally Healthy
I love big fat beef burgers, organic and stuffed with coked onions and avocado of course:) or if i want variety quacamole instead..:)
linda curtis
yum my all time favorite food is a burger as long as its big i love them
i must say i do like a chicken n and avocado burger
Paola
This looks very nice, I think my hubby would enjoy it since he is a chicken lover!
lucie
Pesto on a burger? Ive only ever tried pesto on pasta! Gotta try this! Thanks for the inspiration!
Justine Talbot
Pesto doesn't last long in our house. It is the one thing we all agree on when it comes to food.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
I love pesto sauce, it looks like it compliments this burger very well. Definitely going to have to make this for dinner one of these days!
Alison
These look nice. I have jars of pesto in the cupboard and never got around to using them so I will have to give this a try. I am a great burger fan as well
Megan
Do you have a recipe for pesto? I would like to try making it myself.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Craving a burger right now after seeing this delicious post - these look awesome!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
I love making burgers healthier too and always try to sneak in avocados whenever I can :) These chicken burgers look fantastic! Love the pesto!
LoveCompassionateLee
Salmon burgers are quickly becoming my favorite with pesto! I'll definitely give this recipe a try because there is no meal I love more than burger and fries. Have a great weekend :)