These smash burger style ground chicken burgers are far from your average chicken burger. Cooking thin and crispy doubles with melted American cheese in between each patty makes these burgers anything but dry.

You still get a quarter pound burger. But instead of being dry and chewy like a thicker burger with ground chicken, these smash burgers practically melt in your mouth.

holding a smash burger style ground chicken burger with lettuce, tomato, and burger sauce

I’m a burger fanatic, and I feel confident in saying these are a more than worthy swap for anyone looking to cut back on calories or red meat. Each one of these double chicken burgers has 32 grams of protein with just 15 grams of fat and 395 calories.

Serve these with some low carb fries, baked zucchini tots, or air fryer potato wedges for a complete healthy drive-in alternative. (Pictured above: crinkle cut cheese fries)

How to Make Smash Burgers with Ground Chicken (Video)

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Okay, let’s wrap up. There is a printable recipe below with plenty of notes about ingredient substitutions and modifications for nutrition facts. Still have a question? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

And if you love these chicken smash burgers, I’m always grateful for recipe reviews!

Servings: 4 Chicken Burgers

Chicken Smash Burgers

By Mason Woodruff

A smash burger style double chicken burger for the burger lovers looking to cut back on calories or reduce their red meat intake.

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Total: 30

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Ingredients

▢ 1 pound Ground Chicken
▢ Salt and Pepper
▢ 4 slices Yellow American Cheese, I used Boar’s Head
▢ 4 Burger Buns, I used brioche buns
▢ ¼ cup Mayo or Light Mayo, optional

Toppings

▢ Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
▢ Tomato Slices
▢ Pickles
▢ Burger Sauce*

Instructions

Prepare any toppings first so you’re ready to serve the burgers right away.
Pat the ground chicken dry with a paper towel and portion into 2-ounce balls (makes 8). Don’t squeeze or form like meatballs. Season each with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Lightly spread the mayo on both sides of each bun to help with browning while toasting the buns.
Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Use a tiny bit of oil or cooking spray to lightly coat the pan. Toast the buns on the hot pan and set aside.
After toasting the buns, add the chicken, leaving room to spread when smashed. Place a small square of parchment paper on top and press down with a spatula to flatten the chicken into a smash burger patty. Carefully remove the parchment paper and lightly season each patty with salt and pepper.
Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and very little pink remains on the top before flipping and adding a piece of cheese on top of every other patty. Cook for another 60-90 seconds to cook the other side before adding the patty without cheese on top of the cheese-topped patty. (You can top every patty with cheese if you prefer.)
Serve the double chicken burgers on the toasted buns with your choice of toppings.

Notes

*For a simple burger sauce mix together 3 tablespoons mayo, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon relish, 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar. For a lower calorie sauce, use light mayo and reduced sugar ketchup. Source: Copycat In-N-Out Double Doubles

Nutrition Facts Notes

I used extra lean ground chicken breast from Whole Foods. You can pretty easily make ground chicken breast at home using a food processor or sharp knife, if you're having trouble finding it. You can also make these burgers with ground turkey, beef, or even bison.

The brioche hamburger buns are from St. Pierre (from Kroger's bakery). They have 150 calories, 5 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fat each. They're surprisingly decent in the calorie department for how tasty they are. The classic Martin's potato roll is never a bad choice for smash burgers. You can also find things like high protein and/or keto hamburger buns in most grocery stores now.

Use a quality American cheese from the deli, for best results. If you're looking to reduce the fat content, cut back in other ingredients—not the cheese. Adding cheese to every patty takes each chicken burger to 475 calories, 35 grams of protein, 26 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of fat.

The nutrition facts are for the chicken burger patties, light mayo toasted buns, and cheese.