Description
These Buffalo Chicken Burgers are a flavorful, paleo and Whole30-friendly meal featuring lean ground chicken mixed with grated zucchini and buffalo sauce for a spicy kick. Perfect as a healthy, protein-packed dinner option that can be served with buns or as lettuce wraps.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken (93-96% lean)
- 3/4 cup grated zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 2 Tbsp. cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. buffalo sauce*
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
For Serving
- Buns (or lettuce for lettuce wraps)
- Lettuce
- Ranch dressing
- Additional buffalo sauce*
- Other burger favorites like sliced tomatoes, red onion, avocado, pickles, cheese, etc.
Instructions
- Prepare zucchini: Squeeze the excess moisture out of the shredded zucchini by placing it in a clean paper towel or kitchen towel, wrapping it tightly, and squeezing firmly.
- Mix ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, grated zucchini, sliced green onion, cilantro, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and salt. Mix well with a fork or your hands until fully combined.
- Form patties: Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and gently shape each into a patty roughly the size of your buns or slightly larger to allow for shrinkage during cooking.
- Cook burgers: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers in batches of two (so they don’t touch in the pan) for 5-7 minutes per side, or until fully cooked with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
- Assemble and serve: Transfer cooked burgers to a clean plate and build your burgers with buns or lettuce wraps. Add lettuce, a drizzle of ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, and your choice of other toppings like tomato, cheese, onion, or pickles. Alternatively, serve the burgers on a bed of lettuce for a burger bowl.
Notes
- Make sure to squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the zucchini to prevent soggy burgers.
- You can swap ground chicken for ground turkey or lean ground beef if preferred.
- Use gluten-free buns or lettuce wraps to keep the recipe paleo and Whole30 compliant.
- Adjust the amount of buffalo sauce according to your preferred spice level.
- Serve with a side salad or roasted vegetables for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger patty (without bun and toppings)
- Calories: 157 kcal
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 844 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 24.8 g
- Cholesterol: 111 mg
