• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Savor + Savvy logo

  • Recipe Index
    • Air Fryer
    • Instant Pot
    • Slow Cooker
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Freezer Cooking & Make Ahead Meals
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes
  • Tips
    • Substitutions
    • Air Fryer How-To
  • Printables
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Printables
  • Shop
×

Home » Recipes » Air Fryer

Air Fryer Chicken Burger

Published: Nov 1, 2022 · Modified: Mar 8, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

Pin3
Share
Yum
Tweet
3 Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

When I’m looking for a no-mess-in-the-kitchen meal and grilling is not an option, the air fryer is my go-to solution. With the added advantage of not heating up the whole house, I can use the air fryer to cook almost anything with minimal mess. Try these quick air fryer chicken burgers whenever you want an easy, tasty meal on the table in thirty minutes or less.

front view of an air fryer chicken burger topped with a sesame seed bun, pineapple and a bbq sauce dripping.
Air Fryer Chicken Burger
Contents hide
1 🍽️ Why This Works
2 🐔 Ingredients
3 📝 Ingredient Notes
4 Air Fryer Conversion Charts and Tips
5 ⏲️ Equipment and Tools
6 🔥 Instructions
7 ❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks
8 🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating
9 Meal Prep
10 Additions and Substitutions
11 Serving Suggestions
12 ❓ Recipe FAQ
13 Favorite Air Fryer Foods
14 Air Fryer Chicken Burger

🍽️ Why This Works

Quick and easy. Burgers are ready in 6-8 minutes and only need flipped once. Even with the prep time added in, you can have this meal on the table in less than thirty minutes. Busy weeknight? Dinner is in the bag! Except not literally because you just avoided getting takeout.

Perfect finish. The air movement causes the chicken burgers to crisp up on the outside and stay juicy and delicious on the inside. Using the air fryer allows the burgers to cook quickly so that they do not dry out.

Minimal mess. Using your air fryer keeps mess to a minimum in the kitchen. No grease in the air, no fire alarms, and no messy skillets to deal with. Use air fryer liners to reduce the mess even more.

🐔 Ingredients

ingredient photo showing everything needed for the ground chicken mix and the toppings for the burger.
Simple Ingredients

📝 Ingredient Notes

Ground Chicken – This meat is every bit as versatile as ground beef but with less saturated fat and it keeps all the benefits of white meat. Chicken is also a little bit more of a blank palette than beef, so your air fryer chicken burger can take on so many different flavor profiles really well.

Onion – Finely chopped onion is mixed right into the burger meat for extra flavor. We used a white onion. Yellow onion or a sweet onion would both work in this recipe. For fun, read about how to choose the best onion for your burger.

Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese – This is the secret sauce of a good chicken burger. It adds the fat and creaminess the ground chicken lacks.

Seasoning – We used salt, pepper, and garlic. Keep it simple.

Pineapple Rings – Buy these canned pineapple rings in syrup because grilling them to capitalize on that sweetness and caramelization takes your burger to the next level of awesomeness.

BBQ Sauce – Our favorite right now is the Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ; it’s just an all-around good sauce. Any sweet or smoky bbq sauce will work.

Cheese Slices – We used Colby jack or pepper jack (depending on who was eating that burger), but provolone slices or Havarti slices will both definitely work with this flavor profile.

Other topping options – butter lettuce, bacon, crispy fried onions.

savor and savvy printable

Snag our 72 Page Printable Home Binder Today →

Air Fryer Conversion Charts and Tips

Air Fryer Conversion Air Fryer Tips
Deep Fryer to Air Fryer Foil in Air Fryer
Cooking Times Cheat Sheet Parchment in Air Fryer
Oven to Air Fryer Accessories
Air Fryer Conversion Charts and Tips

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

Air Fryer. If you don’t have one, the Ninja Foodie is a great option. The Instant Pot Vortex works too.

Mixing Bowls. Use a large mixing bowl with room to mix the ingredients by hand.

🔥 Instructions

six process photos showing mixing the ingredients with the ground chicken, forming them into patties, air frying and then assembling into a fully stacked burger.
Simple Mixing and Air Frying Instructions

Step One: Place all of your burger ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Step Two: Combine ground chicken, shredded onion, cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Gently combine with your hands but do not overwork the meat.

Step Three: Form into quarters. This is a neat trick to make sure all of your burgers are the same size.

Step Four: Oil your hands. Ground chicken is very sticky. Form the meat into patties.

Step Five: Cook in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes at 400ºF, flipping halfway through.

Step Six: Layout the bun, place the cooked chicken patty on the bun, and add on the slice of cheese, pineapple, and bbq sauce. Top with bun and serve.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

For burgers that keep their shape, press your thumb into the center of each one and make an indentation. This keeps the burgers from drawing up as much.

Use an Instant Read Thermometer to make sure your chicken burgers are fully cooked. they need to reach 165ºF. Read about our favorite wireless meat thermometers. Exact cooking times for your air fryer chicken burger will vary depending on the size and shape of your machine, the thickness and temperature of your patties, and how many burgers you cook.

It’s pretty much impossible to mix ground meat with other ingredients unless you use your hands. A potato masher works if you don’t want to get your hands messy but it is not as efficient.

Do not overwork the meat. It changes the proteins so that your burger becomes tough and chewy instead of tender and juicy.

To make sure your cheese gets melty, add it while the burgers are stil in the air fryer and then close it for a minute to use the residual heat.

You do not need to preheat your air fryer for this recipe. If your air fryer is too small for the burgers to be separated slightly, you should cook them in batches.

Want to make air fried chicken burgers for a crowd? Make enough to fill a sheet pan and then use the convection setting on your oven. It works the same as an air fryer but on a larger scale.

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

You can keep leftover air fryer chicken burgers for two days in the refrigerator. Refrigerate your leftovers immediately in an airtight container.

Cooked burgers can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. You can spread multiple burgers out on a sheet pan on parchment to freeze them individaully and then move them all to the same container.

Reheat your chicken burgers to 165ºF using either a microwave, skillet, or the air fryer.

Meal Prep

Chicken burger patties can be frozen uncooked and kept for up to three months. Freeze them on a sheet pan separately and then move them to an airtight container just like you would if freezing cooked burgers. Add three or four minutes to the cooking time in your air fryer for frozen patties.

If you aren’t planning to freeze them but you just want to get the messy part finished ahead of your companies arrival, you can make them one day ahead, form the patties, and separate them with parchment paper squares in an airtight container until you are ready to grill. The burgers must be cooked within two days of the sell by date on your original packaging to avoid illness.

Additions and Substitutions

Bacon is fantastic on this burger. That includes bacon marmalade or candied bacon.

Try a different bun for a completely different burger experience!

Substitute with ground turkey or ground beef and just adjust the cooking time as needed.

Add crispy fried onions for a nice crunch.

If you love teriyaki, use your favorite sauce instead. Either way, that’s the general vibe of this burger.

Try more flavor combinations! Instead of pineapple rings with bbq, you could go with your favorites or one of these options:

  • guacamole and bacon (or just plain avocado)
  • provolone cheese, mushrooms and onions
  • chipotle mayo with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion
  • spinach and feta with tomato
  • pineapple and teriyaki sauce as we did with our AF Turkey Burgers
front view of a sesame seed bun covering the ground chicken burger with pretzels and cheetos and a small ramekin of BBQ sauce.
Melted Cheese, Pineapple, and BBQ Sauce – What’s NOT to love?

Serving Suggestions

These burgers are almost teriyaki style with a sweet BBQ sauce and grilled pineapple. Serve them with extra grilled pineapple slices or a fruit salad, yummy potatoes, or green veggies. Pretzels, chips or tater tots are also an easy choice. You can see the pretzels and cheetos in our pictures. Don’t forget to serve up Air Fryer Waffle Fries or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries as a filling side.

❓ Recipe FAQ

How long do I cook chicken burgers in the air fryer?

6-8 minutes at 400ºF, flipping halfway through to make sure they cook evenly.

How do I cook frozen chicken burgers in the air fryer?

Add three to five minutes of cook time and make sure the burgers reach 165ºF for safety. We made them with a delicious avocado sauce that really upped the flavor from a plain ol’ frozen chicken burger.

How do I make chicken burgers in the air fryer?

Mix the meat with added ingredients in our flavorful recipe and then cook them in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes.

How do I keep air fryer chicken burgers from drying out?

The beauty of this method is that it cooks the outside quickly and even the entire burger quickly so that they do not dry out. Use your meat thermometer and only cook the burgers for as long as necessary to get them to 165ºF.

How do I add more flavor to a chicken burger?

The key is in the mix-ins. Pepperjack cheese does amazing things for this burger.

Favorite Air Fryer Foods

Frozen Garlic Bread 

Frozen Pierogies

Frozen Waffle Fries

Frozen Mini Corn Dogs

Frozen Curly Fries

Frozen Jalapeno Poppers

Related Recipes

  • curly fries in a glass jar with a banner that reads 50 Game day air fryer recipes.
    50+ Air Fryer Game Day Recipes
  • air fryer apple rose on a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar and decorated with honey and cinnamon sticks.
    Air Fryer Apple Roses
  • hot and steaming air fryer steak tips on a cutting board with colorful peppers in the background.
    Air Fryer Steak Tips with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
  • top down view of the whole chicken after cooking in the air fryer with BBQ rub.
    Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Air Fryer Chicken Burger

Try these quick air fryer chicken burgers whenever you want an easy, tasty meal on the table in thirty minutes or less.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Ginny

Equipment

  • Air Fryer
  • Air Fryer Liners
  • Spatula
  • Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

Chicken Burger

  • 1 lb Ground Chicken
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Pepper
  • 2 tsp Onion grated
  • ⅓ c Pepper Jack Cheese shredded
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder

Chicken Burger Toppings

  • BBQ Sauce
  • Sliced Pineapple
  • Cheese

Instructions

  • Combine ground chicken, shredded onion, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl and gently combine.
  • Form into quarters. Oil your hands and make them into patties.
  • Cook in AF for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping half way through.
  • Layout the bun, place the cooked chicken patty on the bun, add on the slice of cheese, pineapple and bbq sauce. Top with bun and serve.

Notes

How Long to Cook: 6-8 minutes at 400ºF, flipping halfway through to make sure they cook evenly.
Perfectly Shaped Burgers: For burgers that keep their shape, press your thumb into the center of each one and make an indentation. This keeps the burgers from drawing up as much.
Perfect Internal Temperature: Use an Instant Read Thermometer to make sure your chicken burgers are fully cooked. they need to reach 165ºF. Read about our favorite wireless meat thermometers. Exact cooking times for your air fryer chicken burger will vary depending on the size and shape of your machine, the thickness and temperature of your patties, and how many burgers you cook.
Do Not Overwork the Meat: It changes the proteins so that your burger becomes tough and chewy instead of tender and juicy.
Perfectly Melted Cheese: To make sure your cheese gets melty, add it while the burgers are stil in the air fryer and then close it for a minute to use the residual heat.
No Preheating Needed: You do not need to preheat your air fryer for this recipe. If your air fryer is too small for the burgers to be separated slightly, you should cook them in batches.
Making for a Crowd: Want to make air fried chicken burgers for a crowd? Make enough to fill a sheet pan and then use the convection setting on your oven. It works the same as an air fryer but on a larger scale.
Storage: You can keep leftover air fryer chicken burgers for two days in the refrigerator. Refrigerate leftovers immediately in an airtight container. 
Freezer Friendly: Cooked burgers can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. You can spread multiple burgers out on a sheet pan on parchment to freeze them individually and then move them all to the same container.
Reheating: Reheat your chicken burgers to 165ºF using either a microwave, skillet, or the air fryer. 
Make Sure Burger Doesn’t Dry Out: The beauty of this method is that it cooks the outside quickly and even the entire burger quickly so that they do not dry out. Use your meat thermometer and only cook the burgers for as long as necessary to get them to 165ºF.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 416mg | Potassium: 612mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Air Fryer Chicken BurgerAir Fryer Chicken BurgerAir Fryer Chicken Burger
« Air Fryer Turkey Burger
How Long Can You Keep Fresh Turkey Refrigerated? »

About Ginny

Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family that is always on the go!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Family Photo Hi! I'm Ginny and for over 30 years, I've been creating simple and easy recipes without sacrificing on taste for our family on the go. I can't wait to show you how to do the same for your family. Read More...

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search

join our facebook community for printables.

As Featured In

graphic showing all of the publications that feature Savor and Savvy.

Popular Posts

bowl of teriyaki chicken over a bed of white rice, two chopsticks and sprinkled with sesame seeds

Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This oven baked eggs recipe is an easy fix for rushed morning breakfasts! These eggs are baked in muffin pans and are ready in just 15 minutes.

How to Bake Eggs in Oven in Muffin Tin {15 Minutes Meal Prep}

How to Clean Stove Drip Pans Naturally

top down view of a desk with three printable pages on top.

Dot Grid Paper Printable for Bullet Journaling + Planners: U.S. Letter, 8×10, A4, A5, A6 and Pocket, Personal Sizes

Adorable pet care binder cover sheet with paw prints and a grey heat

Adorable Pet Care Binder FREE 12 Pages of Printable Worksheets

After cooking, the livers will be golden brown as shown on this air fryer tray

Air Fryer Chicken Livers

Several pages of worksheets from the medical binder over a marble background

Medical Binder Printables with Worksheets

This easy cilantro lime rice recipe will feed your chipotle cravings, without having to leave home! This easy side dish is the perfect addition to a homemade burrito bowl or any other simple meal requiring an extra kick of flavor.

Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility Policy

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.