Everyone’s favorite Italian chicken dinner takes a fun burger form in this easy recipe for chicken parm burgers!
We had these chicken parm burgers recently by request of the multigenerational crew that I live with, and while they were made 100% inside and in the month of February, the fact that they involved basil and the word burger made me dream spring and summer dreams!
And lo and behold, this week it was sunny and 72 degrees here in North Carolina, and I found myself lounging on the screen porch listening to the birds sing.
We transplanted our bird feeder from New Jersey to our North Carolina pine forest, and while I recognize this guy…
…I’m not positive about his friends. Is this a Pine Warbler?
He (or she?) definitely warbles, and there are pine trees, but if anyone can knows for sure, let me know!
Anyway, these chicken parm burgers are good all year round, so let’s talk chicken burgers!
First you need some ground chicken. If you’ve never used it before, you can find it next to the regular chicken in your supermarket, and there are a couple of handy things you should know about it.
Does ground chicken cook like hamburger?
Yes and no. Yes, in that you pat it together like a beef hamburger and cook it on a griddle or in a skillet, flipping it in the middle.
But no, in that unlike beef, you have to cook chicken ALL THE WAY THROUGH. Very important. So the recipe below makes sure we do that!
How do you keep chicken burgers from falling apart?
Ground chicken doesn’t have the amount of fat that beef does, so it’s helpful both for cooking and for flavor to jazz it up.
We are going to do ALL kinds of things to jazz up these chicken parm burgers, but they start by getting coated in a combo of panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
This mixture will not only help keep your burgers together, but will also add a crispy cheesy flavor that is all kinds of delicious.
Here’s how you make chicken parm burgers!
Once you’ve gotten your chicken burgers shaped and coated in the breadcrumb mixture, you’ll want to heat up a cup of your favorite marinara sauce.
If I am feeling extra energetic I will make a batch of my favorite sauce, but I’m also perfectly happy to use my favorite store version.
Ready to cook? Heat up a little canola oil in a large deep skillet or on your griddle and cook those burgers for 4 minutes.
Now carefully flip them over, top them with a few slices of sliced mozzarella, and cover them with the skillet lid and cook for 3 more minutes.
(We put the lid on because it will catch the heat inside and turn those cheese slices into oozy melty heaven.)
When three minutes are up, pop your burger onto a piece of lightly toasted bread, ladle on some sauce, and top with a few basil leaves, which you can usually find year-round in the produce section these days.
You can then top it with another slice of bread, or do like I do and eat it open-faced style!
Have I gotten you in a chicken parm mood? Here’s my favorite way to make it the traditional way.
One way or the other, chicken parm is a wonderful thing!
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Chicken Parm Burgers
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
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Everyone’s favorite Italian chicken dinner takes a fun burger form in this easy recipe for chicken parm burgers!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ground chicken
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- Pinch each of sea salt and ground pepper
- 1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 8 slices of country bread (see note)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 12 basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Divide the chicken into 4 sections and shape into patty form.
- Mix the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and a pinch each of salt and pepper together in a pie plate or dinner plate. Put the chicken patties one by one into the crumb mixture and press gently to coat on all sides.
- Heat the marinara sauce in a small pot over medium heat.
- Add the canola oil to a large skillet or a griddle and heat over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, cook the patties for 4 minutes. Turn the patties over carefully, top with the sliced mozzarella and cover the skillet (if you are using a griddle, just cover with a large frying pan lid. Cook for another 3 minutes – at this point the cheese should be melty!
- Toast the bread (you can also use it un-toasted if you want a softer texture).
- Time to assemble! Spoon a little sauce on each piece of bread. Top with a chicken patty, more sauce, and a couple of basil leaves. Top with another piece of bread and serve it up!
Notes
We also like having these burgers open-faced, which means it is sitting on just the one slice of bread. If you do too, you will only need half the bread!
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!
Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
I think your little bird is a goldfinch in winter plumage. And the chicken parm burger looks so good I am going to have to try it!
Thank you Ree – I am going to look up that birdie. And hope you love the burgers!
Your little feathered friend could be a pine warbler. It does look similar to the “winter” goldfinch we have here in Iowa, but they have a pretty high-pitched “song”. Chicken parm burgers sound divine! Burgers are always a welcome meal in my house. Quick question for you: you have note in the ingredients list for the bread to see the note. I’m not seeing a note related to the bread. Am I missing it?
Whomever he is, he has a whole lot of friends, and he has told ALL of them about the feeder! Meantime, thanks for your eagle eye on the note about the bread – I meant to mention in the recipe that you could also make these open-faced and would then need less bread! All fixed now. xoxo
I bet ciabatta rolls would be great for these chicken parm burgers! Our grocery store usually has take-and-bake version of the rolls that are really tasty.
I bet you are right! :) :)