These Nashville Hot chicken burgers pair lean ground chicken with a blend of dried peppers and spices to create juicy, flavorful burgers you’d never expect to be healthy. They are super easy to make and can be on the table in about 20 minutes.
Unlike traditional hot chicken that’s breaded and fried, these burgers barely have any carbs, leaving you plenty of room for a real bun and your favorite sides. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
How to Make Nashville Hot Ground Chicken Burgers
If you’ve made my chicken breakfast sausage or biscuits and sausage gravy, these spicy chicken burgers are very similar. All you need to do is mix a blend of spices together, season a pound of ground chicken, form burger patties, and cook a few minutes per side in a tablespoon of olive oil.
This creates a crisp, flavorful outer layer with a juicy and tender center.
Ingredients for Nashville Hot Seasoning
- cayenne pepper
- chili powder
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- black pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes
There’s plenty of wiggle room with this blend. These burgers are definitely on the spicy side, but they’re not unbearable like some Nashville hot chicken recipes.
If you are sensitive to spice and want to give these chicken burgers a go, you might cut the amount of cayenne pepper in half and omit the crushed red pepper flakes. And since the acidity from the pickles will help balance the heat, reduce the spices if you plan to omit pickles.
Note: In case you want something a bit more mild, check out my honey chipotle crispy chicken sandwiches.
Other Important Recipe Notes
You’re welcome to use another meat like ground turkey if that’s all you have on hand. The recipe calls for 97% lean ground chicken so if you use a fattier cut of meat, you might be able to reduce the amount of olive oil they’re cooked in. But I’d highly encourage using a small amount to let the magic happen with the spices.
I mention this in the recipe card below, but I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet. You can see in the recipe photos that the chicken burgers took up most of the pan.
If you use a smaller pan, you probably won’t be able to smash them as flat and will have thicker burgers. In that case, be sure to give the chicken burgers a bit more time to cook through.
The only other notes I’d add would be to let the chicken burgers rest after cooking and avoid cutting into them if possible. This will keep the burgers super juicy and prevent any drying out. And as always, don’t overcook them!
What to Serve with Your Spicy Chicken Burgers
Since each chicken burger has just 290 calories, you might have room for some extra fixin’s. My first thought for a great pairing would be the pickle slaw from my hot honey chicken burger bowls.
Need more ideas? Here’s a handful of my favorites:
- Garlic Parmesan Air Fryer Carrot Fries
- Wingstop Fries or Cajun Fries
- Ranch Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Crinkle Cut Fries
- Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Okay, you should be ready to roll. If you have a recipe question I missed, drop a comment at the bottom of this post. Hope you enjoy!
Nashville Hot Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Chicken, 97/3
- 1 Tablespoon 16g Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper*
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
For the Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons 30g Hot Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons 30g Water
- 1 Tablespoon 12g Dark Brown Sugar**
Buns and Toppings
- 4 Potato Rolls, or your choice of buns
- 12 Dill Pickle Slices
Instructions
- Lightly toast your buns in a skillet and set aside. Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Mix the dry spices together in a small bowl. Season both sides of the ground chicken with the spice blend before dividing into 4 pieces, weighing about 4 oz each. Gently work the spices into the chicken while forming burger patties slightly larger than your buns.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat before adding the olive oil. Cast iron or stainless steel pans are ideal for searing the burgers. (Important: Turn the ventilation on high as the spices will create strong aromas and a bit of smoke as they bloom in the oil. Don't stand directly over the pan.)
- Once the oil is hot, add the chicken burgers to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until nicely browned. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until both sides are browned.
- Pour the sauce in the skillet around the burgers. As it thickens, flip the burgers, coating them in the sauce. Continue cooking until the burgers reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Serve on the toasted buns with pickles. Optional: Top with a drizzle of your favorite chili oil or chili crisp.
I made this recipe for my husband and I and needless to say, WOW it was incredible. A modification I would make for next time though is it was a little too spicy for my husband (he’s not a fan of spicy) so I would do less of the spices. For me though, it was perfect! If you love spicy like me, this recipe is for you!
These are SO good! This was my first time making chicken burgers, and they turned out great. I like the idea of ‘mashing’ them down while coking, makes it not too thick, and kind of reminds me of Chick-Fil-A? I will say though, make sure you have some fans on or some type of ventilation when cooking, because it does get smoky! And the spices are extremely strong. If you do not like things super spicy, I would do half the amount of cayenne, red pepper, and hot sauce!
The whole family loved these, even though they are HOT HOT HOT! The spice mixture is excellent on tenders in the airfryer and bone-in wings on the grill, too!
I don’t claim to have a high spice tolerance but holy moly were these HOT. I even skipped the red pepper flake. Even though they were hot, the flavor was awesome and on point. I just used regular brown sugar and they tasted awesome. Highly recommend!
Literally the fastest and easiest chicken sandwich to make. It’s so delicious and I love pairing it with some fries! It’s recipes like this that make cooking fun and easy when there is so much going on. Thank you Mason for always providing high quality recipes!
Holy heat. Great flavor and simple to male. Pickles are a must!
Hands down the best recipe in the blog!! Not only because it’s so easy to pull together but because the way itall comes together, the senses are awakened and every single flavor unites to create an absolute party! Sweet, spicy, tangy, sour, salty… it’s all there! And in like 10 minutes from raw to eating! User advisory: open the windows and doors because when you add the vinegar and deglaze that pan… you’re getting pepper sprayed and will laugh until you’re drooling every time!
Hey! Love your recipes. Wondering if I can grill these and if so, would i incorporate the spices into the chicken vs sprinkling on top?
I’ve seen a few people in my Facebook group grill them, and I feel like I’ve seen both methods done. I’d probably go with mixing it into the chicken. Normally you wouldn’t want to over work the meat but with ground chicken, you’re expecting a leaner burger anyway. Good luck!
This is one of my favorites! It was a little spicy but very delish and easy to make.
If you are looking to kick up your chicken sandwich, this is the recipe for you. Wonderful spicy flavor. This is a favorite in our house and is made regularly.