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California Grilled Chicken Burger
Chicken and avocados together is a combination I never would have thought of creating, but now I absolutely love it!
I’ve also been on a huge kick for grilling chicken lately. Perhaps because it’s summertime! Unfortunately, I don’t have a barbecue because I live in an apartment building, but my grill pans sure do the trick!
Personally, chicken burgers have always been my favorite! I was requested awhile back to share some more burger recipes, so I thought this Juicy California Chicken Burger recipe would be perfect to share! I've recently come across my new go-to marinade for grilled chicken that I use whenever I'm incorporating grilled chicken - from pastas to sandwiches, this is a great marinade that takes only five minutes to prepare with a few ingredients. Check out my Italian Herb Grilled Chicken recipe for more details on the marinade that we’ll be using for this burger!
This marinade results in super tender and juicy chicken that's extremely versatile! By having this with my favorite burger toppings and some crispy baked fries, you've got yourself a gourmet meal without having to go out. I'm sure you're going to adore this easy and unbelievably finger-licking good juicy California grilled chicken burger recipe! Enjoy!
Tools Needed
Ingredients for California Chicken Burger Recipe
The chicken is marinated in my favorite Italian Herb Marinade. This marinade has white vinegar, olive oil, Italian Seasoning, chili flakes, lemon juice, and minced garlic. What a superb flavor combination! Everything together really adds tremendous juiciness to the chicken, and it’ll be so tender, perfectly complementing the avocados and the bacon in the burger.
Here’s what we’ll need for our burger!
For the California Chicken Burger Marinade
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- White vinegar
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Chili flakes
For the Toppings
- Bacon
- Spicy Aioli
- Lettuce
- Cheddar cheese
- Tomato
- Onion
- Avocado
How to Prepare the Grilled Chicken
Now that we know what we need for this recipe, let’s get on to the method! Don’t forget that the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE can be found at the bottom of this post! You can review all ingredient measurements, cook time, and nutrition info, and print or pin the recipe for when you’re ready to cook up a storm!
Portioning the Chicken
If using a large chicken breast (>150 g) cut the chicken into smaller portions by cutting it diagonally in two equal halves. Place the chicken breast in a Ziploc bag or between two plastic wraps and pound thin using a meat tenderizer (about 1/4 inch thickness) or a heavy object.
The chicken breast I used in this recipe was quite small, so I just proceeded with pounding it thin before marination.
Make the Marinade for Chicken Burgers
Add all the ingredients for the marinade to a bowl and mix well using a whisk. This marinade can be made ahead of time as well and can last in the fridge for up to 1 week. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
Grill the Chicken
Heat a grill pan on medium heat until hot. Check if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling some water on the pan. If the droplets dance around before evaporating, the pan is ready. Place the marinated chicken on the grill pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. This will be enough time to give a grill marks on the pan, and the chicken is so thin, it will cook really quickly. As the chicken cooks, it will start to turn white.
After 3-4 minutes, flip the chicken, turn the heat down to low and literally cook for a minute. And that’s it!
Tips for a Superb Grilled Chicken!
- Make sure the pan is hot enough before adding the chicken to the pan. A hot pan is essential to give a proper sear and char to the chicken.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. This will help impart the most amount of flavor to the chicken so it turns out juicy and flavored once grilled
- Allow the grilled chicken pieces to rest for at least 5-10 minutes once they are done to allow the chicken to remain moist and flavorful.
For more tips about grilling chicken, you can also choose to refer to my page about Mastering the Art of a Juicy Grilled Chicken and start cooking!
Cooking Your Bacon
Begin by cooking the bacon. To do so, place the bacon strips on a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Turn the bacon occasionally until evenly browned and done to your liking.
This trick helps to get the bacon up to temperature gradually. This allows the fat from the bacon to render easier, which results in a crispier, evenly cooked bacon which cooks faster.
For this recipe I will be using bacon which I had stored in the freezer to keep it pink, I really dislike when it starts to turn brown in the fridge. To portion the bacon, I like to roll them up and place each roll in a freezer safe Ziploc. Once frozen, I can easily take out bacon as required for any recipe. As the bacon cooks on the pan, I can slowly unroll the frozen pieces.
Assembling the Avocado Chicken Burger
Cut the burger buns in half and toast under your oven broiler or toaster until golden brown. Spread the spicy mayo on both buns. Add the lettuce and tomato on the bottom bun. Gently place the chicken on top of the tomato. Add the onion rings, the bacon slices, and avocado slices. Add the top bun, serve hot with oven baked crispy fries (you can find my recipe here) and enjoy!
Can You Make the Chicken Patty Ahead of Time?▼
The short version will be no. This is because cooked grilled chicken breast will become dry and rubbery once reheated. This will ruin the effort we put in to marinate the chicken and to grill it. If you are planning to do the prep for these burgers ahead of time, this is what I will recommend:
- Prepare the marinade and store in the fridge until ready to use - this should be good for up to 1 week.
- When ready to cook, portion and marinate fresh chicken and continue cooking as usual.
- The longest part of this dish is the marination process and we can cut the time by at least 30% by having the marinade on hand.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Juicy California Grilled Chicken Burger loaded with creamy avocado and fresh toppings. This easy grilled chicken burger recipe delivers bold West Coast flavor in every bite. Fire up the grill tonight!
Grilled
5.0 · 1 rating
20 min
Prep
12 min
Cook
32 min
Total
2
burgers
medium
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the chicken
For the burger
- bacon
- (16 g) Classic Spicy Aioli · make your own
- lettuce
- cheddar cheese slices
- tomato(1/4 inch thick slices)Shop →
- onion(sliced into rings, 1/4 inch thick)
- avocado slices
- burger buns
Instructions
For the chicken
- 1
If using a large chicken breast (>5.5 oz) cut the chicken into two, equal sized portions. The best way is by cutting it diagonally in two equal halves. Then place the portions in a Ziploc bag or in between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound thin using a meat tenderizer (about 1/4 inch thickness).
If using a large chicken breast (>5.5 oz) cut the chicken into two, equal sized portions. The best way is by cutting it diagonally in two equal halves. Then place the portions in a Ziploc bag or in between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound thin using a meat tenderizer (about 1/4 inch thickness).
- 2
If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, don’t worry because I don’t either! I simply use a rolling pin or a heavy pan to pound the chicken to about 1/4 inch thickness.
If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, don’t worry because I don’t either! I simply use a rolling pin or a heavy pan to pound the chicken to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- 3
Heat a grill pan on medium heat until hot. Check if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling some water on the pan. If the droplets dance around before evaporating, the pan is ready.
Heat a grill pan on medium heat until hot. Check if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling some water on the pan. If the droplets dance around before evaporating, the pan is ready.
- 4
Place the marinated chicken directly on the hot grill, letting any excess marinade drip back into the bowl. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until lightly charred.
Place the marinated chicken directly on the hot grill, letting any excess marinade drip back into the bowl. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until lightly charred.
- 5
Then, flip the chicken, turn the heat down to low and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. In the final minute of cooking, add a slice of cheese on top of the chicken, and cook until the cheese is molten.
Then, flip the chicken, turn the heat down to low and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. In the final minute of cooking, add a slice of cheese on top of the chicken, and cook until the cheese is molten.
For the burger
- 1
Begin by cooking the bacon. To do so, place the bacon strips on a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Turn the bacon occasionally until evenly browned and done to your liking. When the bacon has finished cooking, place it on a paper towel to remove the excess grease. Then, chop the bacon into bits.
Begin by cooking the bacon. To do so, place the bacon strips on a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Turn the bacon occasionally until evenly browned and done to your liking. When the bacon has finished cooking, place it on a paper towel to remove the excess grease. Then, chop the bacon into bits.
- 2
Cut the burger buns in half and toast under your oven broiler or toaster until golden brown.
Cut the burger buns in half and toast under your oven broiler or toaster until golden brown.
- 3
Spread the spicy mayo on both buns. Add the lettuce and tomato on the bottom bun. Gently place the chicken on top of the tomato. Add the onion rings, the bacon slices, and avocado slices. Add the top bun, serve hot, and enjoy!
Spread the spicy mayo on both buns. Add the lettuce and tomato on the bottom bun. Gently place the chicken on top of the tomato. Add the onion rings, the bacon slices, and avocado slices. Add the top bun, serve hot, and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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