Juicy California Grilled Chicken Burger Recipe

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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 favourite! 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 favourite 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!

Ingredients for California Chicken Burger Recipe

The chicken is marinated in my favourite Italian Herb Marinade. This marinade has white vinegar, olive oil, Italian Seasoning, chili flakes, lemon juice, and minced garlic. What a superb flavour 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 RECIPEcan 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 flavour to the chicken so it turns out juicy and flavour 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 flavourful.

For more tips about grilling chicken, you can also choose to refer to my page aboutMastering the Art of a Juicy Grilled Chickenand 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 withoven baked crispy fries (you can find my recipe here) and enjoy!