The Broken Scale · Good food. Plenty of personality.
Chicken Parm Burgers
Chicken-and-mozzarella patties with a panko crust, hot marinara, melted cheese, and toasted garlic-butter buns.
- Prep
- 30 minutes
- Cook
- 20 minutes
- Refrigerated chilling
- 1 hour
- Total
- 1 hour 50 minutes
- Serves
- 4 burgers
Chill before shaping and cooking
The chicken mixture is soft. Keep it cold, shape four patties, and check each center for 165°F before assembling the burgers. The garlic buns can toast while the patties cook.
Adapted from Chef John’s Chicken Parm Burgers at Allrecipes. Ground-poultry temperature follows USDA guidance.
The full recipe
Chicken Parm Burgers
Pan-fried chicken-and-mozzarella patties with a panko crust, marinara, and melted cheese on toasted garlic-butter buns.
Ingredients
Chicken Parm Mixture:
- 12 Oz. Chicken Thighs or Breasts boneless skinless; cut into 1" pieces
- 4 Oz. Mozzarella cheese shredded
1¼ Tsp. Kosher Salt- ½ Tsp. Ground Black Pepper freshly ground
- ½ Tsp. Garlic granulated
- ¼ Tsp. Dried Oregano
- 2 Tbsp. Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Marinara Sauce or other prepared tomato sauce · Make our marinara sauce
Cooking and Assembling Burgers:
- 3 Tbsp. Butter soft or melted
- 2 Cloves Garlic crushed
- 2 Tsp. Parsley fresh, minced
- 1 Pinch Kosher Salt
- 4 Burger Buns
- 4 Tsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano freshly grated, or more to taste
- ¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Hot Marinara Sauce divided
- ½ Cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 Tsp. Italian Parsley minced, fresh, or as needed
Equipment
1 Food processor (For the chicken mixture.)
1 Large nonstick skillet with lid
1 Rimmed baking sheet (For buns.)
1 Instant-read thermometer (Check the center of each patty.)
Instructions
- Put the raw chicken pieces, 4 ounces mozzarella, 1¼ teaspoons salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, oregano, 2 tablespoons panko, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and ¼ cup marinara into a food processor. Pulse until finely ground and cohesive, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Clean the processor, utensils, and surfaces after handling raw chicken.
- With wet hands, shape the cold mixture into four equal patties about the width of the buns. Place on a lined plate, cover, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Keep chilled until ready to cook.
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Mix softened butter with crushed garlic, the 2 teaspoons parsley, and a pinch of salt. Split the buns and spread the cut faces with garlic butter. Divide the 4 teaspoons Parmesan among them. Toast cut-side up about 7–10 minutes, until lightly browned, watching closely.
- Divide the remaining ¼ cup panko among the four patties, about 1 tablespoon per patty total, pressing onto both sides. Heat the ¼ cup olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook patties about 3–4 minutes on the first side, until golden, then turn and cook 1 minute. Use batches if needed.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons hot marinara onto each patty and top each with 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella. Cover and continue cooking over medium-low heat until a thermometer inserted sideways into the center of every patty reads 165°F. Allow longer than the original 2–3 minute guide if needed. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Divide the remaining ½ cup hot marinara among the bottom buns. Add the cooked patties, fresh Italian parsley, and top buns. Serve immediately.
Notes
Makes four burgers. The 4 ounces mozzarella goes into the raw chicken mixture; the separate ½ cup tops the patties. The 1 cup hot marinara is divided equally between patties and bottom buns. Cook ground chicken to 165°F before removing it from the heat; do not rely on a 150°F reading followed by carryover. Timing is an estimate and includes one hour of chilling.
