Air Fryer Chicken Burger that will rock your socks right off! Using seasoned chicken thighs, these burgers are succulent, juicy and dripping with sauce.
Recipes like my Air Fryer Hamburgers, BLT Burger, Air Fryer Chicken Skewers and Air Fryer Cheeseburgers are family favourites!
Pair them with the Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings, Gravy Fries and drizzle with Mustard Yogurt Sauce for the ultimate combo!
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Recipe highlights
Hamburgers are good, but some say Chicken Burgers are even better!
Less likely to have juices running down your arm, they offer a high protein, tasty bite that fills you up!
With a chicken thigh fully seasoned and cooked to perfection, every bite of these burgers offers limitless satisfaction.
Can you put raw chicken in an Air Fryer
Yes, you can put raw chicken in an Air Fryer!
It takes about 20 mins to cook the chicken thighs, with a flip in between and I recommend a little spray of oil on the basket so that they don't stick.
You can use a thermometer to test if the chicken is fully cooked through.
My preferred method, is to use a knife and make a cut very close to the centre of the fillet, look for the sauces that run from the chicken.
If they are clear, the chicken is cooked, if they are pink, the chicken needs further cooking.
You will find that you do this once or twice to learn and master, then after that have a spot on idea of how long they take to cook perfectly, each and every time!
Can you Air Fry a frozen chicken patty
Yes you can Air Fry frozen chicken patties!
I recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe and guess what, you can use raw, thawed or frozen chicken thighs.
If opting for frozen chicken thighs, you will need to keep the temperature the same, but increase the cook time by 5-10 mins.
To ensure that the chicken is cooked through in the centre (and not still frozen) use the method I mentioned above and make a cut in the chicken to test it.
You will only need do this the 1st couple of times when cooking chicken thighs, then you will be a complete pro and 'know' how long they take as you have learnt this along the way.
Why is my chicken dry in the Air Fryer
There are 2 reasons why chicken can be dry coming from the Air Fryer.
The 1st reason is that it has been cooked for too long.
The second reason is that you used a dry rub or seasoning without any moisture (oil) and the Air Fryer cooked the top of the chicken without any juice to allow the meat to stay succulent.
To avoid over cooking chicken in the Air Fryer, keep an eye on it, check it along the way and test it to see if it is done (before it becomes well done!!)
Ingredients needed
The ingredients needed for the recipe are all simple and easy to find at the local shops (except for the optional homemade sauce).
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- chicken thighs (fresh or frozen)
- chicken seasoning
- hamburger buns
- lettuce
- beetroot
- tomato
- parsley yogurt sauce
- spray oil (if desired)
I recommend using a little olive oil on the Air Fryer basket to prevent sticking and to help clean up at the end (no hours spend scrubbing)
My preference for the sauce is either the Basil Yogurt Sauce or the Mustard Yogurt Sauce (as shown in the photos).
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe.
We start by Air Frying the chicken thighs. My chicken thighs were thawed.
- Add chicken thighs to ziplock bag and sprinkle with seasoning (Photo 1)
- Spray the Air Fryer basket with a little oil (Photo 2)
- Use tongs to flip the thighs after 10 mins (Photo 3)
- Cook the chicken thighs for an additional 10 mins (Photo 4)
Just like when we BBQ chicken thighs, they will be a little charred like on the outside and soft, tender and succulent on the inside.
In the photo below, you will see that the next step is 'burger assembly'
I have kept the toppings minimal as you don't need a 'works' burger here to feel full, the chicken delivers that to your tummy.
In the photo above and below you can see I have served my hamburgers with Parsely Yogurt Sauce, it is a homemade sauce that delivers flavour and texture!
If you want to go all out, you can cook some chips to go on the side of your burgers, as seen in the photo above.
Frequently asked questions
- This is a quick, easy to bring together recipe!
- The only ingredient that gets cooked is chicken thighs
- You can cook the chicken from fresh, thawed or frozen
- You can use your favorite burger buns (sesame seed!!)
- Spray the basket before adding the chicken
- My Air Fryer is a 7 litre basket version
- If making more burgers and using a smaller Air Fryer you can work in batches
- Serve with homemade sauce which is less sweet than traditional
- It takes about 20-25 mins from start to finish for the recipe
If quick and easy take away style homemade recipes are your thing, you might like to try the Homemade Burgers, Dry Rub Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Sausage Rolls or Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Wings.
Expert tips
This is what I have learnt that will help you master the recipe from the 1st time and every following time:
- Flip the chicken thighs halfway through cooking
- Test to see that they are fully cooked, by cutting at the centre, the meat should be fully white, not pink
- There will be a little crusty charredness going on with some of the seasoning, eat these as you are prepping the burgers as they are pure yum!
- There are so many sizes and types of Air Fryers that some will cook faster or slower depending on the model, the 1st time you make the chicken burgers, check them along the way to see how they are cooking!
More Air Fryer recipes
If you love Air Fryer cooking then check out the following recipes for inspiration:
- Easy Air Fryer Cheeseburgers
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Whole Air Fryer Roast Chicken
- Homemade Burgers
- Juicy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Wings
- Simple Air Fryer Cheese on Toast (too easy!!)
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Burger
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Chopping board
- Zip lock bag
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thigh fillets Note 1
- 2 tbs chicken seasoning
- 2 hamburger buns
- sliced tomato
- lettuce
- Parsley Yogurt Sauce optional
Instructions
- Use paper towel to pat chicken thighs dry, then add to zip lock bag
- Pour chicken seasoning over chicken thighs, seal the bag and massage the seasoning into the chicken
- Turn the air fryer on to 180°C/350 F for 20 mins (allow 5 mins to preheat if your model requires it) Note 3
- Use olive oil to lightly spray the basket of the Air Fryer
- Use kitchen tongs to place the chicken thighs into the Air Fryer, one at a time
- Cook the chicken thighs for 10 mins, then pull the basket out, rest on a heat proof surface, use tongs to flip the chicken thighs and cook for a further 10 mins
- Assemble the burgers starting with the lettuce, chicken thigh, sauce, tomato and burger bun
Notes
- Note 1 I use chicken thighs as I find them to be a lot more tender than chicken breast. If you want to use chicken breast instead, you can, but slice it lengthways (1 breast into 2 slices) to thin it out a bit. This will help to make the 'biting' experience of the burger better as you are not chewing through a whole hunk of protein.
- Note 2 This is my Parsley Yogurt Sauce, you can find on the blog, it is optional, but perfect for pairing with chicken and not too sweet!
- Note 3 My Air Fryer does not require pre heating, so I season the chicken with the fryer off, then turn it on when ready to cook. I know that it seems counter intuitive to not list this as the 1st step for the recipe, but as it is technically not, I have added it at the time the step is taken.
Nutrition
Chicken burger time
It's MC Burger time in your kitchen! (You can play the song whilst cooking if you like).
I think you are going to love these ones as they are a little indulgent but also filling and simply delicious.
I would LOVE to hear your comments in the feedback below, please let me know if you make the recipe.
3,2,1, Air Fried Chicken Burgers my friends!
Adrianne x
Dannii says
I am always looking for new ways to use the air fryer and this looks delicious.
Adrianne says
Thanks Dannii, I enjoyed reading your comment.
veenaazmanov says
Yummy presentation and definitely a Happy Meal for sure.
Adrianne says
Cheers Veena, thanks for your feedback!
Sue says
I JUST got my air fryer (late to the party I know) and I can't wait to try these.
Adrianne says
Haha you will never use the oven again! Hope you enjoy!!