About once a week (especially during the summer months), I get a craving for a big, juicy burger. Hbu?
I didn’t grow up eating a lot of red meat, so I don’t tend to love regular beef cheeseburgers. Instead, I opt for a juicy chicken (or turkey!) burger grilled to perfection on a toasted bun. Since your girl also happens to love a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, I decided that a recipe for BBQ chicken burgers was a MUST. Safe to say, they quickly became a favorite.
These burgers are not only juicy and flavorful, but they’re also packed with veggies! What more could you want? I still make (and dream about) them all the time.
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Wait, sweet potato in burgers?
YES! We’re adding raw, shredded sweet potato straight to the burger mixture before cooking. This adds:
- A unique, slight sweetness
- Vitamins A and C, plus fiber and potassium
- Extra moisture for the juiciest chicken burger
We’re packing in the nutrition and delicious flavor with this boost of veggies.
What you’ll need to make BBQ chicken burgers
These healthy BBQ chicken burgers are my favorite to throw on the grill during the summer. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Chicken: we’re using lean ground chicken as the base of these burgers. I recommend no more than 93% lean — any leaner, and they’ll likely be too dry.
- Sweet potato: as I mentioned, you’ll shred a small sweet potato and add it right into the chicken burger mixture.
- BBQ sauce: feel free to use your favorite brand of BBQ sauce (I personally love Stubb’s!) It will keep the burgers juicy and flavorful.
- Extra mix-ins: I also like adding diced onion, garlic, cumin, and plenty of salt & pepper to the chicken patty mixture so that they’re super flavorful.
- Buns: feel free to use any hamburger buns you’d like (even gluten-free).
- Toppings: top these BBQ chicken burgers with sharp cheddar cheese, extra BBQ sauce, butterhead lettuce, and sliced red onion if you’d like!
Make these burgers your own
- Out of ground chicken? Feel free to use the same amount of ground turkey or beef instead.
- Choose your sauce. I LOVE the sweet and tangy flavor of BBQ sauce in these chicken burgers, but you could also use buffalo sauce!
- Keep them dairy-free. Feel free to omit the cheddar cheese, use your fav vegan cheese slice, or even top these BBQ chicken burgers with vegan cheese sauce, green tahini sauce, or good old guacamole.
- Go low-carb or grain-free. Feel free to serve these healthy chicken burgers in a lettuce wrap instead of a bun if you’d like, and then omit the cheese and use one of the sauces above!
- Have fun with toppings. Get creative with any burger toppings you’d like. Fresh avocado and tomato would also be amazing.
How to grill BBQ chicken burgers
Remember to get all of my tips & tricks for grilling burgers perfectly every time here!
- Mix the burgers. You’ll start by mixing together all of your burger ingredients (minus the toppings and bun, of course). I like to do this with my hands for ease.
- Divide the patties. Divide your chicken burger mixture into four 1/2-inch patties.
- Prep your grill. Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F and scrape off any leftover food bits from the last time you grilled.
- Cook your burgers. Grill the chicken burgers for 5-8 minutes per side.
- Don’t forget the cheese! During the last few minutes of cooking your burgers, add a slice of cheddar cheese on top of each patty. Cover the grill to let the cheese melt.
- Top & serve. Place the burgers on buns and pile high with your favorite toppings!
Can I make them on the stove?
Absolutely! Simply add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to a nonstick skillet and place it over medium heat. Once hot, cook your BBQ chicken burgers for 4-5 minutes per side until they’re no longer pink.
When are chicken burgers done?
These sweet potato chicken burgers are fully cooked when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. I recommend using a meat thermometer so that you don’t have to cut into the burgers and risk losing their juiciness.
Freezer-friendly BBQ chicken burgers
Burgers make the BEST freezer-friendly meal in the summer (and all year round!) There are two ways to do it:
- Freeze before cooking: shape your burgers and place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly bag or container. If you’re stacking the burgers, I’d recommend putting wax or parchment paper in between the layers so that they don’t stick together. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, you can either let them thaw in the fridge before cooking or cook them directly from frozen – you may just need to cook them a bit longer from frozen.
- Freeze after cooking: let your burger patties cool completely before placing them in airtight, freezer-friendly containers or bags. As I mentioned above, put wax or parchment paper in between the layers of burgers if you’re stacking them. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, let them thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop for a couple of minutes on each side. You can also reheat these directly from frozen – I recommend doing so on the stovetop.
Tools for grilling perfect burgers
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What to serve with chicken burgers
If you’re looking for delicious recipes to serve with these juicy chicken burgers, here are a few that always go over well:
- Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Healthy Summer Broccoli Salad
- Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas
- Healthy Coleslaw
- Damn Good BLT Pasta Salad
Get all of our amazing side dishes here!
If you try these BBQ chicken burgers, be sure to leave a comment and rate it below and let me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to snap a photo and tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sweet Potato Cheddar BBQ Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken (or sub ground turkey) -- do not use 99%
- 1 cup shredded raw sweet potato (from about 1 small sweet potato)
- 2 tablespoons low sugar bbq sauce of choice
- ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- For assembly:
- 4 hamburger buns of choice, toasted if desired
- 4 tablespoons low sugar BBQ sauce of choice, for topping
- Butterhead lettuce
- Sliced red onion
Instructions
- Make the chicken burgers by adding the ground chicken turkey, shredded sweet potato, bbq sauce, onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into 1/2 inch patties.
- Grill over medium-high heat (around 400 degrees F) for 5-8 minutes per side or until burgers are cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. During the last few minutes of cooking the chicken burgers, add a slice of cheddar cheese on top of each burger patty; cover the grill for about 1 minute while the cheese melts.
- Place the burgers on buns, top with onion, lettuce and drizzle with extra bbq sauce and top with onions. Serve immediately. Great with sweet potato fries or fresh fruit!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on June 27, 2019, updated and republished on May 19, 2021, republished on May 16th, 2022, republished on May 20th, 2024, and republished on May 21st, 2026.
The flavor is awesome on these. I have made a number of times and everyone gives them a thumbs up. My only complaint is that they stick so bad to the grill, even with spraying it before hand. I have tried chilling the patties. Any tips?
So glad these are a favorite! A few tips for leaner meat like chicken: be sure to clean the grates well, make sure your grill is fully preheated with the lid closed, and don’t try and flip the burgers until they’re completely done on that side. You could also brush the outside of the patties with a little oil!
Took a chance and made these burgers last night for dinner (with corn on the cob and watermelon as sides) and it was surprisingly delicious. I’ve never had a burger that didn’t need ketchup or mustard or pickle, but this was boldly flavored as is. Shredded sweet potato in a burger is new to me, and my family and I loved it. Will make again.
Amazing! So glad you gave these a try!
Delicious!
Just a note about making them gluten free, though. Make sure the barbecue sauce is a gluten-free. Many of them are not.
Thank you for the reminder! I’ll add that to the post 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
So good! I didn’t have red onion for topping so added some French fried onions and it went great. Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
These were so easy to make and delicious. Gobbled up by adults and kids alike. Plan to make some for a postpartum freezer stash!
So happy to hear that! These would be great postpartum 🙂
Soooooo good! The sweet potato added moisture and great texture. Everyone loved them— two people asked for the recipe. These are going on my regular food prep rotation. They reheat really well and do not get dried out. Make sure to prep your grill, because they do stick.
Amazing! This is our go-to summer burger recipe 🙂
Hi there! Do you think the patties could be baked in the oven? Thank you, so excited to try these!
Hi! I haven’t tried it but that should work just fine! I’d bake them for about 18-22 minutes (and you can use a meat thermometer to check for doneness).
Love this recipe! The chicken burgers have never tasted dry and are perfect for meal prepping ahead of time.
YES these are my go-to, too!
These were so tasty! My husband said “add this recipe to the rotation!!”
Even my 3 year old loved this recipe!
Amazing! Family approved 🙂
I can’t believe how easy these were to make! I more of a buffalo than a BBQ girl so I used buffalo sauce instead and they turned out great!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
These were perfectly delicious as is. Also fast and easy. Very flavorful.
So glad you enjoyed!
These were wonderful! I made them with ground turkey and everyone in my family loved them (including picky kids). I will definitely keep these burgers in my healthy rotation!
Amazing! So glad they were a hit!
These were some of the best burgers, if not THE best burgers I’ve ever eaten, even despite the fact that I burnt them. I made them last week and I’m making them again this week. This recipe will definitely be on repeat in my house this summer. I used ground turkey and they turned out phenomenally. Thank you, Monique!
Amazing! So glad you loved these!
Delicious! Even my red meat loving husband commented they were really good! Made them and prepped them exactly as the recipe directed and give them a big thumbs up! I was worried they would need an egg or panko to keep them together but nope! (I *did* saute my onions and sweet potato together first but not sure if that was necessary.)
Amazing! So happy they were a hit 🙂 No need to sauté the veggies first, but it doesn’t hurt the recipe either!
These were fun to try. Totally different, but so easy and delicious. I did pop mine in the freezer for about 40 min before grilling as I always worry they will fall apart. This definitely helped. Great with onions and avocado.
YUM! I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Karol!
Monique! You have done it again!!!! Your recipes are a staple in my household because they are so elevated and flavorful yet SO easy to make. This burger is so different and the hint of sweetness from the sweet potato is great!!!! I love to pair this with your slaw recipe and a side of brussels sprouts for a wonderful meal. I also made your street corn tacos this week and had leftover cashew crema which I put on the burgers and it was *chefs kiss*. Thank you for everything you do! You are extremely relatable and make cooking and baking extremely enjoyable for me. By far my favorite recipe developer to follow!!!
Aw this means the world to me, thank you, Danielle! I am so glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out fabulous for you! You’ve been on a roll with some of my favorites!
Excellent Burger Recipe! I’ve been replacing the BBQ Sauce with Spicy Brown Mustard and find that they are just as good!
Thank you Monique!
YUM! Sounds amazing, glad you’re enjoying this recipe, perfect for summer 😍
These were phenomenal! I normally don’t cook with ground chicken (it kind of grosses me out), but with all of these ingredients, esp. the BBQ sauce, the flavor was on point. I paired it with a lettuce bun instead of a bread bun to go carb-less 🙂
Will make these all summer!
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Another delicious dinner by AK!
YAY! Happy to hear it came out great ❤️
HOLY MOLY these were INSANE. So so delicious and so easy to make. These burgers are incredibly juicy and flavorful which is so hard to achieve with chicken. These will be a summer staple. Yum. Thanks, Monique for another amazing recipe!
Incredible! These are not dry at all and I appreciated the amount of sweet potato that you used, when using a “small” sweet potato. I only used half of my “huge” sweet potato, so again that was very helpful. I also used Stubbs BBQ sauce. Every recipe I make of yours, I always end up making over and over again. They are delicious and always turn out great! Any cookbooks coming in the future? ; )
So glad you loved them, Suzy!! Thanks for the kind review. Will keep you updated about a cookbook 😉
Another winner. My husband’s doctor put him on a low fat diet, which means regular burgers, which he loves, have become a forbidden food. He was very happy with these. So glad I stumbled across this recipe.
I’m so glad these are suitable for his diet and that you both loved them! Thanks so much, Mary 🙂
Delicious and quick dinner! Grated the cheddar cheese and the onion into the burgers. Loved them on their own more than with a bun!
I have made these a few times and they are so good! The flavor definitely varies depending on what type of BBQ sauce you use. They are amazing with avocado.
The sweet potato mix is really interesting! As you are making it all from scratch, it would be worth to accompany it with a homemade bbq sauce.
Absolutely fine to make homemade if you have the time!
I didn’t have sweet potato so I used regular potato. Of course it had less nutrition, but the texture was still A+. Thanks!
Glad to hear that worked well!!
YUM! I used ground turkey instead of chicken and added grilled red onions on top as well – soo good!
Sounds amazing!! So glad you loved them, Megan!
A perfect chicken burger recipe
These are DELICIOUS! Husband has ranked it one of his favorite burgers ever, we made them with chaffle buns. Also, I air fried them! 350 for 9 minutes each side and they were perfect – still really juicy!
Ooooh the chaffle buns! And air fried burgers 😍 That sounds incredible. So happy to hear you loved them!
These were so good! I was a little nervous about how wet the burgers were going onto the grill. I was worried they would stick or fall apart. Nope! They were perfect. Can’t wait to make them again.
Absolutely the BEST chicken burgers ever. Usually, I find chicken or turkey burgers come out like hockey pucks, although we pretend they are ok because we WANT a healthy burger that tastes good. But this recipe truly delivers a moist, DELICIOUS, healthy burger. Thank you so much for this recipe – I’ll be making this again and again!
I’m with you on that!! So happy you’re loving these 🙂
Amazing
Happy you enjoyed them!
Excellent recipe; delicious and juicy burger. Will make again; thank you for the great recipe. I am excited to have frozen some burgers for future enjoyment.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them. And great idea to stash them in the freezer!