Hawaiian Chicken Burgers
These Hawaiian Chicken Burgers are a great way to switch up your usual chicken burger. These juicy chicken burgers are packed with spices and red onion and served with a slice of grilled pineapple, crispy bacon, grilled red onion slices and drizzled with a spicy chipotle sauce. 
In my opinion when it comes to burgers, the toppings are the deciding factor between an average burger and an amazing burger. More specifically, the messier the burger is to eat, the tastier it usually is. Case and point, these Hawaiian Chicken Burgers which are so flavorful and delicious and require at least 4 napkins to eat. These delicious Chicken Burgers are a cross between my all time favourite pizza, Hawaiian Pizza, and a chicken burger. There is so much flavour!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE HAWAIIAN CHICKEN BURGERS
- These Hawaiian Chicken Burgers are exploding with flavor, they are sweet, tangy, spicy and so delicious! A great way to switch up your usual burger.
- The burger patty, grilled pineapple, onion and chipotle mayonnaise can all be made in advance and reheated before serving.
- These are burgers that the whole family will enjoy! Let everyone assemble their own burgers so they can choose their favorite toppings.
- This chicken burger recipe is Paleo, Whole30, Grain Free, Gluten Free and Dairy Free, but no one would ever know!
- You can enjoy these burgers in a toasted bun, or for a healthier choice use iceberg lettuce as a bun for a low carb option
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF MEAT FOR THESE PATTIES?
If you struggle to find ground chicken in the grocery store, you can make your own or use a different type of meat. To make your own simply place 2 large chicken breast (for lean ground chicken) or 6 chicken thighs (for a more moist burger) in a food processor and pulse them into a mince. It’s super easy and often times cheaper then buying the meat already ground. If you would like to use a different type of meat I would recommend using ground turkey or ground pork instead. Ground turkey tends to be slightly drier than chicken whereas pork has a higher fat content and will be more moist. Although ground beef can be used, I find that the flavor of the meat doesn’t work quite as well with the pineapple and chipotle mayonnaise.
WHAT IS IN THE CHICKEN PATTIES?
These are more than just a basic chicken patty, they are loaded with so much flavour. These chicken burger patties are packed with chopped onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and coconut aminos to give them a rich spiced flavour. After adding all of the spices to the ground meat in a large bowl, mix it well together and cook a small meatball sized tester patty to make sure you are happy with the taste. Add more cumin, paprika or coconut aminos if needed. To make these patties Whole30 and Paleo I use almond flour, but you can use any flour of your choice such as oat flour, all purpose flour or gluten free flour, or even panko bread crumbs!
How Should I Cook The Chicken Patties?
What’s In The Chipotle Mayonnaise?
The chipotle mayonnaise is the secret ingredient in these burgers which really makes them stand out (in fact it’s so good I don’t think there is a need for any other condiments so put down the ketchup!). It’s spicy and has a slight smokey flavour which goes so well with these burgers. You can use either chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder, and if you would like your sauce to be spicier add a bit more. The chipotle mayonnaise can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
What Toppings Are On These Hawaiian Chicken Burgers?
I absolutely love the toppings for these hawaiian chicken burgers. Feel free to add other toppings that you might prefer, but I really think the combination of crispy bacon, juicy pineapple, red onion and tomato compliments the flavorful chicken patties and spicy chipotle sauce wonderfully. The toppings for these burgers are:
- Bacon: Pork or turkey bacon both work in this recipe and add a nice crunchy texture and saltiness to each bite.
- Pineapple: I recommend cutting the pineapple slices yourself rather than buying precut slices. Cut the slices approximately 1 inch thick. When grilled the pineapple becomes golden brown and slightly caramelized on the edges.
- Red Onion: Grilling the slices of red onion takes away that sharp onion flavours and makes it much more mild.
- Tomatoes: I like using beefsteak because they are large in size and have a sweet flavour.
What About The Bun?
To make these Hawaiian Burgers Paleo and Whole30 I like to serve them in a lettuce bun which I make by cutting a head of iceberg lettuce into quarters. I find that the iceberg “bun” does a great job of holding the burger together while also adding a nice freshness to it. Feel free to swap the lettuce wrap for your favourite hamburger buns (or gluten free bun!). I like to toast buns on the grill for a bit of added texture.
Can I Make These Hawaiian Chicken Burgers In Advance?
I do not recommend assembling the burgers until right before serving, but all of the components can be made well in advance. For the juiciest chicken burgers I recommend only grilling them right before serving, so you can form the chicken mixture into patties and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the fridge for up to 6 hours, then simply grill right before eating. Alternatively if you prefer to cook the chicken burgers in advance, you can grill them up to 2 days ahead of time (along with the red onion and pineapple) and simply heat everything on the grill on medium heat until warmed through, or quickly microwave for 2-3 minutes. The chipotle mayonnaise can also be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
What About Leftovers?
- Reheat them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes
- Pan fry the burger patties and pineapple slices in a nonstick pan on medium-high heat in a little olive oil until warmed through
- Place the patties and pineapple slices in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes
- Reheat on the grill
Here are a few more burger recipes that you might enjoy:
- Mexican Chicken Burgers
- Shrimp Burgers
- Tandoori Chicken Burgers
- Loaded Hamburgers with Special Sauce
- Lemon & Herb Salmon Burgers
- Greek Lamb Burgers
- Cajun Salmon Burgers with Mango Salsa
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Hawaiian Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp almond flour
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
Chipotle Mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Toppings
- 1/2 pineapple peeled and cut into 6 1-inch slices
- 1 red onion cut into 1 inch slices
- 1 head lettuce leaves
- 1 tomato cut into slices
- 4 slices bacon cooked until crisp and cut in half
Instructions
- To prepare the chipotle mayonnaise, combine the ingredients listed in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- In a bowl combine the ingredients for the burgers and use your hands to mix it together. Shape the mixture into four patties approximately 3/4 inch in thickness around the outside and slightly thinner in the middle for more even cooking.
- Heat a barbecue or grill pan to medium high heat and brush with oil. Depending on the size of your grill, start with the red onion and pineapple and grill each for approximately 3 minutes per side until soft and grill marks form. Once cooked set aside. Next add the patties and cook for 4 minutes per side until they are completely cooked through.
- To prepare the lettuce "buns" cut the iceberg lettuce into quarters and pull the leaves out from the inside to separate each quarter into two halves.
- To assemble the burgers spread the chipotle sauce on the inside of the lettuce. Top with a grilled slice of pineapple, 2 pieces of bacon, chicken patty, slice of tomato and the grilled onion. Drizzle with more chipotle mayo and finally place the other half of the lettuce leaf on top like a sandwich. Wrap the burger in parchment paper to make it easier to eat.
Nutrition
Love these flavors so much! We usually end up doing a deconstructed burger or salad bowl, but the patty holds up either way you do it. In case anyone was wondering, I did double the recipe and freeze the raw burger patties in parchment paper. They turned out just great when we added them to the grill straight from the freezer weeks later. Love prepping once and enjoying twice (or more!).
Loved the flavours! Yes messy to eat, we will try the recipe as a desconstructed burger next time.
The taste is really good but I can’t eat this much.
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This was fantastic! I didn’t make the sauce as I already had some homemade spicy mayo on hand and didn’t have any chipotles anyway. The burger had such great flavour and the toppings added the perfect touch! Cooked it in my cast iron pan as my ground chicken was very lean and finely ground and wouldn’t have held up on the grill. Even my toddler loved it!
Hello! This is the first recipe of yours that I have tried and I am very pleased with the results!! Next time I will have to double it for left overs. Very flavorful!! Thank you so much. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the burgers! Thank you so much for leaving a comment and please let me know if you try any other recipes from the site!