Buffalo Zucchini Chicken Burgers | Ambitious Kitchen

The last day of #AKZucchiniWeek has sadly arrived, but I’m pretty sure this year was a HUGE hit with all of you. Especially that lemon blueberry zucchini cake. Ayyyyy. Don’t forget to enter our giveaway — details at the bottom of this post!

These burgers were one of my personal favorites from this year’s zucchini week because well…your girl really loves good burger makeover. Thankfully my mom feels the same, so when she was recently in town to spend time with my little sweetheart Sidney, we decided to have a girl’s night and make these healthy buffalo zucchini chicken burgers paired with grilled sweet potato fries (japanese sweet potatoes are my latest obsession!).

Truthfully, mom and I couldn’t stop raving about how good these burgers were. Nice and juicy from the shredded zucchini, a little spicy thanks to buffalo sauce in and on the burger, and of course, topped with all the thangs: creamy avocado, zesty red onion, extra buffalo sauce and maybe even a little ranch for dipping. Time to make the most of the rest of summer with these burgs ppl. #hellyes

Ingredients in buffalo zucchini chicken burgers

For the burger:

• Ground chicken: use 93% ground chicken or ground turkey. I do not recommend using 99% lean
• Zucchini: shredded zucchini will give these burgers the perfect amount of moisture. Make sure you squeeze it of excess moisture after you measure the zucchini out!
• Buffalo sauce: feel free to use hot or medium buffalo sauce.
• Yellow onion: for added depth and a little crunch in the burgers.
• Spices: garlic powder, cumin, salt & pepper. Aka the ultimate burger spices!
• Cheddar cheese: I like topping these buffalo chicken burgers with sharp cheddar cheese slices, but feel free to use any cheese you’d like or skip it to keep the burgers dairy free.

Optional for assembly:

• Hamburger buns: feel free to use your favorite buns (gluten free if you’d like) or even a lettuce wrap.
• Buffalo sauce: a bit more for topping your chicken burgers.
• Avocado: I love the creaminess of avocado on top of burgers and to balance the buffalo flavor.
• Butterhead lettuce & red onion: for the perfect freshness and crunch.

How to cook healthy zucchini chicken burgers

To make your zucchini chicken burgers on the grill: Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Once grill is hot, add burger patties and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes per side. If you’re adding cheese, turn off the grill, add cheese to each patty and close the grill lid for 1-2 minutes longer, or until cheese has melted. Serve immediately. Burgers are done when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

How to make chicken burgers on the stove (in a skillet or nonstick pan): Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to a nonstick skillet. Cook burgers over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Burgers are done when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

Tips for making zucchini chicken burgers

• Be sure to use 93% lean ground chicken or turkey. Anything higher (like 99%) will not be very juicy.
• Squeeze out all of the excess moisture from your zucchini after shredding so that it doesn’t add too much moisture to the burger patties

Customize your zucchini chicken burgers

The options are endless in terms of toppings, so feel free to add things you like!

• Not a fan of buffalo sauce? Add the same amount of BBQ sauce instead. Or try my sweet potato bbq chicken burgers.
• Keep your zucchini chicken burgers dairy free by using dairy free cheese slices on top or simply omit the cheese. You could also add this delicious jalapeño cashew cream sauce, these vegan cheese sauce, or tahini sauce.
• Top with extra veggies like fresh, juicy tomato slices.
• Add blue cheese crumbles or my homemade greek yogurt ranch to complement the buffalo sauce. YUM.
• To make these paleo, simply leave the bun off and try a lettuce wrap + use any of the sauces listed above!

How to store & freeze buffalo chicken burgers

To store: store any leftover buffalo zucchini chicken burgers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.

Freeze before cooking: shape your chicken burgers and place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container or bag. 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 chicken 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 minutes on each side. You can also reheat these directly from frozen – I recommend doing so on the stovetop.

What to serve with buffalo zucchini chicken burgers

Sesame Garlic Grilled Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Curry Dip

Best Healthy Coleslaw Ever (no mayo!)

Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese

The Best Guacamole You’ll Ever Eat

Tony’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Grilled Brussels Sprouts

AK Zucchini Week GIVEAWAY

We’re giving away one Dinner for 4 Set from Our Place (which includes one of my favorite pans) to one lucky winner to celebrate #AKZucchiniWeek! Here’s how to enter:

1. Share a photo of any AK zucchini recipe you make on Instagram (has to be in your feed, and your profile must be public for us to see it) with the hashtag #AKZucchiniWeek, or alternatively, you can add it to our private Facebook Group.
2. The more you post & share your recipe photos, the greater chance you have to win!
3. Winner will be announced on Monday, 8/10 and notified via DM on Instagram or in the Facebook group. Must be 18 or older, USA only.

I hope you love these buffalo zucchini chicken burgers! If you make them be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked them. You can also post a photo to Instagram and tag #ambitiouskitchen – xo!