Sorry for being slightly MIA the end of last week through though yesterday. Honestly, I was just exhausted. I planned to post this recipe last Friday but fell asleep at like 8pm Thursday… whoops! But it felt so great to just chill and that’s exactly what I did. It’s good to listen to your body. We all run around like crazy people (or is that just me?!) so it’s good to remember that sometimes we need breaks. Also, on Saturday we threw a little fall shindig so Sunday was a very lazy day… I cleaned up the house, did laundry, walked the dog, made lunches, packed my gym bag, prepped Monday’s crockpot dinner, then watched three Harry Potter movies… solid Sunday if you ask me ha!
Now that we’re caught up, let’s talk about these zucchini chicken burgers! SO HEALTHY. And full of fabulous things like zucchini, red bell peppers, and lean ground chicken!
So we have shredded zucchini, diced red bell peppers, and ground chicken breast smushed together with an egg, minced cilantro, sea salt, pepper, chili powder, and ground cumin into burger patty balls. Next, we roll the burger patty balls around in panko to fully cover them. Finally, we flatten the burger balls into patties then sauté them in coconut oil until the chicken is cooked and the outsides are crispy! I topped my zucchini chicken burgers with avocado slices and sugar snap pea salsa and it was AWESOME. But I also ate these patties over a bed of rice with a little drizzle of hoisin sauce and it was also AMAZING. Basically make these “burgers” and eat them however you like but DO MAKE THEM. They are so easy, quick, and delicious! This recipe yields 8-10 burgers so it’s perfect to meal prep on a Sunday then pack these little bad boys for lunch during the week. Did I mention that these zucchini chicken burgers are only 125 calories?! YEAH… that’s like nothing! But still full of GOOD ingredients.
PERFECTION. Okay, recipe time!
zucchini chicken burgers
Ingredients
zucchini chicken burgers
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 medium zucchini, shredded and moisture squeezed out using a kitchen towel (about 2 1/2 cups shredded)
- 2 red bell peppers; cored, seeded, and finely diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, minced
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- burger buns
- optional toppings: sliced avocado and sugar snap pea salsa (below)
sugar snap pea salsa
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, chopped
- 1 cup canned rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
- juice of 1/2 lime
- healthy pinch sea salt and pepper
Instructions
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix together ground chicken breast, egg, sea salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, shredded zucchini, diced red bell pepper, and minced cilantro until well combined. Place panko in a separate bowl. Form mixture into 8-10 burger sized patty balls. Roll burger balls in the panko mixture, coating all sides. I recommend keeping the burgers in ball form until you cook them because it will help all the ingredients stay together.
Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the burger balls to the skillet then flatten them into patties using a spatula. Cook on each side for 6-8 minutes per side or until chicken is completely cooked and the outsides are crispy and golden. Repeat with remaining oil and burger balls.
Make sugar snap pea salsa while burgers are cooking: Mix together chopped sugar snap peas, canned tomatoes and green chiles, and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
Top burgers with sliced avocado and sugar snap pea salsa then smush them between two delicious burger buns and devour!
Recipe Notes
Calories are for only the burgers patties - does not including toppings or bun. Recipe really yields 8-10 burgers depending on how big you make them 🙂
How’s your week going? I know it’s only Tuesday but did you survive Monday!?
I survived but my slow cooker dinner definitely helped that happen! This week I’m making all slow cooker recipes because it’s actually feeling like fall outside and I want more time to do other things like hang out with Tom before he leaves for Montana on Thursday, go to happy hour with girl friends, and blog blog blog!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your zucchini chicken burgers in action. Peace, friends!
– a
p.s. other awesome but probably less healthy burger options here. lol.