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These BBQ Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers are easy, delicious and absolutely packed with flavour. They’re grilled to perfection, glazed with Uncle Ronny’s Barbecue sauce, topped with cheddar cheese and served on a crisp lettuce bun. They’re high-protein, low-carb and happen to be grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and don’t fall apart on the grill. Try them at your next backyard cookout with friends or meal prep them for an easy weeknight dinner.
Uncle Ronny’s Barbecue Sauce
BBQ sauce is the final frontier of healthy condiments and up until now there’s never been one quite like this. It’s the perfect balance of smoky, sweet, spicy, tangy and deliciously bold flavours without the refined sugars, preservatives or artificial colourings. It’s everything you expect and demand from your favourite BBQ sauce but sweetened with honey and made with all-natural ingredients that you can feel good about serving to your family and friends.
Uncle Ronny’s Barbecue Sauce is my love letter to a cuisine and tradition that has long captured my heart and I’m honoured to partner with Side Dish and my amazing friend Alex Snodgrass to bring it to life. I sincerely hope you love it as much as we do!
Ingredients You Need for the BBQ Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers
- Ground Chicken: You can purchase ground chicken from the store or grind it yourself with a meat grinder. You can also substitute ground turkey if preferred.
- Onion: I like to sauté the onion before adding it to the meat mixture. This brings out the natural sweetness of the onion, which balances the spice from the jalapeño.
- Jalapeño: For a mild spice, remove the seeds from the jalapeño. If you prefer things more spicy, leave the seeds in.
- Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much!
- Side Dish x Uncle Ronny’s BBQ Sauce: NO SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED! Only kidding, use your favourite BBQ sauce or make my homemade version. But really, Uncle Ronny’s will take these chicken lollipops to another level. It’s smoky, sweet, tangy, a little spicy and can be used in a variety of ways. It’s also made with super clean ingredients, Paleo-friendly, sweetened with honey and free of artificial colourings.
- Paprika: A bit of paprika will give the chicken burgers a nice colour as they grill.
- Cilantro: For flavour and colour, try adding some chopped fresh cilantro to the burger mix. If you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute fresh parsley or oregano.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Lettuce Buns: If you’re looking for a low-carb and low-calorie alternative, try serving the BBQ Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers on an iceberg lettuce bun! See the photos below or watch the recipe video for my favourite technique to make lettuce buns.
- Your Favourite Toppings: Sliced tomato, pickles, red onion, sliced avocado, extra BBQ sauce or mayonnaise are all great options.
Why You’ll Love These Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers
- Flavour-packed with smoky, spicy and cheesy goodness
- Low-calorie but maximum flavour
- Customizable to your personal spice and toppings preference
- Perfect for grilling and summer cookouts
- Freeze the chicken burger patties ahead of time for an easy meal pre option
For Best Results!
- Use ground chicken thigh for best flavour and moisture. Breast meat can dry out easily.
- Use a high-quality cheddar cheese that is flavourful and made with minimal ingredients.
- Wet your hands or wear gloves when forming patties to prevent sticking.
- Chill the patties in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before grilling to help them hold their shape.
- Clean and preheat your grill grates before cooking to prevent sticking.
- Let the grill do the work and don’t try to flip the burgers before they have developed a crust.
- Brush the burgers with Uncle Ronny’s Barbecue Sauce after you flip them to caramelize the flavour and create a sticky glaze.
Ingredient Substitution Ideas
- Cheddar Cheese: Swap for pepper jack, gouda, or Monterey Jack for a different flavour profile.
- Jalapeño: Use serrano, habanero for more spice or poblano for a milder heat.
- Bun: Serve the BBQ Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers on your favourite bun instead of the lettuce
- Make a Salad: The burgers are also delicious over a salad.
What to Serve with Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers
- Roasted Potatoes
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- Avocado slices or guacamole for a creamy, cooling contrast
How to Make the Best Lettuce Buns
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Form the patties and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before grilling. They also freeze well and can be cooked from frozen or thawed.
You can fry the burgers in a grill pan or frying pan over medium heat until they’re golden brown and cooked through. Or, you can bake the chicken burgers on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in a 425F oven for around 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the internal temp hits 165°F.
If frying the burgers, I recommend glazing them with BBQ sauce just before they finish cooking and letting the sauce caramelize for 1 or 2 minutes in the pan. If baking them, you can glaze the burgers with the BBQ 5 minutes before they finish cooking to develop a sticky coating.
If you remove the seeds from the jalapeño, the burgers will have a mild to medium heat. If you keep the seeds in the jalapeño, the burgers will be more spicy. Uncle Ronny’s Barbecue sauce does have a small amount of spice in it as well.
Yes, ground turkey makes a great substitute.
You can but it’s not necessary and usually a waste of expensive oil. I think it’s more important to clean the grill grates well and let them preheat fully before adding the meat. You should hear a light sizzle when you place the burgers on the grill. It’s also important to let the grill do the work and let the burgers develop a crust before attempting to flip them. If they’re still sticking to the grill, the most likely need to cook a little longer.
BBQ Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed for mild heat and diced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup Uncle Ronny’s Barbecue Sauce, plus extra for serving
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into buns (see photos above instructions), for serving
- 1 tomato, thinly sliced, for serving
- 2 dill pickles, thinly sliced, for serving
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the avocado oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and jalapeño, season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring to prevent burning, until the onion is soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the sautéed onion and jalapeño to a bowl and let it cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, sautéed onion and jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, paprika, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together until combine and the meat is slightly tacky. Equally divide the mixture into 4 portions, wet your hands to prevent the meat from sticking, and form into burger patties. Place the patties on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to overnight, to let them firm slightly.
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 500F (475F if using a ModiFire Sear Grate). If using a regular grill, preheat to medium-high heat. Transfer the patties to the grill grate (direct heat for regular grills) and cook, undisturbed, until grill marks form and the burgers are no longer sticking to the grates, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip the patties, brush the tops with BBQ sauce and cook until grill marks from on the bottom sides and the thickest part of each patty registers 160F, around 6 minutes. Flip the burgers once more, brush with more BBQ sauce, top each patty with cheese, close the grill door and cook until the cheese has melted and the thickest part of each patty registers 165F.
- Serve the chicken burgers on a lettuce bun with sliced tomato, pickles, onion and extra BBQ sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
These were so delicious!! So many good flavors and the kids were even fans! Thank you for creating recipes that our entire family enjoys!