Air Fry or grill these Greek Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Feta Cheese, then serve them with this delicious Lemon-Garlic Feta Spread. A taste of the Mediterranean, right in your backyard! These juicy burgers are made with ground chicken, spinach, feta cheese and herbs. Serve open-faced or with a bun, they're delicious either way! An easy 30-minute meal.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
If the idea of chicken burgers made with ground chicken instead of chicken breasts makes you think of cardboard, think again! These Greek Chicken Burgers with spinach and feta are made with ground chicken and they're juicy and moist.
Onions, garlic, Mediterranean herbs, spinach, and feta cheese make these burgers incredibly flavorful.
And when you serve them with this amazing Lemon-Garlic Feta Spread, there's no going back to a dried-up chicken breast on a bun!
Bun or no bun, these Greek chicken burgers are delicious either way. I'm happy to avoid the gluten and eat my burgers open-faced, but most people like a soft hamburger bun like the brioche buns in the photo.
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🛒 Ingredients
Here are a few notes about the ingredients you'll use to make these juicy Greek Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Feta. You'll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Burgers
- ground chicken: makes tasty, juicy chicken burgers, especially if it contains thigh meat as well as breast meat. While you could substitute ground turkey, it is usually leaner and does not result in burgers as juicy as those made with ground chicken.
- feta cheese: Use the type that is a block packed in brine. If you buy crumbled feta cheese, you'll find it is not as moist or as flavourful as feta packed in brine. Read more in this article, How to Shop for Feta Cheese.
- frozen spinach: thawed, chopped, and very well-drained. It's important to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
- white or yellow onion: finely chopped. Grate it if you have kids who don't like finding diced onion bits in their burgers.
- garlic: minced
- dried herbs: oregano, thyme, marjoram and parsley. If you don't have marjoram, you can either leave it out or substitute dried dill.
- sea salt and black pepper
Lemon Garlic Feta Spread
- feta cheese: packed in brine
- cream cheese: the brick style, regular or low-fat
- lemon juice: freshly squeezed
- garlic clove: minced
- black pepper
🔪 How to make the best Greek chicken burgers with spinach and feta cheese
Once you have the ingredients prepared, these ground chicken burgers take no time at all to make.
Mix all ingredients for the patties together in a large bowl.
Form into 4 or 5 patties.
To air fry: Air fry patties for 5- 6 minutes per side at 360°F. then at 400°F. for 1 - 2 minutes to sear the surface.
To grill: Grill these burgers either on your outdoor or indoor grill for 5-6 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 3 - 4 minutes more, or until the internal temperature of the patties in the center reaches 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer. You can also pan-fry these chicken burgers. Just be sure to check the internal temperature before serving.
Grilling or panfrying times will depend on how thick you've made the patties and the temperature of your grill or skillet.
Spread buns with Lemon Garlic Feta Spread and top with your favorite add-ons, like sliced tomatoes, pickled red onions or pickled shallots, and fresh lettuce or spinach leaves.
Lemon-Garlic Feta Spread
- Combine all the ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until almost smooth OR put all ingredients in a small bowl and blend with a fork. If your cheese is not at room temperature, put the ingredients in the microwave for 30 seconds, then blend.
- Keep refrigerated, but remove from the fridge half an hour before serving to allow the cheese to soften and become spreadable.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Have you ever felt frustrated to find that your burgers shrunk once they were grilled?
Three tips to help prevent burgers from shrinking
Burgers will puff up in the center while they cook, pulling the sides in toward the center. No one wants a meatball in a burger bun! The burger should fill the bun completely.
- To prevent "meatball-like" burgers, form the patties slightly larger than the diameter you'd like the cooked patties to be. Gently press in the center with your thumb to form a dimple. Once they're grilled or fried, the patties will have smoother tops and will be almost the same size you wanted them to be.
- The second tip to help prevent your burgers from shrinking is to squeeze out as much excess water as you can from the spinach. The extra liquid will evaporate during cooking, causing shrinkage.
- And the last tip is to cook your burgers at a moderate temperature. Heating them over high heat not only causes them to shrink but can also destroy the flavor. If you're grilling them, leave the lid open so they don't reach a high temperature too quickly.
🔁 Possible Variations
While you could substitute ground turkey, it is usually lower in fat and does not result in burgers as juicy as those made with ground chicken.
🥶Storage and Reheating Instructions
While you can certainly mix and form the patties ahead of time, be sure to keep them refrigerated until you're ready to air fry or grill them.
To freeze: These Greek chicken burgers freeze well. Freeze on a baking sheet, then wrap individually and freeze for up to three to four months.
When ready to cook, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then air fry, grill or pan fry as directed.
To reheat: These burgers made with ground chicken are best served fresh and hot. However, you can certainly reheat them if you have leftovers.
Use the reheat function on your air fryer at a moderate temperature (345 - 350°F.) for 4 - 5 minutes or until heated through, or pan-fry gently until hot.
🍽 Serving suggestions
- Try different buns like Kaiser rolls.
- Stuff these Greek ground chicken burgers into a pita and top with homemade Tzatziki Sauce.
- Skip the carbs, wrap the burger in a large piece of lettuce instead, and serve it with a Greek salad.
- I like these burgers with Grilled Lemon Garlic Potato Kabobs or with Smoky Sweet Potato Wedges.
- Set out a bowl of Authentic Tzatziki Sauce with fresh veggies for dipping.
When you make these Greek chicken burgers, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
🗒 More 30-minute meals
📖 Recipe
Greek Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Feta
Equipment
Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 4 oz (½ cup) feta cheese, crumbled
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, chopped and very well-drained
- 1 med white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Lemon Garlic Feta Spread
- 2 oz (¼ cup) feta cheese
- 4 oz (½ cup) cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the patties together in a large bowl.
- Form into 4 or 5 patties.
- To air fry: brush the basket with 1 teaspoon oil, then air fry patties for 4 - 5 minutes per side at 390°F. or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- To Grill: on a well-oiled grill, cook over medium heat with lid open for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 3 - 4 minutes more or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- To pan fry: Heat skillet, add 1 teaspoon of oil and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 3 - 4 minutes more or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- Serve with Lemon Garlic Feta Spread, sliced tomato, pickled red onions or pickled shallots, and lettuce leaves.
Lemon-Garlic Feta Spread
- Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until almost smooth OR put all ingredients in a small bowl and blend with a fork. If your cheese is not at room temperature, put the ingredients in the microwave for 30 seconds, then blend.
- Keep refrigerated, but remove from the fridge half an hour before serving to allow the cheese to soften and become spreadable.
Danae
Juicy burgers with lots of flavor! Love that feta spread too.
Elaine
So glad to hear you like these!
Madison
Love these burgers. I made them in my air fryer. I have the Ninja and your suggested cooking time was right on. That feta dip is amazing. I've been spreading it on everything lately lol.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Madison! We LOVE that feta spread, too! Thanks for the 5 stars!