Chili Lime Chicken Burgers (Trader Joe’s Copycat)
These Chili Lime Chicken Burgers are made from scratch with ground chicken, lime, bell pepper and plenty of flavor. This Trader Joe’s copycat recipe puts a zesty, fresh twist on burger night!
I don’t get to shop at Trader Joe’s often, but when I do, a staple product I pick up is the chili lime chicken burgers. They are high in protein and have a delicious hint of chili and lime to give them flavor.
Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s discontinued these burgers so I decided to make a version using simple ingredients like ground chicken, fresh lime, bell peppers, cilantro, and chili seasoning! These came out SO GOOD and the flavor can easily be customized!
👉 Homemade Chili Seasoning (Paleo & Whole30) – To make chili seasoning from scratch use about a tablespoon of chili powder along with a 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. For extra spicy chili seasoning, add a dash of cayenne.
📖 How to Make Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
These easy-to-follow instructions will show you how to make chili lime chicken burgers from scratch that taste just like the Trader Joe’s version, if not better!
1️⃣ Prep fresh ingredients: With a sharp knife, mince the bell peppers and chop the cilantro finely into small pieces. Juice and zest the lime.
2️⃣ Whisk fresh ingredients with seasonings: In a large mixing bowl, add peppers, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, chili seasoning and dried onion flakes. Whisk together well and set aside for 5 minutes.
3️⃣ Add ground chicken: To the mixing bowl, add the ground chicken. With clean hands or a heavy spoon, combine the ground chicken with the pepper mixture thoroughly without over-mixing the chicken.
4️⃣ Patty out burgers: Divide the chicken burger mixture into 4 equal portions. Patty out each portion into a flat 1/2″ thick chicken patty.
5️⃣ Chill the burgers: Place burgers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 1 hour.
6️⃣ Pan sear burgers: Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chilled burger patties to the skillet and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the chicken is cooked through. The cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken patty.
6️⃣ Cool and serve: Let chicken burgers rest for 5 minutes before serving with a bun and your favorite sandwich toppings such as tomato, onion, and lettuce.
👩🏻🍳 Chef’s Tips
- Gently freezing the burgers before cooking makes it so much easier to cook them without falling apart. Since we aren’t using any bread crumbs or egg in this recipe as a binder, cooking the burgers partially frozen keeps them cohesive.
- Do not use 100% ground chicken breasts to make chicken burgers. It is too lean and may result in a dry burger. Use a blend of ground white and dark meat chicken with at least 5% fat.
- To grill chili lime chicken burgers, preheat the grill between 350 and 400 degrees F and cook burgers for 10 – 12 minutes flipping halfway through.
- To air fry chili lime chicken burgers, preheat your air fryer to 400°F, then cook Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burgers for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and reaching an internal temperature of 165°F.
♻️ Storing & Freezing
- Storing – Store leftover cooked chicken burgers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Freezing – To freeze raw chicken burgers, first flash freeze them for at least an hour on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Once the patties are firm, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag separating the patties with parchment paper and freeze for up to 3 months. Do not thaw. Cook chicken burgers from frozen.
- Make Ahead – These burgers can be prepped in advance and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months in a sealed bag or airtight container. Cook them straight from frozen!
More Homemade Burger Recipes
Chili Lime Chicken Burgers (Trader Joe’s Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 lime juice and zest
- ¼ cup red bell pepper minced
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
- ½ tablespoon chili seasoning from a packet or homemade (see below)
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, mince the bell peppers and chop the cilantro finely. Juice and zest the lime.
- In a large mixing bowl, add peppers, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, chili seasoning and dried onion flakes. Whisk together well and then set aside for 5 minutes.
- To the mixing bowl, add the ground and chicken. With clean hands or a heavy spoon, combine the ground chicken with the pepper mixture thoroughly without over-mixing the chicken.
- Divide the chicken burger mixture into 4 equal portions. Patty out each portion into a flat 1/2" thick chicken burger. Place burgers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chilled burger patties to the skillet and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Let chicken burgers rest for 5 minutes before serving.
