home cooks enjoy a good turkey burger, but these Green Chile Turkey Burgers are where it’s at! They’re loaded with fire-roasted green chiles, the reliable amount of seasonings, and pepper Jack cheese — delish!
Try some of our other favorite burger recipes like our beef Burger Recipe, Teriyaki Burgers, or these quick Chicken Burgers.
Green Chile Turkey Burgers
For when you’re craving this green-chili-loaded White Turkey Chili, but it’s far too hot outside for soup, these burgers are just the thing to make. They’re evenly spiced, loaded with flavor, and have a wonderful texture.
And while the patties are worth raving over, there is nothing that compares to a buttered and toasted brioche bun layered up with veggies, the turkey patty, and evenly ripe avocado — swoon!
In fact, my ground-turkey-hating father texted me this after I dropped by some leftover burgers, “Best burger ever!!!!!!! Really. This is what I want for my birthday.”
What’s in a Green Chile Turkey Burger?
A few ingredients in these Green Chile Turkey Burgers are worth going into detail over:
- Ground turkey. Use turkey sold in a carton, rather than in a chub. Chub-style ground turkey is the kind that comes in the plastic tube and it tends to be less flavorful and more watered down (it sweats in the tube). This makes it even harder to shape the patties. As far as fat percentages, we recommend 93/7. (Ultra-lean 99/1 is too dry and flavorless!)
- Use panko breadcrumbs. Panko is similar to regular bread crumbs, but it creates a much crunchier, crispier, lighter, and more delicate result. Using panko ensures a more nuanced texture than regular bread crumbs deliver.
- We recommend fire-roasted diced green chiles — this adds layers of flavor (fire-roasting) without any additional work on your end!
- Use pre-minced garlic from the jar to save chopping time.
- Pepper Jack cheese. This cheese is nice and creamy with a subtle emphasis on spice — reliable for these burgers!
Quick Tip
What is Jack cheese, anyway? Close to 200 years ago, a businessman named David Jack marketed a mild, semi-firm cheese in the Monterrey, California area. Everyone loved it and started calling it Jack’s cheese. Monterrey Jack is the basic type of Jack cheese, and over time, cheesemakers developed different variations–including pepper Jack. Now you know, and now you can be ready for Trivia Night. Blame it all on David Jack!
Spice Levels
- Less spice: Use mild green chiles and if desired, replace the pepper Jack cheese with Monterey Jack to further reduce the spice.
- More spice: Use medium or hot green chiles and if desired, add 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper to the patty mixture.
Green Chile Turkey Burger Toppings
My one must-have topping is a good, ripe avocado. The combination of the turkey patty with avocado is unbeatable! A ripe avocado adds an amazing creaminess to these Green Chile Turkey Burgers. See “quick tip” below.
- Lettuce: Butter, romaine, Boston, green leaf lettuce — they all work for this amazing burger. We typically use green leaf lettuce.
- Tomatoes: A good thick-sliced tomato can make or break a burger — here’s a list of the best tomatoes to use.
- Red onion: Thinly sliced red onion or caramelized onions make a flavor statement.
- Mayonnaise. home cooks enjoy Hellman’s/Best Foods® on these burgers — the better the mayo, the better the flavor. Don’t skimp here — the mayo pulls everything together beautifully!
Quick Tip
You can tell if an avocado is ripe when it yields to gentle pressure (think: touching the tip of your nose). Can’t find a ripe avocado? home cooks enjoy having these evenly ripe avocado minis on hand. Grab the pack that lists “Hass Avocados” only in the ingredients instead of getting the guacamole blends! A packet (or half of one) works great instead of avocado on these burgers.
You’ve Got To Try Brioche Buns!
In my opinion, there is nothing better than a Green Chile Turkey Burger on a brioche bun. And once you’ve got those buns, you simply must toast them with some melted butter — trust me they’re the best! Spread softened butter generously on the insides of the bun. Place them (butter side facing down) on a large pan or grill over a medium burner. Toast buns for about 30 seconds to a minute or until the edges turn golden brown. Remove from heat (subsequent batches will be quicker as the pan continues to get hotter!)
Quick Tip
What is brioche? A brioche bun is a French pastry that is slightly sweet and has more egg and butter than most types of bread. Many times, brioche is baked with an egg wash, which gives it that rich, shiny exterior.
Green Chile Turkey Burger Tips
- Chill the patties before cooking. When the cold meat patty hits the hot skillet (or grill grates), you’ll get a beautiful sear on the burger– which gives you a wonderful texture and helps keep the patties from falling apart.
- Keep the meat as cold as possible. Any heat (your hands/warm environment) can melt the fat in the meat and prevent it from binding. If it doesn’t bind, it will render (melt out) as it cooks. As you might guess, this causes a dry burger.) Keep the meat as cold as possible and in the fridge as much as you can.
- Flip burgers, but never press them: Once the patties are on the heat, don’t press them down with a spatula. Pressing forces the fat (and flavor) out of the burgers. When you press the burgers, that satisfying-sounding sizzle is actually the sound of the juices escaping.
- Use a large, wide metal spatula: This spatula makes it much easier to flip and remove burger patties.
- Rest your burgers: Let the burgers rest for 1-2 minutes after they’re done cooking. This allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the burger (better flavor throughout).
Shape The Patties
When shaping patties, note that they shrink during cooking. I usually shape my burgers about 1/2-inch wider than the bun.
Here’s how You can make patties: Portion out the meat in mounds on a sheet pan double-lined with parchment paper or foil. Working with one mound at a time, shape the patty by pressing it against the sheet pan to help form a firm patty.
Once the patties are cooking, discard the parchment paper and you can put the cooked patties right on the pan (as long as the pan was double lined with parchment and no juices got through).
More Favorite Ground Turkey Recipes
- Asian Ground Turkey with a creamy sriracha mayo
- Turkey Picadillo with golden potatoes
- Turkey Bolognese over spaghetti
- Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet with melted Cheddar cheese
- Turkey Sloppy Joes with buttered buns
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey (93/7, see note 1)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup freshly shredded pepper Jack cheese
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (well drained, see note 2)
- 2 green onions (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 buns (It is satisfying to brioche)
- Toppings as desired (see note 3)
Method
- Combine all ingredients for the turkey burger patties and season with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Mix well by hand until fully incorporated. The mixture will be soft and wet.
- Form 5 equal-sized patties (see note 4), about 5 ounces each and 3/4-inch thick, slightly larger than the bun. Place on a lined sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes or while prepping other ingredients.
- While patties rest, prep veggies: thinly slice tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and avocado (or mash into guacamole). Butter and toast buns (see note 5).
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-a hot burner (or use a grill). Cook 3 patties at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until the edges turn golden and cooked through (165°F). move to a plate to cool slightly. Repeat with remaining patties.
- Place the bottom bun on a plate, spread with mayo, and layer with lettuce, turkey patty, avocado, tomato, and onion. Add mayo to the top bun, sandwich together, and enjoy.
