These jalapeño pretzel chicken burgers hold a very special place in my heart. If you ask anyone in my family they will happily tell you that I was not born with the gift of knowing how to cook. And my bless my parents sweet, little baby angel hearts they were not so great at teaching me basic skills around the kitchen. If we’re being honest, it’s probably because I never really asked.
When my sister and her boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to get our own place and be adults I was determined to take the kitchen head on and make fabulous meals for the 3 of us. I found a recipe for Jalapeño Pretzel Chicken in a Readers Digest magazine and I thought that would be a great idea for dinner.
I’m sure you can already tell where this is going. I didn’t have jalapeño or black pepper on hand but I persevered and made it anyway! I will probably never forget my poor Brother-In-Law choking down the world’s driest chicken and pretending that it was delicious. Due to our work schedules he usually ended up being the only one having to suffer through these meals with me. To his credit, he never complained about the weird things I fed him!
There were many other terrible attempts at cooking made while we lived in that little beat-up rental house. But none were as memorable as the Jalapeño Pretzel Chicken.
Given its history it seemed like the best recipe to make my inaugural post on my new food blog. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where I got that original recipe from or how any of it went. So I decided to reinvent the concept.
This rendition makes a spicy, savory burger that will have your family requesting it again and again. In no time at all you can get these burgers assembled, cooked, and ready to get in your belly.
If jalapeños aren’t your thing you can easily swap them out for a less spicy pepper to still give your burgers that yummy kick without all the heat. Sometimes I get to the store and the only jalapeños available all look like they’ve seen better days. In that case I might grab an Anaheim pepper instead. It’s a milder taste, but still delivers on the flavor.
So without further ado, here is the recipe for the new and improved Jalapeño Pretzel Chicken Burgers. Be sure to drop me a comment and let me know what you think!
Spicy, tasty burgers that you can whip up in no time at all!
- 1 lbs Ground Chicken
- 1/2 Cup Yellow or White Onion Finely Chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 Tbsp Jalapeno (Seeds Removed) Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Tsp Salt and Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Cup Pretzels Finely Ground
- 1 Egg Whisked
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Prepare all diced ingredients first and set aside. I prefer to work from least pungent to most so onion, garlic, and then jalapeno. I would recommend wearing gloves while chopping the jalapenos. If you don't please be very careful and do not touch your eyes or face until you have very thoroughly washed your hands afterwards.
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Add ground chicken to a large mixing bowl. Mix in your chopped ingredients, spices, pretzels, and egg. Mix well with your hands until all ingredients are well incorporated together.
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Divide the chicken mixture into four equally sized balls. Then form them into patties about 1/2 inch thick. (Ground chicken can be very sticky for some reason so it may stick to your hands. That's okay, just form the best patty shape you can.)
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These can be fried in a skillet or baked in the oven. Whatever suits your fancy or your kitchen set up.
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Frying: Cook in a skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees.
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Baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place patties on a lightly oiled sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Flip patties and then bake for another 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Note: Turkey would work just fine in place of ground chicken if that's more your style. Also, while it is not necessary to create this recipe a good meat thermometer is invaluable in learning how to cook meat to the right temperature. You can grab the one I'm currently using here
Hello! I'm Hayley the author, recipe developer, and taste tester for this blog. I love creating simple, healthy recipes that everyday people can enjoy. I share recipes and the tips and tricks I have learned on my journey. I'm excited to share my meals with you!
Yum! 😋 Beautiful blog!
Thank you Tereasa!
I love chicken burgers!! Put jalapeno in them…even better!
Yes! It’s so yummy!
I love to use ground chicken instead of pork or beef for burgers to keep things nice and light! The idea of spicing things up with jalapeno and adding some crushed pretzels to the mix is simply genius! I will bookmark this one!
Thank you Kiki! It is a great change of pace!
I love that you added jalapeno to these chicken burgers! This recipe is so flavorful!
Thanks Emily! It really is!
I love a good chicken burger, I bet this would be amazing with bacon and avocado! Ok, I’m drooling now!
OMG! That would be sooooo good! I couldn’t find any good avocado’s when I was making this recipe. But I definitely have to make it again this summer when avocado’s are finally in season!
These look delicious! I love how this all came together and isn’t your ‘typical burger’. Plus that punch of spice! Perfect dinner!
Thanks Kaitie! Try to keep things interesting over here!
Looks yummy! What substitutions can you recommend for vegetarians? Thanks for sharing?
Hi Nadia! That’s a great question! I have made (not for the blog unfortunately!) a similar recipe with black beans. I would add a drained can of black beans and all of the same ingredients to a food processor and blend together then form patties. I would cook them the same way. BUT I feel like another black bean burger doesn’t really capture what I was going for here. I will definitely work on a tested vegetarian version here in the next few weeks and shoot you an email when it’s up! Thanks for asking!