This spicy Thai Burger is juicy, sweet, salty, crunchy, and packed with Thai flavor! It is ready in 30 minutes complete with a creamy peanut sauce, bright slaw, and a delicious slice of grilled pineapple. It can easily be gluten free, it’s free of refined sugar, and is dairy free making it the best burger for a summer get together.
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Thai Burger Ingredients
How to make a Thai Burger:
- Heat grill to medium heat. Line a plate or tray with parchment paper. Thinly slice pineapple. Prep time for this burger is minimal. If you don't have a grill or it's winter, sauteed chicken burgers or pan fried are good too!
- Make burgers! Mix garlic, salt, pepper, gf bread crumbs (like these), chili paste, vegan mayo (try this one!), and ground chicken in a bowl until combined but not overly mixed.
- Make patties. Split mix into 4 even balls and form into flat round patties. Use your thumbs to place a small dent in the center of the patties to help keep them from rising in the middle. We don't want too thick patties, just average patties. Tip: when dealing with ground chicken, oil your hands or lightly wet them with water to prevent sticking. Place patties on the parchment paper lined tray or plate.
- Grill! Transfer chicken patties and pineapple to grill either with a spatula or by flipping the parchment paper with the patties onto the grill. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. This should be 5 minutes on the first side and then flip and cook for 4 minutes on the other side.
- Make the peanut sauce and slaw. Add all peanut sauce ingredients except the olive oil to a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add olive oil to the sauce and stir to thin out. Pour the sauce into slaw and mix to coat well to make a crunchy Asian slaw
- Toast Buns. This optional but an awesome addition.
- Assemble! Bun, chicken patty, pineapple, slaw, bun - deliciousness! Top with green onions for an extra bite or sweet chili sauce for an extra kick.
Quick Facts
How long does this dish take? 30 minutes
How much does this make? 4 servings
Does this meet my dietary needs? This recipe is gluten free, refined sugar free, and dairy free. Thai food is great if you have dietary restrictions as it naturally is based in coconut milk or vegetables.
How many bowls should I plan for this meal? 1 pan, 2 bowls
How long does this keep? 4 days in the fridge
Is it freezer friendly? The chicken patties are freezer friendly but not the other ingredients.
Is this good for meal prep? This is awesome for meal prep! It can be eaten cold or reheated. Just store bun separate from other ingredients to keep from getting soggy.
How do I reheat this? Enjoy cold or heat the chicken for 1 - 2 minutes. As a note - chicken tends to dry out in the fridge and when reheated. For a juicy burger the next day, store the chicken with slaw and pineapple.
Can I pack this for lunch? Yup! Just keep it extra cold since its chicken.
Substitution Options
All substitution options are a 1:1 substitution unless noted otherwise
Ground chicken: any ground meat could be used. Ground turkey for a Thai turkey burger would be the most comparable option. If not turkey burgers, any cut of boneless chicken can be ground in a blender
Chili Paste: Sriracha or red chili flakes can be used. Chili garlic sauce can be used too (found at Trader Joes). Chili paste or chili sauce is a great option because it includes classic Thai spices which in turn produces bold Thai flavor without you having to add anything extra.
Garlic: garlic powder or fresh garlic can be used. We prefer minced in a jar for convenience
Gluten Free bread crumbs: Any bread crumbs can be used or flour
Vegan Mayo: Any mayo can be used or an egg
Pineapple: Mango would be good or the fruit can be left out if you’re not feeling fruity that day.
Whole Wheat Buns: any buns (Brioche buns are awesome!) can be used, gluten free if desired or the bun can be enjoyed bun less.
Slaw Mixture: broccoli slaw or a cabbage mixture with carrot strips can be used.
Peanut Sauce
Peanuts: unsweetened peanut butter can be subbed or cashews if allergic to peanuts.
Coconut Aminos: soy sauce can be used (will not be gluten free, depending on the brand)
Ginger: ground ginger or fresh ginger can be used or this can be omitted (but that will not make your taste buds very happy)
Lime Juice: lime zest or lemon juice can be used
White vinegar: rice vinegar or any other light vinegar can be used
Garlic: see notes above
Honey: brown sugar, maple syrup, or agave can be used
Sesame oil: Any light oil can be used but I would avoid olive oil due to it's strong flavor
Thai chili: a jalapeño, Fresno chili, or 1 teaspoon chili powder, red pepper flakes, or cayenne can be used
Salt & Pepper: Sorry, no substitution for this.
Nutrition information can be found below in the recipe card.
Fun Fact!
Thai Chilis are not a single type of chili, but rather a variety of small chilis that pack a big punch. When we say packs a big punch - we mean it! Thai chilis register between 80,000 and 100,000 Scoville units while a common bell pepper measure at 0. A Scoville unit is a measure of spice that was developed in 1912 by an American scientist. The number given to a pepper is essentially the number of times the pepper has to be diluted in sugar water to reach zero spice. (Source)
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Recipe
Thai Burger
Ingredients
Burger Patties
- 1 lbs Chicken ground
- 1 tablespoon Chili Paste
- 1 tablespoon Garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 tablespoon Vegan Mayo
Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup peanuts unsalted
- ⅛ cup Coconut aminos
- ½ tablespoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper
- ½ tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon garlic
- 1-½ tablespoon honey
- 1-½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Thai chili
Toppings
- 4 slices pineapple
- 6 oz coleslaw
- 4 wheat buns
Instructions
- Heat grill or stove top to medium high heat. Line a plate or pan with parchment paper
- Mix all ingredients for the burger patties in a large bowl until well mixed, but not over mixed
- Wet hands or put oil on them to keep the chicken from sticking to your hands.
- Form 4 even sized balls of chicken. Take one ball at a time and form into a flattened patty with hands. Slightly flatten the middle of the patty.
- Place patties on parchment paper
- Slice pineapple in thin slices
- Take both the patties and pineapple to grill and grill for 5 minutes on the first side, flip and then cook 4 minutes on the other side. If using stove top, use a well oiled pan and cook for the same time on medium high heat.
- While the patties and pineapple cook, put all peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until smooth - 3-4 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper as desired
- Mix the peanut sauce with olive oil to thin it out.
- Add peanut sauce to coleslaw and mix to coat well
- Assemble burgers and enjoy! We prefer not to toast our buns for this burger, but you can toast them for extra crunch!
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