Spinach And Feta Chicken Burgers

A unique way to use spinach and feta

You don’t have to be around Mediterranean food for long to realise that spinach and feta are a real dynamic duo. Browse Scrummy Lane and you’ll find spinach and feta filo pie, spinach and feta stuffed chicken breasts, spinach and feta filo parcels, and more.

These spinach and feta chicken burgers combine these two superhero ingredients in a different way – where it’s ground chicken that’s the star of the show, but spinach and feta still make a delicious appearance in a way I hope you’ll love!

My family enjoys eating these in two ways. We usually have them in a brioche burger bun with tzatziki, sliced tomato and leftover fresh spinach, as you can see in the photos here. But they’re also delicious by themselves with a Greek salad, fresh crusty bread, and a big wedge of lemon for squeezing over at the table.

About the main ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

• Ground chicken: I chose to use ground chicken for these burgers. This gets you a classic burger that you can easily mix flavors into and then freeze for easy dinners – rather than a burger made with a chicken breast or thigh such as with these air fryer chicken burgers (also delicious, but different).
  
  If you’re wondering if you could use ground turkey instead, the answer is yes. The end result will be very similar. However, the burgers may be very slightly drier. I’d suggest simply adding a drizzle of olive oil to the patty mixture, or even extra feta cheese if you choose to use turkey instead of chicken.
• Spinach: You can use either regular spinach or baby spinach. I tend to grab a ready-washed bag from the supermarket salad section for convenience. You’ll need to chop the spinach finely. No need to cook it before adding to the meat mixture. If you prefer, you can use frozen spinach. Simply defrost and squeeze out as much of the water as possible before chopping.
• Feta cheese: You can use any brand, but I always recommend using an authentic Greek style feta for the best flavor. When crumbling into the meat, I like to keep it in larger chunks so that you can really taste it when you bite into your burger.
• Breadcrumbs: These will help keep the burgers soft and juicy. You can use plain breadcrumbs (either store-bought or homemade), or you can use Japanese style panko breadcrumbs. The panko will perhaps give a slightly lighter, drier result, but it’s fine to use them if that’s what you have.
• A lemon: Zest only, but you can keep the rest of the lemon for squeezing over the burgers at the end (if serving without a bun).
• Garlic and onion powder: I add this for flavor without any fuss. If you prefer the extra texture, you can add a little finely chopped red onion instead.
• Paprika: A teaspoon of this goes really well with the ground chicken and other flavors. Use any kind – regular, sweet or smoked.
• Dried oregano: For classic Greek flavor. Don’t have any? Use mixed Italian herbs, basil, or thyme.
• Mint: For me, this is a key flavor in these burgers. You can use dried for convenience, semi-dried, or a few fresh leaves, finely chopped.

To serve

Tzatziki: However you want to serve these burgers (in a bun or by themselves with sides), I recommend adding tzatziki (Greek yogurt cucumber sauce). I’ve included my homemade tzatziki recipe with the printable recipe below, or of course you can use store-bought tzatziki if you prefer.

Salad: I usually add some leftover spinach and slices of tomato to my burgers (if putting them in a bun), too.

How to make spinach feta chicken burgers

Here’s a step-by-step summary of what you’ll need to do to make the chicken feta spinach burgers, together with a few photos to ‘show’ you the easy process.

First of all, put all of the burger ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Then mix together well. I usually do this either with my hands (I wear disposable kitchen gloves), or with a silicon spatula.

Shape into burger patties with your hands. I usually get 6 to 8 out of each batch of the mixture. You’ll find that the mixture is soft but holds together well, so this step is very quick and easy.

Now heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Then cook the burgers for 6 to 8 minutes on each side on a medium high heat.

Serving ideas

I usually serve these feta spinach chicken burgers burger-in-a-bun style, perhaps with some homemade fries or air fryer sweet potato fries on the side.

I always add a little tzatziki as the ‘sauce’, and pile on some leftover chopped spinach or crunchy lettuce, plus cucumber and tomato slices.

However, there are other delicious ways to enjoy these. Here are a few ideas.

• Eat them by themselves with a Greek salad, and (once again) tzatziki on the side.
• Eat them ‘bowl style’ with rice and salad, a little like this easy Greek chicken and rice bowl recipe.
• Serve them on top of pasta mixed with a simple marinara sauce.
• Tuck them into toasted pita bread with some of this simple tomato, feta, cucumber salad.
• Serve on the side with this popular Greek baked eggplant with tomato and feta.

Or simply serve with your favorite salad and crusty bread. You can always browse the salads category on Scrummy Lane, or come up with your own idea!

A few more easy burger and sandwich ideas

• If you have an air fryer, these air fryer crispy chicken burgers are well worth a try.
• These tasty halloumi burgers will take you only about 15 minutes to make.
• No one will miss the meat in these delicious Italian toasted veggie sandwiches.
• Do these Greek chicken gyro pitas count as a sandwich?