
The move from Long Beach, NY to Williamsburg, Brooklyn was a change for me – a move from flip flops to pointed toe equestrian boots, to wetsuit-tight jeans, to nobody being tan in August. I also found that every single corner deli in my Bedford neighborhood has amazing produce and a wide variety of healthy whole foods & ingredients.
I took on the idea of making the same foods that I used to make on the grill when I was in Long Beach using different, healthier ingredients and found that with a little creativity and nutritionally minded shopping, I ended up with much better tasting and MUCH healthier dishes.
One example is the Chicken Breast Burger, which eliminates the unhealthy elements of the traditional ground beef, or turkey burger.
Chicken Breast Burger vs. Traditional Chicken Burger
Low Fat Ground Meat
Ground meat is typically made from “what is left” from the butchering process leaving a high fat/calorie content compared to more expensive cuts that are sold as steak and breast meat. Buying the actual chicken breast and grinding it yourself gives you roughly the same protein for 1/3 the calories and 1/10 of the fat.
Substitute The Potato Rolls
Potato rolls are processed, high calorie, high carbohydrate breads that your body breaks down quickly and easily into simple sugar resulting in elevated insulin levels. This can in turn elevate your body’s ability to store the saturated fat between the buns. Opt for whole grain mini pitas instead.
No Need For Cheese
Most plain or frozen burgers don’t taste that great on their own, so the first thing that most of us do is dive into the condiments before even thinking of taking a bite. You won’t need any condiments because this chicken burger has a great natural flavor.
Calorie Comparison

Cooking Directions For Chicken Breast Burger

Ingredients: 4-6 oz. skinless chicken breast 1/2 small white onion 1 egg (white only) 2 Tbsp. non-fat Greek yogurt 1/2 cup Kale 1 whole grain mini pita 1 slice large tomato Olive oil | Seasoning: Ground cayenne pepper Worchester sauce Black pepper Meat seasoning (any) |
1. Grind Chicken Breast (or go to work with a knife until ground – see photo to right)
2. Mix in a bowl with finely diced onions, one egg white, seasoning, and 1 tbsp of Greek yogurt (keeps meat from drying out).
3. Form meatball shaped patties and press onto a sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray and press to 1/2″ thick…if the burger is too thin they turn into hockey pucks.
4. Grill to 3/4 heat setting
5. Place patties on the grill while still on the foil for 3-5 min until the ingredients bind together, then flip. Remove the foil and grill until visually cooked, then flip one more to sear the side that was on the foil.
6. Toss Kale, a few onion slices, and a dash of olive oil, then add to the grill with the halved mini pita for a toasted finish (the kale will go fast)
7. Dress with a thin slice of avocado, a spread of condiment of choice (Greek yogurt and a dash of deli mustard shown), grilled onion slices and a slice of tomato. Play jazz but avoid the cheese, not needed for this recipe.

A little effort goes a long way. Put a little TLC into the making of the patty, take a few extra minutes to choose quality ingredients and there will be no need to douse the sandwich with ketchup and cheese, or have to worry about grease pouring out of the back of the burger onto your shorts when you go for a bite.
![]() Max Hazan is a new contributor to BuiltLean.com. He will be writing about many creative ways to make healthy foods taste better while keeping them low calorie. Please leave a comment to show Max some support as this is his first post! Bio information and more pics will be added soon. |
Looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it, also like they way you did the pics. Nice job Max. Look forward to more!
This sounds yummy!! Can’t wait to try it out!
“5. Place patties on grill still of the foil for the first 3-5 min until the ingredients bind together, then flip, remove foil and grill to visually cooked, then flip one more to sear the side that was on the foil”
Good luck with the informative and useful posts, but please take a little care in the writing/editing/publishing cycle – typos and mashed-up sentences are distracting and do nobody any favors.
@Ken – Thanks for pointing that out. That was totally my bad. The original article Max sent me was a rough draft, but I ended up wanting to publish it right away because I thought it was so good. I made the edits.
This is really great. Thanks guys =)
Whoa..It looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
Great job on the food photos! Even though I am a vegetarian. Thanks also for the information about chopping the meat up yourself because I do prepare meals for my boyfriend who is very health minded and enjoys steak and chicken from time to time. Good luck! Don’t forget about us vegetarians!
Looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it out as I am always looking for new, healthy recipes to add to the rotation. Also, I had never thought of grinding the protein myself before, great idea. Thanks guys!
Max good looking out for the recipe I will be sure
To give it a try.
Al – Jamaica NY
This does sound yummy..i will have to try it out, im sure it will taste great !
Max,
I always loved ground chicken burgers but stopped eating them due to the fat content. I never thought about grinding the chicken breast myself! Do you use a grinder attachment on a kitchen aid mixer or some other appliance? Keep the recipes coming. I love to cook! Thanks.
Thanks everyone for leaving comments and thanking Max for his time. Please keep them coming. I can’t wait to publish more of his creative meal and snack recipes soon. @Rhonda – Max should get back to you soon regarding your question. This is the first post, so we’re just coordinating how comments will be answered!
Rhonda,
I’m so excited to see such a great response to the recipe, It tasted even better than it looked. Using a meat grinder would work great if you have one but a bit of muscle and a sharp knife works just fine…a larger bladed knife like the one in the last photo is best so you can use both hands to chop…enjoy.
I really enjoy trying new recipes, thanks Max, by the way you look great!
Wow, that looks awesome. Im going to make it tomorrow
Good info and a the way to go when it comes to enjoying healty foods. Keep up the good work.
Great article.
I tried this recipe with some friends tonight and it was delicious!
It’s so good to find a hearty yet low calorie recipe to fix my burger cravings..
looking forward to the next recipe.
Will be trying these very soon. Looks delicious. If you’re using the yogurt/mustard as a sauce, what do you recommend as a side?
Really delicious! I’m glad I got around to making this. It will be a definite go to recipe for me when I’m craving burgers.
Really Nice Keep the recipes coming!!