I love my husband but sometimes that man needs to remember – NEVER TOUCH ANYTHING IN THE FRIDGE UNTIL I SAY IT’S OK! Only food bloggers can truly understand this unwritten (non-negotiable) rule. It can be a deal breaker. Luckily I believe in forgiveness even after he ate the last of these 5 ingredient Whole30 Hawaiian chicken burgers.
You see, I was going to try a few other photography angles for these juicy, flavorful whole30 Hawaiian chicken burgers, but ran out of time when the kids got up from nap. Even though taking food photos is a blast with kids wrapped around your legs and all…
So I placed them in the fridge. Totally safe – my husband typically doesn’t touch anything in the containers because he’s either afraid of me, afraid of the food, or has been conditioned by now to know none of his favorite yummies stored in there (like pop tarts or frozen pizza). So we’re good – I don’t have to write sticky notes or draw any big, red X’s. WRONG.
“Hey, were is that container of those chicken burgers I made the other day? You know, the ones with the pineapple?”
(crickets) (wide eyes)
“Ummm I ate them. They were SO good babe! Like, really good!”
Ok, flattery will get you everywhere with me. No harm, no foul. Luckily these 5 ingredient Whole30 Hawaiian chicken burgers are SO tasty, and SO easy, I don’t mind making them again (and again, and again). And I have – very week since I created them. No lie.
How can you not fall in love with a burger that is packed with lean ground chicken, and bursting with pineapple and coconut amino-infused flavor. The easiest, tastiest, and most unconventional Whole30 burger to grill this summer.
What surprised me the most about my husband’s complete off-limits slip is that he loved ’em. WHAT? That pizza loving, pop tart hoarding, beef-only kind of guy actually told me he liked these 5 ingredient Whole30 Hawaiian chicken burgers over regular beef burgers on the grill?! Swear on my Whole30 morals, this is true. Jaw droopingly shocked folks.
So naturally when this happens, I rush to share, because it’s just really exciting for me. And exciting things don’t always happen ‘in-the-trenches’ kind of daily mom life, so pretend you’re just as excited as I am, ok?
Ground chicken can be kind of tricky to handle, but follow the instructions below and you’ll be golden. It won’t be hard to master chicken burgers on the grill when you’ve mastered ’em (after 37th time you make – ’cause they are addicting). Plus these burgers require such little prep effort. What’s not to love?
All you’ll need is ground chicken, diced pineapple, coconut aminos, green onions, and almond flour. THAT.IS.IT.
Looking for other Whole30 inspiration to get you through all those upcoming summer BBQ’s? Try this Whole30 pina colada cole slaw, roasted red pepper and eggplant tapenade, and this no bean roasted carrot hummus.
Note: if cooking on stovetop, add PLENTY of oil to a skillet or pan to avoid the burgers sticking. Turn heat slightly above medium/high and place the burgers into the once the oil is hot (do not add the burgers before the pan is HOT). Sear 2-3 minutes per side then transfer to the oven at 350 degrees for roughly 8-10 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
Print5 Ingredient Whole30 Hawaiian Chicken Burgers
- Yield: 4 burgers 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup canned pineapple tidbits, drained
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons almond flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and form into 4 large burgers. *Note – it will be easier to form the ground chicken in to burgers with wet hands. The mixture will be sticky and not as easy to handle as beef or turkey
- Place the formed burgers on a parchment-lined plate, then place into the freezer for at least 15 minutes
- In the meantime, preheat the grill to high heat (roughly 400 degrees)
- Generously brush the grates with oil and place the burger on the grates. The grates will need to be well oiled so the burgers don’t stick. You may have to wet your hands again, or gently roll them off the parchment paper
- Cook for 4-6 minutes per side
- Serve with more diced pineapple if desired
- If cooking on stovetop, add PLENTY of oil to a skillet or pan to avoid the burgers sticking. Turn heat slightly above medium/high and place the burgers into the once the oil is hot (do not add the burgers before the pan is HOT). Sear 2-3 minutes per side then transfer to the oven at 350 degrees for roughly 8-10 minutes until thoroughly cooked
- *Note: you MUST used canned pineapple, not fresh. Fresh pineapple will break down the burgers, and they will fall apart while cooking
It says ground turkey in the ingredients list. Are they made with ground chicken or turkey?
OHMYGOODNESS blogger fail! Editing now. I meant ground chicken 😉
At least he really loves your cooking, right? 🙂
TRUE. He does 😉
Can these be air fried??? If so how long???
Haha, I have to actually leave labels and notes for my family to eat the stuff I make. If not, they assume that it’s some “weird” creation and would never eat it, haha!
Start though. No guesswork!! 😉
Can you substitute something for the Coconut Aminos? Aside from ordering it online, I’m having trouble finding it in the grocery store. Maybe I need to go to a health food specialty store.
Thank you
Hi Susanne – Absolutely. You can sub for regular soy sauce, or tamari (gluten free). If you’re trying to stay Whole30 compliant however, you’d need the coconut aminos. I’ve found that regular grocers usually don’t carry it – so a healthy food store or online would be your best bet. Thanks!
Thanks Chrissa! I’m going to try these soon.
They have it at Trader Joe’s if you have one nearby.
Ok, these were delicious, but mine ending up being more of a scramble than a patty. Any tips on keeping the burgers together when you flip?
Uh oh! Sorry about that Sam. Ground chicken can be SO tricky to work with. Did you oil the grates of the grill well?Just wondering when they fell apart on you. I’v tested this recipe three times before posting, and the addition of almond flour, chilling them in the freezer, and oiling the grates of the grill helped me keep them all together. Curious when they started to get scrambly on you – will better give me some insight on how I can help!
I think my issue was I used a grated cast iron skillet. I chilled them a bit longer and used a non-stick pan when I made them last night. Problem solved! Looking forward to cooking them on the grill soon. Thank you for your response. Love your recipes!
Ah! I can see how that might be problematic! SO happy to hear they worked out better this time around. Thanks Sam!
I just made these…it’s rainy and cold here so didn’t feel like firing up the grill so just made them in a non-stick pan on the stove…but OH WOW! I made them for my next 4 days at work for meal prep but just sampled one and might have to eat it for dinner tonight! So delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hey! So, I just discovered your blog and started following you on Instagram! I’m fairly new to Whole 30, so I’m loving trying out some of your recipes. Quick question-I have 2 boys BOTH with tree nut allergies. Ugh, sucky, right? They are ok with coconut flour though…is that acceptable to substitute in this recipe in place of the almond flour? Do you think it would change the taste or consistency too much. If you know of another nut free flour option please share! Thank you so much!
These look delicious, I can’t wait to try! Any good ideas on some sides to serve with this to make it a meal?
You could serve over lettuce, with a steamed sweet potato, or check out my Whole30 Pina Colada Coleslaw. A great way to use up the leftover pineapples!
Did you use canned diced pineapple or fresh? I read something recently about pineapple destroying protein in meat or something like that?
I used diced pineapple – juice drained. Hmmm I’ve never heard that!
Chrissa! Help! I am dying to try these. We tried to cook them tonight on a charcoal grill to no avail. Froze them, oiled the grates, and the burgers still “dripped” through the grates. Like all of the burger. I thought maybe I just wasn’t paying attention and didn’t put enough almond flour, so I went to the store and repurchased all of the ingredients and had the same issue. Even tried putting them in the oven on a cookie sheet and the texture was weird and off and they still didn’t stay together at all in burger form. Any suggestions? I can’t figure out what I could’ve been doing wrong, but this is one of the most amazing sounding recipes ever and I really want to try it!
Hi Cristina! OH NO!!! I’m so sorry! I haven’t had that issue grilling these. Ok one quick question – was the grill set on high? Mine is usually over 400 degrees. I’m wondering if they fell apart because the grill wasn’t hot enough? That’s literally the only thing I can think of??
What is the sauce made of that is pictured in next to the chicken burger?
That’s just coconut aminos!
Do you know how they do if you let them freeze completely and throw them on the grill unthawed? Looking for 100% weekend prep recipes!
Hmmm that’s a great question Elisa! I don’t know?!?! But I would assume it would totally work. Let me know if you give it a whirl!
I made these with ground turkey and crushed, canned pineapple (fairly well drained) and broiled instead of grilled. Outstanding! I’m always thrilled when a few simple ingredients come together to make something that truly is greater than the sum of its parts! Great recipe.
Oh I will have to try these broiled! How long did you keep them in for? Glad to hear they were a hit!
Love this recipe!!! I used ground turkey and crushed pineapple – it cooked perfectly with pineapple flavor throughout. Grilled up great too after freezing patties ahead of cooking, as directed. This is great as a dinner on a plate, or in a grilled red/orange/yellow bell pepper as a bun – if any leftovers (in my house I have to double for any leftovers) – it’s great over a bed of greens with homemade ranch drizzled on top. Thanks for another great recipe (as I’m now cooking another batch of your sloppy Joe bowls!)!!
Hey Tracy – so happy to hear you liked it. I’m drooling over all the ways to experiment with these now!
If you are on AIP or are nut free you can use tigernut flour, which substitutes very well for almond flour. I also squeezed a lot of the juice out of the pineapple. Also, if you don’t have a grill you can use the oven set at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes per side on a parchment lined baking sheet. They came out amazing, thank you.
This is such great info! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made these last night and they turned out horrible. We also wound up with “scramble” and the almond flour gave it a strange texture. I think I’ll just stick to a grilled boneless chicken breast with pineapple on top.
These look delicious! Do you think they would be okay without the almond flour? I am allergic… 🙁
Also a hint, what I often do with my chicken burgers is start them on foil that I oiled; then once they are a bit more solid, slide them off the foil on to the grills. Works like a charm!!
Oh man that’s SUCH a great tip!!! Thanks Sara. I haven’t tried them with another sub, but you could try tapioca or coconut flour. I’d add a little more than the recipe calls for if using coconut flour. I can’t guarantee results because I’ve never tried it but I say go for it!
Made these tonight with turkey and they were AWESOME!! It was raining so I stuck them in the oven on parchment paper for like 2 minutes and then the rain stopped so I moved them to the grill and they held together great!
SO happy they turned out for you Joelle! Good improv 😉
I followed the directions to a t and they fell apart. The mushy scramble that resulted has a weird texture and is barely edible! 🙁
I think I have to do these with turkey. My burgers was more of a chicken mush. Thought the flavor was excellent and will try again with turkey.
I’ve heard of them turning to mush if you use fresh pineapple. If you used fresh, try canned next time. They won’t be mush if you used canned tidbits. Glad you liked the flavor though!
Hi! Did you use ground chicken breast or thigh? Thanks!
Hmmm just ground chicken (it looks like ground beef or ground turkey)
I made this recipe for my family and friends. Everyone loved it! Thanks for the quick and easy Whole30 recipe!
So glad it was a hit!
I just made these with ground turkey and they’re awesome! Thanks for such an easy but tasty recipe. Served them on a bed of salad leaves with home made mayo – just perfect. I’m a new Insta follower and so glad I found you. Keep up the good work.
So glad you liked it Angela. Thanks for your support!
Thanks so much Angela!!
I made these tonight and they were a hit with the whole fam! Such good flavor for a chicken burger which is so nice because I’m always looking for an alternative to beef. Also they held together great. Yay! I love your blog and Instagram acct and appreciate all of your food inspo!
Thanks so much for your support Shae!
Hi Chrissa,
Any suggestions if I were to use arrowroot flour instead? Add more or less? Would the flavor change? Thanks for all your hard work recipe testing!
Hmmm I haven’t heard if these work with arrowroot. But they do with coconut per my reader feedback!
Any suggestions to the flour? Would 1 egg work? Have you tried this?
I’ve heard coconut flour works too!
Yum! Just made these for lunch! What a good idea. Used coconut flour instead bcs that’s I’ll I had and I loved it. I think it added to the tropical flavours!
Thanks for the feedback Kristyn. Glad you enjoyed these!
Can’t wait to try as hubby and I just started a W30 on the 1st! What kind of oil do you suggest using to prep the grill with? Thanks.
I use avocado oil or even olive oil!
I made these tonight and added coriander (whoops cilantro ?). Omgoodness they were amazing. Have been trying a few of your recipes lately and they have all been delicious! Thanks.
I’m so glad you liked these Leah! I will have to try them with coriander!
Do you have nutritional information on these??
THESE ARE SO GOOD. And honestly, so cheap if you already have coconut aminos and almond flour in your pantry/freezer like I did! I had no issues with them falling apart, but I did freeze them for an hour. I want to quadruple this recipe just to have some in the freezer for quick meals! My boyfriend tried to eat them all too and he’s not on whole 30. I topped mine with banana peppers over a bed of arugula- amazing! Thank you so much!!!!
What brand of canned pineapple do you buy for it to be W30 compliant? Thanks!
Most are compliant if it’s simply pineapple with its natural juices)
Recipe was amazing! Saw that there might be a problem with the burgers staying together- my secret is adding one egg- i do it on all my hamburger recipes-
I made the patties at lunch and put in the fridge and cooked for dinner on the stove, they didn’t even think about falling apart and were Devine! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
I have made these multiple times. They are so simple and so good! One tip, I cut the wax paper into squares before forming the burger on them. That made transferring them to the grill so much easier! Thanks for the easy delicious recipe!
This is a weekly staple dinner in our house! Definitely super easy and one of our favorites!
SO good! We’ve been looking for new flavors during this crazy time and these were AMAZING! Thank you for the recipe!
My whole family absolutely loved these burgers! Super flavorful and easy to throw together on a busy night. Making them for the second time in two weeks. We cooked them inside on a George Foreman grill for about 3 minutes per side – perfect!
Thank you for the great recipe!
These are super easy and perfect for meal prep. I browned them off in a skillet then stuck them in the oven while I was doing something else. They came out perfectly and were delicious.
These have been a staple and favorite for years!! Thank you for this amazing recipe 😋
Can these be made in the air fryer?
How long would these air fry for?