Ten ingredients and thirty-five minutes for four burgers. The mixing is the only fiddly part, and the instruction is to stop early.
What is not here matters as much as what is. There is no tomato, no onion and no condiment of any kind — the build is patty, cheese, leaves, bun.
Why This Recipe Works
- Mixing just until combined keeps a ground-chicken patty tender rather than springy.
- Chopping the spinach finely lets it distribute through the patty instead of clumping.
- Medium heat browns the outside while the centre climbs to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Covering briefly melts the cheddar on residual heat rather than overcooking the patty.
- Buttering the cut faces gives the dark griddled surface the finished burger shows.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground chicken
- A pound and a half for four patties. Ground poultry is a 165 degrees Fahrenheit standard in every form, patties included.
- Spinach, chopped and whole
- A cup finely chopped into the patty and a cup of whole leaves in the bun. Both are visible in the finished burger.
- White cheddar
- Four slices, one per patty. White is the point — the melted cheese in this burger is not orange.
- Garlic and onion powder
- A teaspoon and half a teaspoon. Dried rather than fresh: raw onion would water the mix and there is no onion in the build.
How to Make It
Mix just until combined, form four
Mix ground chicken, chopped spinach, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper just until combined. Form 4 patties.
Griddle to 165F
Cook patties on a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat until browned and the centers reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cheddar on, covered to melt
Top each patty with white cheddar and cover briefly until melted.
Butter and toast the cut faces
Butter and toast the cut sides of the buns until glossy and dark-golden.
Patty and leaves only
Build each burger with a chicken patty and fresh spinach leaves only. Do not add tomato, onion, sauce, or other condiments.
What Goes in the Bun
There are four components in this burger and the recipe names all of them. What makes it worth reading is the fifth entry below, which is a list of what stays OUT of the build.
The bun - buttered, then genuinely toasted
One of 4 brioche-style buns, its cut faces buttered with a share of 1 tbsp and toasted until GLOSSY AND DARK-GOLDEN. Dark is the word the recipe uses: a warm bun is not what the finished burger shows, and the butter is what gets it there.
The patty - spinach mixed through it
A quarter of 1 1/2 lb of ground chicken with a share of 1 cup of FINELY CHOPPED baby spinach, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper - mixed JUST UNTIL COMBINED and griddled on medium to 165F. The spinach is inside the patty, visible in the cut face, and the powders stand in for aromatics that would water a ground-chicken mix.
The cheese - white, and melted under cover
1 slice of WHITE cheddar, laid on the cooked patty and covered BRIEFLY. The cover traps residual heat to melt it; more direct heat would take a patty that just reached 165F further. White rather than orange matters, not just as a preference.
The leaves - the same spinach, uncooked
A share of 1 cup of FRESH baby spinach leaves, whole, over the melted cheese. Spinach appears twice in this burger in two different forms, and both are visible in the photograph.
And nothing else
Step 5 leaves out tomato, onion, sauce and other condiments by name. On a burger that absence is unusual enough to be the recipe's own decision rather than an omission.
Four burgers, each built patty-then-cheese-then-leaves in a toasted bun, served as they come off the griddle while the cheddar is still soft.
Success Tips
- Stop mixing as soon as it comes together; overworked ground chicken turns rubbery.
- Cover for the melt rather than turning the heat up.
- Toast the buns cut-side down in the butter until they are genuinely dark, not just warm.
Serving Ideas
Four burgers on white plates, each a pale spinach-flecked chicken patty under melted white cheddar and fresh spinach leaves, in a glossy toasted brioche-style bun. Nothing else in them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ordinary cheddar?
White cheddar is the cheese here. The melted cheese in this burger is white rather than orange, which is part of how it looks.
No sauce at all?
None. Step 5 builds the burger with a patty and fresh spinach leaves only, and rules out tomato, onion, sauce and other condiments by name.
Why 165 degrees Fahrenheit?
It is ground poultry, and that is the standard for it — the same figure whether it is a patty, a loaf or a filling.
