Asian Style Burgers (Beef or Chicken)

Asian style burgers are bursting with flavor from 6 simple ingredients! Make this recipe with ground beef or chicken, and serve on a bun with chili sauce, pickled onions and our Asian style slaw. It’s perfect for summer grilling or stovetop.

Asian burger on bun with slaw and pickled onion, on plate with beans and potato chips.

Put a new twist on your old grilling routine and make these burgers seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, dried onion and horseradish sauce. There’s no egg here, and bread crumbs help bind it all together.

As much as I love a classic juicy burger recipe, sometimes I like to change it up and add a little international flavor to it. That’s what I did for my Asian-inspired burger recipe.

Serve them at backyard bbq parties or as a fun twist to an Asian themed party. Put them on the menu for a last minute cookout or pool party.

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s hard to explain how good these are. They’re seasoned just right so you get those Asian flavors without anything being overpowering.
  • The way we serve it, with Sweet Chili Sauce and Asian slaw, is the perfect finishing touch.
  • These are so simple and easy to prepare and the ingredients are easy to find. There’s nothing too exotic on the list.
  • You can choose your meat preference. Ground beef is used here but ground chicken is REALLY good too!
  • You can prep them ahead so they’re ready to cook when guests arrive.
  • Double the recipe for a larger dinner party…or triple it!
Close up of burger on bun with slaw, sauce and red onion, with pick on top.

PARTY TIP: Serve a trio of sliders for parties and include these Asian burgers, Italian style sundried tomato burgers, and Greek burgers with tzatziki sauce.

What You Need

Here’s what you need to make the burgers and how to serve them. All the flavors blend together harmoniously.

  • Ground beef or ground chicken. You’ll want it to be somewhat lean. For beef I like to use either the 85% or 93% lean meat. Ground chicken doesn’t typically shrink as much as fatty beef can so you can buy whatever is available.
  • Bread crumbs. A little bit of bread crumbs help to retain moisture and bind the ingredients together. You could also use Panko.
  • Light Soy Sauce. The light version keeps sodium down and the sauce adds lots of flavor to Asian dishes.
  • Sesame Oil. Another seasoning that’s typical in Asian-style recipes. Find it in the Asian condiments section as it is not a cooking oil.
  • Dried minced onion. This is an easy way to get onion flavor without cutting and crying over raw onions!
  • Prepared horseradish. Make sure you use Prepared Horseradish and not creamy horseradish sauce. Don’t worry, these will not be hot and spicy burgers. The horseradish just gives a bit of peppery goodness.

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and form mixture into patties. Press your thumb into the middle of each patty to form a small well. This helps to cook them all the way through.

NOTE: Beef burgers should be cooked to a temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F. Ground chicken burgers should be 170 degrees F.

raw hamburgers formed and placed on sheet pan.

How to Serve Them

Serve on buns with Asian slaw, pickled red onions and Sweet Chili Sauce. That’s right, bottled red chili sauce is going to take this burger over the top!

Teriyaki sauce is also good!

Important Note About Buns

Let’s talk about hamburger buns for a minute. I find that the regular size buns sold at the grocery store are way too big for a quarter pound burger, which is what these are. So instead, I used the slider buns which fit perfectly.

Technically speaking, the slider buns are the size of a normal burger and that’s what I suggest you use. If you want to make this recipe as sliders, you can divide it into 6 or 8 patties and serve them on small party rolls or Hawaiian rolls.

Best Tips

Make the job of hosting easy by following these do-ahead tips.

  • Make slaw up to 24 hours ahead. Start with bagged slaw. I like the Angel hair slaw for this.
  • Make pickled onions up to a week ahead and store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.
  • Prepare hamburger patties a few hours ahead or the morning of your party.
  • Pour Sweet Chili Sauce into a cruet or bowl with a spoon so it looks nice on the table, instead of the commercial bottle.

PARTY TIP: Prepare and form the patties a few hours ahead and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Loosely cover with foil or another sheet of parchment and refrigerate until ready to use.

burger on a bun on plate with chips and beans.

What to Serve With Asian Burgers

Here’s a menu for your summer party ideas including tasty sides and refreshing cocktails.  

Side Dishes

Wash it all down with a pitcher of beer margaritas or white peach sangria. They aren’t Asian inspired but they are delicious and serve a crowd!

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Asian-Style Burgers Recipe

Asian-Style Burgers Recipe

Yield: 4 burgers
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Easy Asian burger recipe with 6 simple ingredients served on buns with Asian slaw, pickled onions and Sweet Chili Sauce. Perfect for outdoor grilling or on the stovetop.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef (80-90% lean) or ground chicken
  • 1/8 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1/2 Tablespoon prepared horseradish

Asian Slaw

  • 2 cups angle hair slaw mix
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise, according to your taste
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of black pepper

Pickled Onions

  • 1 large red onion thinly sliced into rings
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Form mixture into 4 patties and press your thumb into the center to create a well.
  3. Cook in a skillet or on the grill over medium heat about 7-8 minutes on each side or until fully cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, combine all slaw ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until ready to serve.
  5. Prepare onions by adding them to an 8-ounce jar with a lid. Cover with liquids, sugar and salt and replace the lid securely. Shake lightly to blend everything together and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
  6. Assemble burgers by layering the slaw on bottom half of bun, place the burger, drizzle with sweet chili sauce, and top with pickled onion and top of bun.

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