Make the lemon-basil aioli by mixing the mayo, finely chopped basil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Mix the ground chicken with the beaten egg, lemon zest, minced garlic, finely chopped fresh basil, breadcrumbs, parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Shape four burger patties from the mixture. Press lightly with your thumb in the middle of the burger patty. As the burger patties expand while cooking, this prevents the patties from bulging in the middle.

To a frying pan, grill pan, or cast iron pan (as I am using here) over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add the patties to the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Then, flip and cook for about 5 minutes more, until the patties reach an internal temperature of 165°F (or 74°C) when measured with a meat thermometer. Note: If using cheese, after cooking the patties on the first side for about 5 minutes, flip and add the cheese slices on top to melt. To make sure the cheese melts better, you can cover the pan with a lid, but this is optional.

Toast the buns in a pan for a couple of minutes until golden. If using brioche buns, you don’t need additional butter or oil as the buns have a higher content of butter/fat. But you can optionally use some if you want a more indulgent toasted bun!

Prepare your chicken burger assembly board: cooked chicken patties with or without the melted cheese, toasted buns, avocado (cut in half and thinly sliced), sliced tomatoes, lettuce/arugula (if using it as a topping), and the lemon-basil aioli.

Assemble the burger by spooning some of the lemon-basil aioli on the inside of each half of the toasted bun and then adding a fourth of an avocado (sliced thinly), lettuce or arugula (if using it), the cooked chicken patty with or without the cheese, and a couple of slices of tomato.