This Chicken Breast Burger, often called the “Tree Burger” after the version served at the Joshua Tree café, is a healthy, easy-to-make chicken burger featuring diced chicken breast, sautéed mushrooms, melted cheese, ranch dressing and crisp cucumbers. It’s Weight Watchers–friendly, satisfying for lunch or dinner, and simple enough for weeknight cooking. Over many years I enjoyed this burger at the Joshua Tree—sipping lattes, catching up with friends, and always ordering the Tree Burger.
If you’ve never tried a Tree Burger, this healthy chicken burger recipe is a great introduction. The combination of diced chicken, savory mushrooms, sharp cheddar, ranch, and cucumber is unique and delicious. It also stores well when components are kept separate, making it a convenient choice for meal prep and leftovers.
The Tree Burger was a favorite at the Joshua Tree café, a comfortable local spot I visited often for coffee and lunch. It had a relaxed vibe, comfortable seating and large windows—an ideal place to meet friends from around the city. When the restaurant closed, I missed that burger so much I decided to recreate it from memory and from watching how the kitchen prepared it years ago.
Although menus change and cafés come and go, this recipe captures the spirit of that Tree Burger: simple, flavorful and portable. My family hadn’t had it before I made it at home, and they loved it—so I hope you will too.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breasts: Use fresh or thawed frozen chicken breasts, diced after cooking. Dicing the cooked chicken saves time and stretches the protein across more burgers.
- Fresh mushrooms: Use cremini or button mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms are essential—canned mushrooms won’t give the same texture or flavor.
- Cheese: Sharp or aged cheddar works great. I often use a lower-fat cheddar, but freshly grated cheese melts best.
- Ranch dressing: Adds creaminess and tang—use your favorite brand or a lighter variety to reduce calories and WW points.
*See the recipe section below for exact ingredients and quantities.
My memory of the original Tree Burger includes a grill area where the cooks assembled the diced chicken, mushrooms and cheese right before serving. Even if this isn’t an exact copy of the original, it’s a very tasty, closely inspired version—and easy enough to make at home.
How to Make a Chicken Breast Burger
- Step 1: Lightly spray a frying pan with non-stick spray. Cook whole chicken breasts over medium heat until they reach a safe internal temperature and are no longer pink. Remove and chop into roughly 1-inch cubes. In a second pan, spray lightly and sauté sliced mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon salt over medium heat, keeping a lid on and checking occasionally until tender and reduced. Divide the cooked chicken and mushrooms into six equal portions, setting aside each portion as you finish cooking.
- Step 2: Top each portion of diced chicken with the sautéed mushrooms and sprinkle evenly with grated cheddar. Cover the pan with a lid and warm over medium heat until the cheese melts.
- Step 3: Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of ranch dressing on both halves of each bun. Add several cucumber slices to the bottom half of the bun.
- Step 4: Pile the chicken, mushroom and melted cheese mixture onto the prepared bun bottoms, then top with the bun lids. Serve immediately.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Don’t rush the mushrooms: Cook them slowly with the lid on so they release their juices and develop deep flavor. Avoid overcrowding the pan to prevent steaming.
- Grate your cheese fresh: Freshly grated cheddar melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
- Toast the buns: Lightly toasting helps keep the buns from getting soggy from the ranch and cucumbers.
- Store components separately: For best texture, keep cooked chicken/mushrooms, cucumbers and buns in separate containers and assemble just before serving.
- Customize: Swap the cheddar for a spicier cheese, add hot sauce, or sprinkle fresh herbs like parsley or dill to change the flavor profile.
This chicken burger—diced chicken topped with mushrooms and melted cheese—is a healthy and satisfying option for lunch or dinner. Leftovers are easy to pack for work or reheat quickly in the microwave for a fast meal at your desk.
What to Serve with Chicken Breast Burgers
In the photos I served the burger with potato chips, but it pairs just as well with raw vegetables, a green salad, oven-baked fries, or roasted carrots. Pick a side that suits your mood—crunchy chips for a casual meal or a crisp vegetable salad for a lighter plate.
Serving Size
This recipe yields 6 Tree Burgers. Adjust the ingredient amounts proportionally if you need fewer or more servings.
WW Points
Using low-fat cheddar, each burger is approximately 9 WW points. To lower points further, opt for lighter buns and reduced-fat ranch or a yogurt-based alternative.
Storing
Fridge: Make the chicken and mushrooms ahead, melt the cheese on top, and store in one container. Keep sliced cucumbers and buns separate to preserve texture. Leftovers stored this way will keep well for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat the chicken mixture in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1½ minutes depending on your appliance, then assemble the burger.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Grill whole chicken breasts, dice them after cooking, then top the warm chicken with sautéed mushrooms and melted cheese before assembling on buns.
Absolutely. Cook and dice the chicken up to three days ahead and store in the refrigerator. Reheat before adding mushrooms and cheese.
No. If you prefer a lighter or different flavor, swap ranch for plain Greek yogurt, tzatziki, hummus or a light mayonnaise.
Yes. Diced leftover chicken works great—simply reheat it with the mushrooms and melt the cheese before assembling.
This version of the chicken burger is economical because it uses diced cooked chicken rather than an entire chicken breast per sandwich, and the flavor combination is both familiar and unique. If you’re looking for a different, healthy stovetop chicken burger that’s quick to prepare and satisfying, try this Tree Burger–inspired recipe. The Joshua Tree may be gone, but this burger keeps the memory alive.
More Burgers and Sandwiches
-
Slow Cooker Beef on a Bun
-
Air Fryer Salmon Burgers (with frozen salmon)
-
No Cook Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (with rotisserie chicken)
-
Tuna Burgers (with canned tuna)
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Chicken Breast Burger Recipe
A healthy chicken burger inspired by the “Tree Burger” from the Joshua Tree café. Diced chicken breast with sautéed mushrooms, melted cheddar, ranch dressing and cucumber on a bun. Quick, satisfying and Weight Watchers–friendly.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 6 whole wheat buns (or buns of your choice)
- 225 g fresh mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 6 tablespoons ranch dressing
- 1 cucumber, sliced
Instructions
- Cook the chicken breasts in a lightly sprayed pan over medium heat until done. Chop into 1-inch cubes.
- In a separate pan, sauté the mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon salt over medium heat, covered, until tender.
- Divide the chicken and mushrooms into six servings. Place mushrooms over the diced chicken in the pan.
- Sprinkle grated cheddar over each portion, cover and heat until the cheese melts.
- Spread about 1/2 tablespoon ranch dressing on each bun half and place cucumber slices on the bun bottom.
- Assemble the chicken, mushroom and cheese mixture on the bun bottoms and cap with the top buns. Serve with chips, sliced vegetables or a side salad.
Notes
Storing: Keep cooked chicken/mushrooms and buns/cucumbers separate for best texture. Refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Microwave the chicken mixture for 45 seconds to 1½ minutes, then assemble.
Nutrition (per burger)
Calories: 340 kcal | Carbohydrates: 24 g | Protein: 29 g | Fat: 15 g | Sodium: 633 mg