I have this love/hate relationship with ground chicken. I’ve tried countless times to make chicken meatballs, or even burgers, but each time it’s a fail. Either something with the texture is off, or there’s some odd taste that I can’t seem to pinpoint.
Over the weekend as I was grocery shopping (adulting = grocery shopping on the weekends) the wind pushed me towards the bread aisle. That is where I had a vision. I should also mention a minor detail: I was drooling over the smell of the brioche buns, so that may have had something to do with it. Also note to self: do not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, or after a work out. I almost walked out with all of aisle 5 (cookie aisle). Anyways back to my vision. I had a vision filled with a juicy, plump feta stuffed chicken burger on a soft, warm, toasty brioche bun. As I started to fantasize about this vision, I thought to myself, do I really want to try yet another ground chicken experiment?! So what did I do? Well, of course, I got some ground chicken, so I could experiment.
And boy am I glad! I think the trick for me was to skip the egg and bread crumbs, which made for a juicy plump burger!
These burgers were a breeze to make from start to finish. No really! And even easier to pan fry. They turned out juicy and moist! I was so pleased with myself. Now I can’t wait to experiment and use ground chicken more often! PS. I topped the burgers with a tzatziki sauce! (click link for the recipe)
Feta stuffed Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 package 16oz ground chicken
- 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped/minced can use dried if do not have fresh on hand, but I prefer fresh!
- ¼ cup packed spinach minced
- 1 red onion diced and minced
- 2 tbsps Jalapenos (from a jar) minced (fresh works too, if you do not have jarred jalapenos, I like the pickled taste of the jalapenos with the saltiness of the feta!)
- ½ tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder +more depending
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Cracked black pepper according to taste
- ¼ cup crumbled fat free feta cheese
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- Squeeze of 1 lemon wedge
- 1 7 oz pack St. Pierre Brioche Buns (pack of 4) found at Shoprite
- 1 tsp Nirav Garlic Chutney optional, for assembly of burgers
Instructions
-
Place ground chicken in a mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula fold in dill, spinach, half of the diced red onions and jalapenos. Next, fold in minced garlic, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, parsley, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Add in crumbled feta cheese, and fold into mixture. Add in olive oil and fold. Lastly, squeeze 1 lemon wedge onto the mixture, and combine thoroughly. (I like adding the ingredients in this order and folding after each, because it thoroughly combines all ingredients together!)
-
Line a large plate with parchment paper. Using your hands take a handful of the mixture and start to shape into patties. Place each shaped patty onto the parchment paper. Mixture will make 4 burgers. Cover with foil and freeze for 30 mins and then cook on a grill pan.
-
Once ready to cook the patties, coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray (or 1 tbsp of olive oil), over medium heat. Cook patties until golden and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Toast brioche buns on pan, until warm and slightly brown.
-
Assembly of burgers: Spread a tsp of the Nirav Garlic Chutney on the brioche bun, add the patty, then top with tzatzikki sauce, diced red onions and some more crumbled feta! Sprinkle some salt & pepper on top!
Recipe Notes
- Nirav Garlic Chutney is available at your local Indian supermarket. If you do not have or can not find, feel free to substitute with any other chili/garlic chutney you find! Tastes so so good with a little bit of kick to it!
