Chicken Tequila Burgers

August is on its way out the door.  (insert complaining about no summer here, lol)  If you live nearby to me, you know what I’m talking about here – your tan lines probably suck too.

When it’s warm and summertimey, I want to share all the burgers I make because I 100% rationally believe that you lovely readers only barbecue when I do.  And I only barbecue when it’s above 10 degrees.  Haha

Imagine my surprise when people tell me they will barbecue when it’s -20C outside.  Those people are crazay!!!

And while we have a little time left before the snow flies and I close up my barbecue for the winter (listen.  It snowed on September 13^th last year.) I wanted to share this chicken burger with you. 

Guys.  I MAJORLY struggle with the idea of ground chicken.  I know I’ve said this before, but ground chicken is DRY and BORING – at least, that’s what I’ve always been told.

So I was really holding my breath when I pulled this burger recipe out of my “recipes to try” troves. 

Let’s get on with it shall we?

I deterred here from the original recipe which called for chicken breasts and then to combine everything in a food processor and grind the chicken yourself.  Meh.  I couldn’t really be bothered to do that.  I felt like it was an unnecessary extra step.

In a large bowl.  Combine the ground chicken,

Jalapeno peppers,

Cilantro,

Garlic,

Lime zest and lime juice,

Salt and pepper,

A dash of soy sauce and panko crumbs.

Mix it until JUST combined and form into patties.  I would absolutely recommend placing the patties on pieces of parchment paper.  It makes them SO easy to then flip onto the grill.  Otherwise they stick and fall apart and are just generally a pain.

Grill for 5 – 7 minutes each side.  (or if you’re a worrier like me, a couple of extra minutes on the grill won’t hurt  lol)

I honestly had no idea what sauces/condiments to pair with these burgers.  Maybe a chipotle mayo?  Maybe just a lime cilantro mayo?  Ketchup just seemed like all kinds of wrong.  I opted for plain mayo and it worked out really well.

I also topped them with Monterey Jack cheese.  Cause I wanted to, that’s why.

And the suggested onions and peppers.

I am absolutely certain that if not seasoned properly, chicken burgers can be so bland and boring it would make a person weep.  These burgers do NOT fit that bill.

They are flavorful and juicy and the tequila flavor wasn’t lost during cooking (which I’ve found often happens).  Dannika was not a huge fan – mostly because of the significant tequila taste – but us grown-ups LOVED these burgers.  The peppers and onion are a perfect accompaniment (though using ONLY grilled onions would be amazing) and the Monterey Jack cheese also made the burger just a little extra.

Maybe the tequila in these burgers will help make summer's exit a little bit easier.

Moroccan Burgers

Sometimes, you're never sure how something is going to turn out.

When I saved this burger recipe on Tastespotting, I was sort of ho-hum about the whole thing.  I wasn't sure about the slaw, or the combo of mint and beef - it sounded pretty out there to me.

And sometimes - fusion doesn't always work very well.  Sometimes it's a giant flop.

But this time - I decided "heck, why not - we can always order a frozen pizza".

And by order, I totally mean cook.

The first thing you need to do is make the slaw.  DON'T skip this!  I swear it will sound weird and when you're putting this together it's going to boggle your mind.  But it is SO good!

You'll need carrots, fennel, mint, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and cinnamon.

You're going to want to cut the fennel and the carrot into matchsticks.  If your knife skills are a little rusty - I recommend using the big holes on a grater.  

Add finely chopped mint.

Then, in a small bowl, combine the honey, 

Olive oil,

Lemon juice, 

Add the cinnamon and cumin.  Whisk it all together.

Pour the dressing over the carrot and fennel and toss to coat.

Set the slaw aside and put together the patties.

You'll need lamp and pork (I used beef and pork), feta, mint, salt, Dijon, cayenne, and cumin.

Add finely chopped mint to a large bowl.

Add the feta.

Add the Dijon and salt.

Add the cumin.

Add the cayenne.

Add the beef, pork, and an egg.  The original recipe doesn't call for an egg, but I felt like it needed it.

Mix it all together and form into patties.  I would suggest letting the patties rest for a couple of hours.  This will let the flavours blend together a little more.

The slaw was worth it and worked so well with the burger.  Definitely make sure the cut is very small - or if your knife-skills are a little wanting (like mine), use the large holes of a cheese grater.  Or the grater blade in your food processor (if you've got one).

I loved the blend of flavours in the patty.  It feels strange to put mint into beef (assuming mint goes with sweet), but the mint lent a coolness that enhanced the spices in the burger.  So definitely don't leave it out.

I served this with couscous and Caesar salad.  It would be hard to say what a great pairing with these burgers would be - there is a lot going on in these burgers.

Now - the recipe.  The recipe was originally posted on Familystyle Food, but when I went to link to it, it was gone.  I messaged Karen, who is the owner/writer of Familystyle Food and she said she intends to re-post the recipe with updated pictures, etc.  I'm going to post the link to the blog below and when she posts the recipe I'll provide an update.

Enjoy!
Heather

Familystyle Food