I know that every time I post a recipe I say “IT’S THE BEST!!!” and these burgers really are! They’re the poultry burger equivalent to my smash burgers which are hard to match! Let’s face it, the best chicken burgers we know are delicious fried chicken ones. I’m not talking about those. When you want to go the healthier route, what you find are those sad, dry chicken breast burgers with fake grill marks or those dense and rubbery ground chicken ones but NO MORE, my friends! These burgers are fat, juicy, airy and unbelievably tasty. Game changer!
There are two key elements in this recipe that leave all of those other burgers in the dust: #1 The Worcestershire sauce that adds a meatiness to the flavour. Chicken and turkey need all of the flavour-assistance they can get! Lot’s of seasoning and some fat! Which brings me to element #2. Mashed avocado folded into the mixture helps prevent the meat from shrinking and drying out during cooking. Hence the awesome juiciness without any shrinkage!
Now for the bun. I learned that it can ruin a burger and it can also improve it. I once only had Ezeikiel brand buns for my burgers and uhhh.. it’s the worst. I’ll save the Ezekiel bread for when I want to eat wood chips for breakfast. Kidding! I actually buy Ezekiel toast bread and love the raisin one! Anyway, I digress. I found sesame seed brioche hamburger buns (pictured above) at my local grocery store and they just kicked my burgers up another notch!
Oh! and toast your hamburger buns in the pan after you’ve cooked your chicken burgers in it. The inside of the burger takes on all of that chicken-y flavour, it’s surface will toast sort of like like a grilled cheese and the outside will remain soft and pillowy. I used to toast them in a toaster or wrap them in foil and stick them in the oven, but that just dries them out.
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Enjoy them!
This recipe was adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe for Extra-Juicy Turkey Burgers but I never buy ground Turkey. I just don’t enjoy it.
| Servings |
Burgers
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- 2 avocados divided
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 4 tsp Sriracha divided
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more
- 1/2 medium red onion divided in quarters
- 1 lb Ground chicken (or Turkey)
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil divided, plus more for greasing
- 3 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage from ¼ medium head
- 2 tbsp Fresh lime juice divided
- 4 hamburger buns (Brioche, potato or any premium buns) toasted in pan with meat drippings
Ingredients
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- Mash half of 1 avocado with a fork in a medium bowl until smooth (reserve remaining half for topping burger). Add Worcestershire, garlic powder, cumin, 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 2 tsp. Sriracha, and 1½ tsp. salt. Grate half of the onion (as in, half of the half, or one-quarter of the whole) on the medium holes of a box grater into bowl. Mix with a fork to combine. Add chicken and mix thoroughly with clean hands until mixture is homogeneous (it will feel very wet and soft, that’s okay).
- Using oiled hands, form chicken mixture into 4 balls, place on plate, and press down into patties 4–4½” across (they’ll shrink as they cook). Chill, uncovered, at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours (this step will help keep them firm). If chilling for more than 2 hours, cover with plastic and chill up to 2 days.
- Meanwhile, stir remaining ½ cup mayonnaise and 2 tsp. Sriracha in a small bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
- Thinly slice remaining onion and toss with cabbage in a medium bowl.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. One by one, carefully place patties onto skillet. Cook, shaking skillet a couple of times to make sure patties aren’t sticking, but not pressing down on them, until browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Flip burgers and lower heat slightly. Cook on second side until burgers are fully cooked, about 5 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Transfer to a wire rack and let rest while you finish assembling.
- Thinly slice remaining 1½ avocados. Add lime juice and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to cabbage mixture and toss to combine; season with salt.
- Divide Sriracha mayo among cut sides of buns, spreading to edges. Place patties on bottom buns, then shingle avocado slices over. Heap slaw over avocado, then close burgers with top buns.
Note: I added cheddar to my burgers. My favourite for any burger are the Kraft Extra Cheddar slices. American processed cheese on a burger is hard to beat!
Often I don’t have coleslaw when I make these burgers and that’s ok. They’re still awesome. I also like to top them with pickled red onions that I make myself. So easy! I’ll be posting the recipe on my Instagram account @vanilla_bean_montreal !
