Chicken Burgers

Suffering from chicken breast sandwich “over exposure”? Here’s an open-faced alternative with a surprise—plenty of flavor!

Recipe courtesy of Cuisine at Home

Oh no! Not another chicken breast sandwich. Typically overcooked, dried out, and bland, the condiments are usually the only thing that make them worth eating. Well, this twist on a traditional grilled chicken sandwich is moist, tender, and full of flavor. And with the fresh basil mayonnaise, it just tastes like summer.

A couple of things to note about these burgers: First, don’t be afraid to use plenty of salt and pepper. Ground chicken requires a fair amount of seasoning to taste good. Second, be sure the parchment on the baking sheet is well coated with nonstick spray—the raw burgers are very sticky and can be hard to lift off the paper for grilling.

See also Cheeseburger Soup

Makes 4 burgers

Total time: 40 minutes

The relish and mayonnaise add moisture to the lean ground chicken breast.

For the basil mayonnaise

¹/₄ cup mayonnaise
¹/₄ cup fresh basil leaves
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1 t. honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Coat parchment-lined baking sheet with nonstick spray. Shape burgers larger than baguette slices.

For the burgers

1 ¹/₂ lb. ground chicken or turkey breast
¹/₃ cup dill pickle relish
¹/₄ cup mayonnaise
4 slices Havarti cheese (2 oz.)
4 baguette slices, bias-cut, toasted
Red leaf lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
Diced avocado

Once the burgers are cooked through, top each with cheese and grill the baguette slices.

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium-high; line a baking sheet with parchment and coat liberally with nonstick spray.
Blend all ingredients for the mayonnaise in a food processor until smooth; set aside.
Mix chicken, pickle relish, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, salt, and pepper for the burgers in a bowl.
Gently shape meat into 4 patties slightly larger than the bun to allow for shrinkage.
Grill burgers until cooked through, 8–9 minutes per side.
In the last 2 minutes of grilling, top burgers with cheese, place bread on the grill, and cook, covered, until cheese melts and bread is toasted.
To assemble, arrange lettuce and tomatoes on bread, then top with burgers, mayonnaise, and avocado.