Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Italian Chicken Burgers

My garden isn't doing so great this year, but it is producing more zucchini and arugula than we can eat! To keep my family from going on strike, I needed to figure out how to use the zucchini in a new way. I have been experimenting with chicken burgers after seeing a recipe on the foodnetwork that looked tasty. It includes mayo, garlic and rosemary which gives it an incredible taste and lots of moisture, but they kept falling apart. My solution? Adding finely shredded zucchini! I was wondering what that would do to the texture, but the result was FABULOUS and HEALTHY! And my family is benefitting from extra veggies cleverly hidden away adding Vitamins A&C, plenty of fiber, folate and even some omega 3's! So liven up your summer by adding a new, healthier burger to your family's menu.

Italian Chicken Burgers
1 lb. ground chicken breast
3/4 C. canola based mayo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 C. finely grated zuccchini(about 1 small/med)
1/4 tsp. salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil
4 whole grain buns
1 large handful baby arugula leaves(or you can use regular lettuce/spinach if you don't have or like arugula)

In a small bowl, combine mayo, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix 1/2 of the mayo mixture and zucchini into the ground chicken. Use your hands to combine well and shape into 4 patties. Heat an indoor grill or skillet until nearly smoking and then turn down to med heat. Grease pan liberally with olive oil and place the burgers on the grill. Cook them about 6-8 min on each side until cooked through and golden brown.

Split the buns and put a little bit of the remaining mayo on each bun top and place on the grill until the bun browns and is slightly crispy.

Place burgers on the buns and top with the rest of the mayo mix and arugula leaves!

Serves 4-6(small children can split burgers since they are fairly substantial)


Serve with homemade sweet potato fries and a tossed salad.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Just thought I would share how this recipe has fast become a staple in my house. The first time I tried the chicken burgers I had a toddler wrapped around my legs, the phone ringing and my husband walking through the door...so I somehow missed the part of the recipe instructing me to split the mayo mixture rather than putting it all in with the chicken. Needless to say, they didn't hold together well. No matter, my 16 month old gobbled up all his chicken and wanted more! This is no small feat in my home as my son would gladly be a vegetarian.
The following week, I followed the directions :) The burgers were great, but since I only needed 2 patties and 1 small one, I cooked the remaining mixture as the ground crumble my son had so enjoyed previously. I used the crumbled chicken the following night with a brown/wild rice mixture to scoop into butter lettuce leaves for yummy lettuce wraps.
Tonight, I made the chicken/rosemary/mayo combo for the sole purpose of adding to my homemade spaghetti sauce (which I had added swiss chard to, as this time I did not incorporate zucchini into the chicken) and poured over brown rice spaghetti. Again, my son couldn't get enough!
Thanks, Amber for such a versatile and tasty recipe!

The Mommy Chef said...

Awwwww....you make me blush! Thanks so much for the wonderful review and I am SO glad the Mr. Anderson liked it. That is a HUGE compliment!