Chicken Burgers

These are refreshing change from the usual beef, and healthy too. If you don’t want to chop the chicken yourself, you could ask your butcher to mince it coarsely for you. It’s important to include some of the chicken fat in the mix to keep the burgers nice and juicy.

Chicken Burgers

Info

Serves
4

Ingredients

  • 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 small onion, very finely chopped
  • a few sprigs of tarragon, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • olive oil
  • 4 burger buns, cut in half
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • lettuce leaves
  • 1 large tomato, sliced
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Make sure the chicken thighs are well chilled, or even partially frozen, as this will make them much easier to chop. Using a very sharp knife, dice the chicken as finely as possible, making sure you include any fat that’s attached to the thighs. To check you have chopped the chicken finely enough, squeeze some of it together in your hand – it should clump into a ball quite easily.

  2. Put the chicken into a bowl and add the onion, some of the tarragon, if using, and the oregano. Add half a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Divide the chicken into 4 portions and shape into burgers about 2cm thick.

  3. Heat a large griddle or a frying pan to medium hot. Brush the burgers with a little oil, then place them on the griddle or pan, spaced well apart if possible. Leave them to cook for 4 minutes, without moving them, then carefully lift them off with a metal spatula and turn them over. The burgers should be well seared and lift off easily; if they don’t, leave them for a little longer. Cook them on the other side for 4 minutes, then carefully flip them over again and cook for another minute on each side.

  4. Once the burgers are cooked through, remove them from the griddle or pan and set them aside to rest for a couple of minutes. Toast the cut side of the burger buns very lightly. Whisk the mayonnaise with the mustard and stir in the rest of the tarragon, if using. Spread this on one side of the buns. Add the burgers with lettuce and slices of tomato.

  5. If you like, you can add more herbs or some chilli or citrus zest to your burger mix. Or keep the burgers plain and add a rasher or two of bacon or some avocado slices or even some creamy blue cheese. The possibilities are endless.