The Thai Chicken Burgers in my first cookbook, Make It Easy, are one of my kids’ favorite recipes of all time, so I knew that I had to make the chicken burgers for this book really good. On the search for a slam-dunk dinner, I decided to draw inspiration from their favorite snack, guac and chips.
I started experimenting by combining ground chicken with salsa ingredients like fresh onion and garlic. I even added pico de gallo in one pass. But once the cooked burger is all decked out, with a bun and guacamole on top, the flavor of those fresh ingredients didn’t hold up like this simple combination of fresh scallion, strong ground spices, and grated pepper jack cheese. And what a boon, since it makes prep even easier.
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Grilled Pepper Jack Guacamole Chicken Burgers
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed, plus more for brushing the grill
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (preferably 1 pound white meat plus a 1/2 pound dark meat)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped scallion, white and green parts (from about 2 scallions)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 toasted rolls
Lettuce, for serving
Guacamole, for serving
Sliced red onion, for serving
Sliced tomato, for serving (you can substitute fresh pico de gallo)
Instructions
1. Preheat the grill to medium and brush with oil. In the meantime, add the oil, chicken, cheese, scallion, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Use your hands to combine well, being careful not to over mix, which can make the burgers tough.
2. Lightly wet your hands before forming the mixture into four equal patties, each about 1/2 inch thick. Grill until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes per side. (You can also cook these in the broiler or in a large, oiled skillet set over medium heat for about the same time.) Allow burgers to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve on toasted rolls topped with lettuce, guacamole, red onion, and tomato. When tomatoes are out of season, or if you prefer, use pico de gallo instead. Once all decked out, season with more salt if desired.