We try to have a more relaxed, casual dinner on Friday night. This helps us slide into the weekend after a crazy week of work - 5 days of waking up at 4:45 will do that to you!
Last Friday, after three solid days of negotiating, I decided to take Friday off as a vacation day. My plan was to relax, get some delayed errands taken care of, and just vegetate. For dinner I decided on these burgers . . . to be fair we had planned them for the week before but ended up enjoying leftovers when I got home from work late.
We have lots of apples in our CSA bin (although not as many after I whipped up some apple sauce) and some red cabbage - this seemed to be a perfect recipe to get a handle on that!
The apples and celery mixed into the ground chicken give the burgers a subtly sweet, aromatic note, while the bright, creamy slaw provides great crunch. This was the sort of dish I really enjoy - layers of flavours and textures coming together. It was easy to make - the only caution being that you wouldn't want to try and grill these burgers as they are quite moist and would likely fall apart on the grill. The end result was an incredibly moist and flavourful chicken burger . . . in fact, one of the best chicken burgers I have eaten.
Chicken Burgers with Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw
1 lb. ground chicken (not chicken breast)
1-1/2 cups small-diced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (about 1/2 medium)
1/4 cup small-diced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
5 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. fresh lime juice; more as needed
1-1/2 cups packed thinly sliced red cabbage
4 challah rolls or hamburger buns, split and toasted
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with 1/2 cup of the apple, the onion, celery, 2 Tbs. of the mayonnaise, 1 tsp. of the mustard, the garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Gently mix with your hands and form four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Make an indentation in the center of each one with your thumb.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering hot. Cook the burgers until golden-brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip, and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instantread thermometer, 5 to 9 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the remaining 3 Tbs. mayonnaise and 1 tsp. mustard with the lime juice. Add the remaining apple, the cabbage, and 1/8 tsp. each salt and pepper; toss to combine. Season to taste with more lime juice, salt, and pepper.
Serve the burgers in the rolls, topped with the slaw.
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