At our house we keep a notepad on the fridge, and if one of us uses the last of an item, or notices we’re low on something, we write it on the pad immediately. Then at the end of the week when I’m making my shopping list, I check the fridge and add anything from that list to mine. Prior to instituting this fridge list policy, we’d just make a mental note when we ran out of something and try to remember to add it to the grocery list later in the week, but it didn’t exactly have a high success rate. I was making second (and third and fourth) trips back to the store in a single week, which was, to put it nicely, not my favorite way to spend my time. I’m almost embarrassed it too us so long to put this plan into place, but better late than never I guess?
Last week when the temperatures climbed into the 80’s several days in a row, I was not at all surprised to find that Shane had added “burgers/buns” to the fridge list. When grill weather arrives, there’s almost nothing he’d rather eat than the pre-made frozen burgers from BJ’s. Seriously, I could serve them for lunch and dinner seven days in a row and I doubt I’d hear a single complaint. By the time I went shopping again, we were back to typical March weather though, so I never bought those burgers for him. Maybe in a few weeks!
Instead, I struck a compromise, picking up a pound of ground chicken to make these barbecue burgers I had flagged. I’m always looking for new variations on a traditional beef (or turkey) burger and these fit the bill. Topped with cheddar cheese, grilled red onions and extra barbecue sauce they’re fun and flavorful – we both really enjoyed them. I’m looking forward to being able to grill them outside later this summer, maybe even with the one thing I eliminated from Josie’s recipe (only because we didn’t have it on hand): pulled pork! How good does that sound?
Barbecue Chicken Burgers
adapted from Pink Parsley
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided (I used this recipe for homemade)
1 lb ground chicken
for serving:
sliced red onion (I cooked mine along with the burgers)
sharp cheddar cheese
toasted burger rolls
Add the cornmeal, scallion, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, kosher salt, pepper, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add the ground chicken and use your hands to gently mix the ingredients together until incorporated. Set aside the remaining 3 tablespoons of barbecue for brushing the burgers as they cook.
Divide the chicken mixture into 4 equal portions, and shape each into a patty (mine were about 3/4 to 1-inch thick – the mixture was a little wet, just do the best you can.). Put the burgers on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Set a grill pan over medium to medium-high heat. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put the burgers on the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Flip the burgers and brush the top (cooked side) with some of the reserved barbecue sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes on the second side then flip once more and brush the other side with the remainder of the reserved sauce. Add the cheese (if using), and allow it to melt. (These cooking times are an estimate – you’re looking for a final internal temperature of 165 F – avoid overcooking or the burger will be dry.)
Top the burgers with the onion slices (if using), and serve on toasted rolls.
Makes 4 burgers
A lot of people declared the BBQ season opened last week 😉 I will try your burger recipe cause for sure, all types of burger are welcome to my table.
Look how thick and juicy this looks! Wow!
These burgers are an inspiration. Golly gee, turkey, beef, pork – so many possibilities. Brava to you.
These were great, thanks for making them!
Don’t forget: once it’s grill season and we’re stocked with burgers, I can handle all the cooking AND cleanup for dinner every night 🙂
Oh my gosh, this looks fantastic! Seriously! And I love the BBQ running down the sides. I can’t wait for it to be grill season 🙂
I got all the stuff to grill and wasn’t able to before the weather turned a bit off again… but when we have a beautiful day I’ll be ready!
These look delicious!
I love non-beef burgers, and these sound really tasty. I’m envious of your photo too – I’ve made some good burgers but just can’t get a decent photo of them. Sweets are so much easier to photograph.
Hmmm, Looks Yummmm!
-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!
These are great, it is definitely burger season. I love your chicken swapped for burger. We have the same system – when my husband wants something, he jots it on the notepad on the fridge and check it before going to the grocery store. It’s a great system!
omg, look at that bbq sauce just dripping out of that burger!! definitely time for burgers and bbq 🙂 can’t wait to grill out!
Love the paprika added…Gives more vibrance!
Hi Tracey:
These looks really good!
I have to ask though if these are juicy?
The one thing I can’t stand or can’t swallow is dry meat!
I really want to try these but I need them juicy.
Thanks for sharing.
Charlie
Chicken burgers are one of our favorites! These look wonderful. I need to make them again soon.
@Charles – They weren’t dry, but I probably wouldn’t call them super juicy either. Somewhere in the middle. If you click over to the source, you’ll see she used pulled pork in her burgers too – I bet the added smokiness and moisture would be good.
Yummy! This is a great recipe. I like the way that the recipe is presented it has great appeal for any barbecue menu. I will have to try this recipe and cook it in my meat smoker for a smoked flavor result which the family loves.
I’ve made this recipe twice because I love it so much. However, both times the chicken burgers sunk into the grates of my grill a bit and I ended up losing some of the burger to the flames. I think it may because there’s the addition of the BBQ sauce but no breadcrumbs, maybe? Anyways, I love these guys, so next time I’ll just have to remember to pan-fry or broil them instead of grilling. Do you have any suggestions for keeping the burgers from sinking into the grates? Thanks
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Great looking burger! This should start to get me ready for BBQ fest here in May.
My husband and I made these tonight, and they were fantastic! We actually put a cast iron griddle on the outdoor grill, let that heat up, and grilled them on the pan on our grill while the red onions grilled on direct heat on the grill. That worked really well, so feel free to steal that tip!