Chicken Parmesan Burgers

It’s only the first week of May and already I’ve lost count of the number of burgers we’ve grilled.  What can I say, when the weather gets warm they become our go-to “it’s 6 pm and we don’t have a plan for dinner” meal.  They’re so quick and easy, and of course, juicy and delicious!  That said, a steady diet of hamburgers isn’t exactly healthy and I was starting to crave some variety so I went in search of an alternative.  I loved the idea of these chicken Parmesan burgers when I saw them – all the flavors of traditional chicken parm but in the fun summer-friendly burger form we crave! 

This recipe is super simple, definitely a good weeknight option.  I have to confess that I’ve never made burgers with ground chicken before so I stumbled a bit through the cooking process, unsure of exactly how long it would take to cook the burgers through completely.  I wound up cutting a burger open to be completely sure I wasn’t serving poor Shane raw chicken.  Now that I’ve done it once I’ll be more confident to just trust my instant read thermometer next time.  We weren’t having great weather when I made the burgers so I cooked them under the broiler but I think they’d be delicious grilled outside too.  We really enjoyed this meal, it’s bound to be a repeat soon.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers
from Elly Says Opa

1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

pasta sauce
mozzarella or provolone cheese (sliced or shredded)
hamburger rolls

Place the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine.  Add the ground chicken and gently mix until everything is evenly distributed.  Form the mixture into 4 patties and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Preheat your broiler and set a rack about 6 inches from the heating element.  Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Broil the burgers for 5-6 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 4-5 minutes on the second side, or until golden and completely cooked through.  Remove the pan from the oven and top each burger with tomato sauce and cheese.  Return to the oven and broil for about 1 minute, or until the cheese has melted.  If you want to toast the rolls, you can pop them under the broiler briefly as well before serving. 

Makes 4 burgers