Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

It was nearly 70 degrees yesterday you guys – total flip flop weather, and I could not have been happier! It actually started to show signs of warming up over the weekend after what has felt like the longest winter on record. By the time April rolls around I am more than ready to get outside and start grilling again, so even though it was only in the 50’s on Sunday we uncovered the grill and did just that! Nothing fancy, just some chicken for me and sausage for Shane but it was just so nice to be outside enjoying the sunshine without a heavy winter coat on 🙂 And of course, I didn’t mind the super simple clean-up one bit. Bring on summer, I’m ready!

I had these chicken burgers on the menu on Saturday night, and had given some thought to trying them outside on the grill. I even made homemade burger rolls that afternoon because I was so excited about the prospect 🙂 The day got away from us though and it was too dark by the time we were ready to eat, so instead we cooked them on our grill pan inside. The recipe is so super simple I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but we absolutely loved these burgers!

The burgers are made with ground chicken that’s been mixed with a garlic-rosemary mayonnaise. Rather than use all regular mayo, I did a mixture of half light mayo and half nonfat Greek yogurt, which helped keep these on the light side (175 calories each without the bun). The rosemary gives them tons of flavor, and the “mayo” mixture keeps them moist. There’s nothing worse than a dry, flavorless ground chicken burger! Just a word of warning – the burger mixture is going to seem super wet and sticky when you make it and you’re going to be tempted to add bread crumbs. I promise you don’t need them, the burgers will hold together once you get them in the pan, and all that moisture ensures they stay juicy!

Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis (via FoodNetwork.com)

{Note: If you want extra mayonnaise to spread on the burgers/rolls when serving, just double the mayo recipe and use only half in the burgers themselves.}

Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 garlic clove, minced

Burgers
garlic-rosemary mayonnaise (full quantity from above)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb ground chicken
4 burger buns (homemade, if you want)
lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc (for serving)

Set a grill pan over medium to medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, rosemary, and garlic until well combined. Add the salt, pepper, and ground chicken and use your hands to gently mix together. (The mixture will be very wet and sticky – that’s what you want. You can make the mixture ahead of time and refrigerate for a few hours to make it slightly easier to shape, but that’s optional.)

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, and shape each into a 3/4-inch thick patty. Transfer to the grill pan, and cook the burgers for about 6 minutes per side, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 F.

Serve on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, extra mayo or your favorite burger toppings!

Makes 4 burgers