Recipe: Chunky Chicken Burgers

Inspired by the new free-range chicken mince available at the local supermarket, I figured I'd get my hands dirty and make a variation of my usual burgers with a lighter, spicier finish. I thought my days of enjoying chicken were over, but these guys will be entering regular rotation!


Ingredients:

500g chicken mince
4 eggs
1 red capsicum, diced
1 small fennel bulb (1/2 cup when diced)
2T chopped basil (I prefer fresh, but didn't have any)
2T chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1T paprika
1t salt (optional)
3T-ish almond flour

Optional extras I'll be playing with next time around:
Diced bacon, pre-fried
Chopped onion, pre-fried
Sun-dried tomatoes
Curry powder or cumin


(Check out the eggs above - they're from Swampy, my raw milk supplier from Warrnambool. His hens haven't been laying for the past couple of months, but a cartoon greeted me when I went to my organic grocery last week. They're fabulous - and they still have dirt on them!)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a baking tray with foil, and grease lightly with coconut oil.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except almond flour. Stir until all items are combined.


3. On a clean, dry, flat surface, sprinkle almond flour in a thin layer, ready to coat burger patties.

4. Warning - chicken mince is very sticky! Using your hands if you dare, section the mixture into desired portions, and roll and squish into patties. Place patties onto the floured surface, pressing lightly and flipping so that both sides have a light coating. This is not meant to be as dense as other coatings, i.e. that of my Fried Chicken Fingers.

5. Place coated burgers onto prepared tray, and place into oven.


6. Bake until edges begin to brown and meat is cooked through.


Serve atop romaine/cos lettuce (if you have large enough leaves or small enough burger patties, you can use the leaves as a wrap for holding the burger). The beau took his with slices tomato, shredded cheese, and a little tomato sauce. I would also be more than tempted to top future burgers with a fried egg, maybe some cooked onion slices, and some homemade mayonnaise... Yum!