SPAM = SOME Pink Anonymous Meat.
Sorry folks, just can't do meat out of a can or wrap my mind around that concept. Like ewwwww!
Had tried a new recipe today for chicken burgers. I had 2 chicken breasts malingering in the freezer and didn't know what to do with them so decided to pull out my meat grinder (You know the one grandma had....It clamped onto your counter and it had a hand crank with the bell shaped hopper and the dial to let you determine the size of the grind of your meat
).
So we made these chicken burgers with lime, red pepper, cilantro and served it up on toasted buns with Kosher dill pickle slices, lettuce, tomato, a slice of red onion and some tatzatki. It was good but a little on the dry side.
The recipe called for no eggs, mayo, milk, or binders of any kind like bread crumbs etc. Surprisingly they held together well and grilled up nice getting nice color on both sides but it still tasted a bit 'mealy' and dry. Only thing I can think is that I did not add any 'fat' such as a chicken thigh to the ground chicken. I used only ground breasts which are really, really lean and no matter what you do pretty 'mealy' when ground. The taste was spot but it was just the texture.
Now I will never buy pre-ground chicken. YUCK! I have a hard enough time buying pre-ground beef let a lone chicken. I much prefer to grind my own. Just wondering if anybody else makes chicken burgers and mixed both dark and white meat to achieve a more moist patty?
Here's the recipe I used:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 medium cloves of garlic; minced or grated fine
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt to taste
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil; more for the baking sheet
lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, sliced onion to make sandwiches
1/4 cup mayo or other sandwich spread
4 buns; preferably Brioche , toasted
Sliced dill pickles
Instructions:
1.) Position rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400 F .
2.) Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and put the chicken, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, lime zest and juice, pepper flakes and 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl and use your hands to mix well. (The mixture will be very moist.)
3.) Divide evenly to make 4 inch patties. Brush the prepared baking sheet lightly with oil. Put the burgers on the sheet and then brush the burgers on both sides with 2 Tablespoons of oil.
4.) Roast the burgers, flipping once halfway through and draining any juices that collect in the pan until the burgers are cooked through (165F) about 15 minutes
5.) Toast the buns and then assemble the sandwiches with lettuce that has been tossed with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon oil, salt and pepper.
Put the mayo or other spread (like tatzatki) on the buns. Top with the burgers, lettuce, dill pickle slices and then top bun and serve with potato chips on the side.
It was good as I said and tasty but just 'dry' despite my following the recipe. Any suggestions on ground chicken as this was new to us. We normally use beef for burgers or the traditional meatloaf mix (1/3 beef, veal, pork) for meatloaf and meatballs. Using ground chicken is a new thing for us.
Sorry no pics on this. We forgot.
