Ground Chicken Feta Burgers

Annnnd it’s the first day of spring, and up here in the great white north we just got majorly dumped on by a pile of unwanted snow.  Thanks mother nature, but if you could cut the crap, that would be great.  Anyways, I am a HUGE burger lover.  I love burgers, they’re freaking amazing.  And I don’t discriminate – I like beef burgers, turkey burgers, chicken burgers and veggie burgers; I like beer burgers, cheddar burgers, jalapeno burgers or any combination thereof.  I like avocados, tomatoes, onions and peppers on my burgers; I like ketchup, barbecue sauce, ranch and mayo on my burgers.  Please keep mustard and relish away from my burgers.  I also of course, like all types of cheese on my burgers.  Last night I was in the mood for a burger, but not a beef burger, so I settled on a chicken burger, made with ground chicken, feta cheese, breadcrumbs, and some spices.  I topped it with Swiss cheese, mashed avocado, spinach and sautéed red peppers and served it on an Ezekial bun (English muffin to be exact).

This recipe is SUPER simple.  It took about 20 minutes from start to finish.  I have to cook all my burgers stove top, since I’m not aloud to have a barbecue in my apartment building.  When I cook stove top burgers, I usually cook them in a little bit of olive oil (cooking spray if I’m making beef burgers), covered, and for about 6 minutes on each side over medium heat.  If i’m melting cheese on the burgers, I will turn down the heat to medium low, add the cheese, and cover for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.

I love experimenting with all the different flavours you can pack into a burger – you can add so many things to the patty, sauces and toppings that it’s like you’re eating a different burger everytime!  If you LOVE spicy as much as I do, check out my Cheddar and Jalapeno Beef Burger here.  I topped it with turkey bacon and a ranch sauce, and served it on a whole wheat bun.  Although, these Ezekial buns are pretty great and I don’t think it’s going to be the last time I buy them.

Ingredients

makes 4 large patties

• 1 pound of ground chicken
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup feta
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• whole wheat buns (I use Ezekial)
• Swiss cheese (1 slice per burger)
• garnishes of your choice: spinach, avocado, onion, peppers, etc.

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients to a large bowl. I usually use my hands when doing this, as I find it’s much easier than a spoon or spatula type utensil.  You may omit the egg.
2. On a flat surface, form 4 large patties.  Place in a lightly oiled skillet on medium heat and cook for 6 minutes, covered.  Flip and cook for another 6 minutes.
3. If you are planning on adding cheese, add it after the 12 minutes of cook time, reduce the heat to medium low, and cover for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the cheese has melted.

Ground chicken does not have a lot of fat, so it is necessary to add oil, butter or cooking spray to your pan.  I find it’s often difficult to cook homemade beef burgers stove top as much of the fat accumulates and I of course always get splattered with it.  Cooking these was nice because there was almost no fat whatsoever – it was a nice change.  I love avocado and sautéed veggies on my burgers – except beef where I prefer a cheese and bacon kind of approach.

You can visit my burger lover board on Pinterest for more burger ideas and to see my burger making bucket list that I plan on taking on this summer.  I am a huge fan of big macs so I am dying to try a copycat version of it.  I hope you enjoyed the recipe – happy cooking!!