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Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce for Teriyaki Grilled Salmon

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Basting every five minutes with teriyaki sauce creates a rich teriyaki glaze for salmon. Teriyaki Salmon On The Grill with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce brings an out of this world flavor combo and one of the easiest meals you can prepare. Tender, flaky and fabulous this Teriyaki Grilled Salmon may just become you go-to grilled salmon recipe.

Don’t miss this recipe for Maple Syrup Salmon. A combo of Maple Syrup, salmon and soy sauce makes a great glaze for oven roasted Salmon.

Salmon filet glazed with Teriyaki auce with grilled peaches and chives

Teriyaki Grilled Salmon with grilled peaches = Summer.

About This Recipe And Why It Works

I don’t know about you, but each year we make a big fuss over the arrival of Copper River Salmon. Sweet, tender, buttery…melt in your mouth. We like it better than any other salmon that we find in our markets in Colorado.

The Copper River flows in the state of Alaska. Almost 300 miles in length, this wild rushing river empties into Prince William Sound at the town of Cordova.

Salmon that swim in these pristine waters are challenged by its length and its strong cold rapids.

Consequently, Copper River Salmon are strong, robust and healthy with natural oils and body fat. These qualities make the salmon among the richest, tastiest fish in the world. I used my first purchase of the season to make this easy teriyaki salmon.

Note: This recipe can be made with Copper River Salmon, King Salmon or Coho Salmon. Or even farm raised salmon. If purchasing farm raised salmon, I suggest purchasing from Whole Foods. Their salmon is farm raised, but it’s done so in ocean waters. You can read about it in my recipe for Peach Glazed Salmon.

Teriyaki Grilled Salmon – How To

Grilling salmon is simply about the easiest dinner option you can think of. And as much as we like grilled burgers and hotdogs, salmon on the grill comes in 3rd place. It’s easy, quick, delicious and super healthy.

Do you have a a bottle of teriyaki sauce lingering on your refrigerator door that you’ve purchased from the grocery store? You should really try homemade. It’s easy and tastier.

Let’s take a look:

How To Make Easy Teriyaki Grilled Salmon

  • Grill Temperature For Salmon First, heat the grill so that it reaches 500 degrees.
  • Prep That Salmon While the grill is heating, using a basting brush, coat the flesh of the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Prep that Grill With your grill brush, clean the grates well. Then with the silicone basting brush, brush the area that you’ll be using to grill the salmon with olive oil.
  • Turn Down the Heat Turn down the heat of the grill down so it registers 400 – 450 degrees. Why so hot? The high heat will sear the outside of the salmon leaving the inside tender, flaky and moist.
  • Place Salmon On Grill Place the salmon on the oiled grates skin side down. Close the lid and let the salmon cook for about 15-20 minutes. Basting the salmon with the teriyaki sauce every 5 minutes.
  • Plate that Salmon When the salmon is done, it can easily be removed from the skin. Move the skinless salmon to a clean plate and you’re ready to serve.

How Can You Tell When Salmon Is Done On The Grill?

Just press lightly on the top of the salmon. If it appears to be at flaking stage, it’s done. Remove it quickly. You may also see some albumin starting to seep through the flakes of the fish. This is the protein in liquid form that has started to coagulate. It’s another signal that the fish is cooked.

Teriyaki Salmon with Pineapple

Grilled pineapple rings with teriyaki grilled salmon is a natural pairing. Just grill the rings of pineapple along side the salmon, basting with the teriyaki sauce as you baste the salmon. The heat will create a nice teriyaki salmon glaze and a teriyaki glaze for the pineapple.

But think outside that pineapple ring. I’ve made teriyaki salmon on the grill so many times, it’s just so easy and perfect with grilled fruit.

Think peaches next time you fire up that grill. Follow the same instructions, placing peach halves flesh side down on the grill. When they appear soft and fragrant, they’re done. Perfect Summer meal.

Oven Teriyaki Salmon

I’m a fair weather griller, and I live in Colorado. My grill cover goes on sometime during the month of November and doesn’t come out of hibernation until April.

You bet I make oven teriyaki salmon during the winter months. It’s super easy.

  • Just preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Place salmon, skin side down on a sheet pan fitted with a grate. The grate will simply help the air circulate around the salmon for more even cooking.
  • Place the salmon fillets in the hot oven. Cook for 20 minutes basting with the teriyaki sauce every 5 minutes. The heat from either the oven or the grill turns that teriyaki sauce into a lovely rich teriyaki salmon glaze.

Salmon sense: Salmon is good for you, as it is loaded with Omega-3 oils, which are recommended by the American Heart Association. Your heart is not the only part of your body that benefits from salmon consumption: studies have found that fish oil may help combat such ailments as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer and migraines.

This is a wonderful Summer meal, and especially when served with this No-bake Key Lime Pie for dessert … just sayin.

Grilled salmon with homemade teriyaki sauce and grilled peaches

Recipe For Teriyaki Grilled Salmon using Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

I hope you give this teriyaki salmon recipe with homemade teriyaki sauce a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite grilled salmon recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

Some More Of Our Favorite Salmon Recipes

And if you’re looking for more seafood recipes, don’t miss my seafood category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, along with the most popular seafood recipe on my site for Heavenly Halibut.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Grilled Salmon Teriyaki

Homemade teriyaki sause is so much better than store bought. And so easy to make. Use it to make this super easy grilled salmon teriyaki.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course Seafood
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2
Calories: 229kcal
Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

  • For the Teriyaki Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • For the Grilled Salmon
  • 2 Salmon Fillets
  • ½ teaspoon olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mix the cornstarch and ¼ cold water together in a small measuring cup or bowl, and mix well until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
  • Place the remaining ingredients in small sauce pan and bring to a low simmer.
  • Add the cornstarch mixture, whisking as you add it in.
  • Cook for about 2 minutes or until desired thickness.
  • Heat grill to 500 degrees. And then lower heat to 350 – 400 degrees
  • Lightly oil the grates with the olive oil
  • Place salmon fillets skin side down on the grates
  • Cook for 20 minutes basting with the teriyaki sauce every 5 minutes.

Notes

If you want to get more of a crust on the flesh of the salmon. Start cooking the salmon on oiled grates flesh side down. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, then using a grill spatula, turn the salmon so it’s now cooking skin side down. From this point, baste the salmon every five minutes with the teriyaki sauce.
Pair With: Pineapple Slaw
Pineapple coleslaw served in an oval white bowl. Topped with pineapple tidbits and chives.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1638mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

Teriyaki Grilled Salmon …It’s What’s for Dinner.

Marie Rose Sauce Recipe for Battered Cod

By 31 Comments

Marie Rose Sauce Recipe, a classic sauce for any seafood but especially good with battered cod. A creamy cocktail sauce, a seafood sauce, it’s a combination of mayonnaise, ketchup and Tabasco Sauce. A scrumptious sauce for fried fish.

battered and fried cod served with Marie Rose Sauce

About This Recipe

Fried Fish Filets. They’re mighty good. About once a month, I’ll innocently be driving down the street and my car will mysteriously pull itself into a McDonalds and I suddenly find myself eating a Filet-O-Fish Sandwich. I don’t get fries, so the guilt level is minimal.

I’ve been wanting to make my own Filet-O-Fish at home, or some version of breaded fish so pulled out my Marie Rose Sauce with Battered Cod recipe. Simply served over greens that were tossed with lemon juice and olive oil, the Marie Rose Sauce was a perfect fried fish dipping sauce.

I loved this sauce for fried fish so much I decided to be a grown up and make homemade battered fish fillets. I found this Marie Rose Sauce Recipe (below) for Battered Cod over at Food and Wine Magazine.

The batter for fried fish is a good solid recipe with a beautiful coating leaving the fish tender and flaky inside. 

And since I’ve written this post, I wanted to pass along a brand of battered cod filets that I find to be very acceptable in lieu of frying your own fish at home. 365 Brand Beer Battered Cod Filets at Whole Foods.

Fry Sauce

What is Marie Rose Sauce?

I’ve had this recipe for years and have never asked myself that question until I sat down to write this up. Here’s what Wikipedia told me:

Origin of Marie Rose sauce (known in some areas as cocktail sauce, seafood sauce, ketchyo, maychup, ketchanaise, tomayo, burger sauce, fancy sauce or dip) is a British condiment made from a blend of  ketchup and mayonnaise, although it can have other ingredients as well. It is often used with seafood, and prawns in particular. Giles Coren said: “Prawn cocktail dripping with Marie Rose sauce is, probably, most symbolic of 70s cuisine. Despite popular belief, Russian dressing, although demonstrating many of the physical and chemical properties of Marie Rose, is a completely separate condiment and should be treated as such. In the United States, a similar sauce, fry sauce, is served with french fries. And in the United States and Canada, another similar sauce called Thousand Island dressing is served. Thousand Island dressing recipe reputedly originated from the Thousand Islands in Ontario, Canada.

Marie Rose Sauce and pieces of battered cod on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce with lemon wedges

Marie Rose Sauce For Fried Fish

The recipe comes from Food and Wine Magazine. The cod filets are dusted with flour and then dipped in a batter of flour and water that’s been laced with some baking soda. It makes for a thick and luxurious pocket that browns up beautifully and seems to steam the fish inside for a flaky and moist end result.

I hope you give this Marie Rose Sauce recipe a try and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe. I love hearing from my readers.

And if you have a favorite way to use Marie Rose Sauce, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

More Cod Recipes

And if you’re looking for more seafood recipes, check out my category for Seafood Recipes. You’ll find some great dinner ideas, including a recipe for the most popular on my site for Heavenly Halibut.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

Marie Rose Sauce and pieces of battered cod on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce with lemon wedges
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Marie Rose Sauce For Fried Fish

Marie Rose Sauce is a classic sauce for any seafood but especially good with battered cod. A creamy cocktail sauce, a seafood sauce, it’s a creamy combination of mayonnaise, ketchup and Tabasco Sauce. A scrumptious way to enjoy fish.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course Seafood
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 1768kcal
Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

  • For the Marie Rose Sauce
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco
  • For the Battered Cod
  • 1 ¾ cups water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 pounds skinless cod fillets cut into 4-inch pieces

Instructions

  • For the Marie Rose Sauce:
    In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the ketchup, lemon juice and Tabasco.
  • For Battered Cod:
    Pour the water into a mixing bowl of an electric mixer. At low speed, beat in the 2 cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of salt and the baking soda. Strain the batter into another bowl.
  • In a large saucepan, heat the oil to 360°. Line a rack with paper towels. Dust 5 pieces of cod with flour, then tap off the excess. 
  • Dip the cod in the batter, scraping the pieces lightly against the side of the bowl to remove excess batter, and add to the hot oil. Fry over moderate heat until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes. 
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to the rack. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter. Sprinkle with salt and serve at once with the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 1768kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 173g | Saturated Fat: 131g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 685mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 3mg

This post contains affiliate links which means if you order the battered cod fillets from Amazon, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra charge to you.

Marie Rose Sauce with battered Cod …It’s What’s for Dinner.

Chive Poblano Mashed Potatoes

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Poblano Mashed Potatoes are an easy Mexican Side Dish Recipe.The addition of roasted poblano peppers takes mashed potatoes from simple to spectacular. A perfect potato side dish for your next Mexican themed dinner.

A bowl of mashed potatoes with poblanos and chives sprinkled with New Mexico Chile Powder

A simple recipe to spice up one of everyone’s favorite potato side dishes. Poblano and Chive Mashed Potatoes.

Inspiration For This Recipe

This recipe comes from the newly published cookbook, Tasting Colorado. And compliments of Chef Richard Sandoval from Tamayo Restaurant. Tamayo is located on Historic Larimer St. in Downtown Denver.

When we venture out of our suburban bubble, it’s one of our favorite restaurants to visit. Tamayo offers modern Mexican cuisine that is artistic, clever, bold, contemporary, and inspired by the earthy flavors of Chef Sandoval’s native Mexico.

Once I spotted this recipe, with poblano peppers, from one of my favorite Denver restaurants, I knew it would become a regular in our meal plan rotation. Let’s take a look.

Adding Poblano Peppers to Mashed Potatoes

I highly recommend you roast poblano peppers before chopping them to add to mashed potatoes.

Poblano peppers are a thick pepper, and roasting them not only softens the texture but brings out the smoky earthy flavor of the pepper.

If you have a gas stove, just turn the heat to medium high and roast the poblano pepper on the grate over the flame. Use tongs to turn the pepper so all sides are toasted.

Be careful not to burn them, as that flavor will transfer to the delicate mashed potatoes.

Once the peppers are toasted and dark in color, transfer them to a plastic bag and let them steam for about 15 minutes.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, you can remove the loose skin and discard. Do this with your fingers. Don’t rinse the pepper under running water to remove the skin, you’ll wash away the flavor.

You can also broil them in the oven. Just watch them closely and use tongs to turn to toast each side.

Poblano peppers are one of my favorite chile peppers. They are a mild variety of chile pepper. Dark green in color, poblanos somewhat resemble green bell peppers, and are readily available for purchase. To learn more about the poblano peppers, take a look at this article All About Poblano Peppers.

Orange bowl with mashed potatoes with poblanos and chives.

Recipe for Poblano Mashed Potatoes

Creamy mashed potatoes flecked with diced roasted poblanos peppers is Mexican Mashed Potatoes recipe that I hope you try. And combined with chives you’ve got a lovely combination of flavors.

If you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

Presentation Tip: Serve potatoes in a brightly colored bowl sprinkled with New Mexico Red Chile Powder and a few flakes of dried parsley. Paprika will also work in place of chile powder.

It’s a perfect side dish for any Southwestern or Mexican main course. Here are some recipe ideas:

And if you’re looking for more side dish recipe ideas, don’t miss my Side Dish Category. You’ll find plenty of ideas, including the most popular on my site for Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole.

A bowl of poblano mashed potatoes with chives.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Poblano Mashed Potatoes

The addition of roasted poblano peppers takes these mashed potatoes from simple to spectacular.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American/Mexican
Servings: 8
Calories: 197kcal
Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds white potatoes peeled and quartered
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 ounce fresh chives
  • 4 ounces poblano peppers roasted, skin and seeds discarded
  • 1 Cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tablespoon salt

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil; add the potatoes and cook until tender.
  • Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place in a large bowl; add butter and mash.
  • Combine the chives, peppers, cream and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the potatoes and stir to combine.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 920mg | Potassium: 526mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 731IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg

Poblano and Chive Mashed Potatoes …It’s What’s for a Side Dish.

Grilled Flank Steak with Orange Ginger Marinade

By 42 Comments

Grab a trusty flank steak let’s get to work. Or actually, let this easy Asian steak marinade do the work. The end result is a wonderful fresh flavor. Citrus inspired, the orange and ginger shine to brighten and deeply flavor this beefy cut of meat. With only a 4 hour marinade time, once that grill is hot, this is an oh-so easy steak dinner recipe.

Flank steak marinade recipe with orange and ginger. Served with Asian pickled cucumbers.

You may be asking, should I marinate flank steak? I cook with flank steak a lot. I have grilled flank steak with and without a marinade. Either way can give you flavorful tender piece of steak. With just a couple of tricks, if you cook it right and if you slice it right

The great thing about flank steak is its ability to soak up any flavor profile you throw its way. The muscle grain in a flank steak runs in a single direction which makes it ideal for marinating and grilling.

A simple steak seasoning mix like Montreal Steak Seasoning is a beautiful way to flavor a flank steak before grilling.

Another example, my Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce isn’t marinated at all. But then my recipe for Tangy Grilled Flank Steak, a recipe I hold near and dear to my heart uses a 24 hour marinade that will produce an incredibly flavored steak dinner.

Simply stated, a marinade is used to help flavor and tenderize meat. Flank steak will most certainly benefit from a marinade especially if you prefer your steak cooked well done.

So what makes a good flank steak marinade recipe? Start with olive oil and garlic, add an acidic liquid and fresh herb of your choice. You can add a sugar product to flavor and tenderize.

So with or without a marinade, flank steak is a great choice for casual dinner. For this recipe I chose an Asian steak marinade that is simply out of this world.

Grilled Flank Steak

I absolutely love cooking with flank steak. Why? It’s quick to cook and loaded with beefy flavor. And did I mention, a lean cut of beef?

This long, flat steak comes from the belly-side of the steer. Lean and muscular. This means lots of flavor without much fat.

Usually a thin cut, it doesn’t take long at all to cook. So, the best way to cook flank steak? I prefer to grill it. Either in a stove-top grill pan or an outdoor grill. How do you grill flank steak? So easy,

Grilled flank steak may be just be the easiest steak dinner ever.

  • Get those grill grates nice and hot. For optimal flavor and texture, I like to heat the grill to 450 or 500 degrees. Once those grill grates are sizzling hot, reduce heat to 350 degrees.
  • Then add the seasoned or marinated flank steak. If grilling a marinated flank steak, remove the steak from the marinade and discard marinade.
  • Flank steak grill time: Simply sear it over high heat about 6-8 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees.
  • Remove the steak to a plate and then tent the steak with foil for 5 minutes. Done!
  • Follow the same instructions for grilling indoors using a stove-top grill pan.

Looking to cook flank steak in the oven? Grab your broiler pan, or a sheet pan with a wire rack and fire up that oven broiler. Coat the bottom of the pan with foil for easy clean-up. Again, 6-8 minutes per side, or until a meat thermometer reaches 325 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes under foil and slice thinly against the grain.

How to cut flank steak

The most important thing to know is how to cut flank steak. Using a quality sharp knife, slice it against the grain!  The thinner the better.

It creates shorter strands of tender meat instead of longer and chewy pieces. If you don’t cut flank steak correctly it can be almost impossible to eat.

Flank steak is routinely used for tacos and burritos. Thin sliced meat, sliced correctly, makes flank steak easier to eat when you’re relying on your teeth rather than a knife and fork.

Ingredients for this Asian Flank Steak Marinade

  • Maple Syrup: Please use pure maple syrup as opposed to the less expensive artificially flavored which contains high-fructose corn syrup and dyes. That’s why it’s thicker and stickier. Pure maple syrup only cost a few dollars more and it comes from real maple trees.
  • Molasses: Molasses is a dark sweet thick syrup made from the extraction of sugars from sugar kane and sugar beets. Molasses has a warm sweet and smoky flavor. It gives this marinade a deeper rich flavor.
  • Brown Sugar: Since we’re using molasses in this flank steak marinade, use light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar is stronger in flavor and will resemble the flavor of the molasses. Does sugar tenderize meat? Yes, sugar is a natural tenderizer and it helps the meat achieve maillard reaction. That toasty browned flavor that we love so much.
  • Orange Juice and Zest: Adding an acid to any marinade, such as lime juice, orange juice or even vinegar, helps to tenderize the meat so flavor will penetrate the tissue easier. It also gives flavor profile and balance to any recipe.
  • Garlic: Practice your knife skills! If you use a garlic press, you’ll be pressing more oil out of the garlic which will cause a stronger flavor. For a more sweet pure garlic flavor, fine dice the garlic.
  • Fresh Ginger: Please use fresh ginger for this recipe as opposed to ginger powder from the spice shop. The flavor of fresh ginger will produce of more pure bright ginger experience. Use a microplane to zest and grate. I keep a large knob of ginger in the freezer. Just pull it out and zest. No need to even peel and remove the skin.
  • Olive Oil: Olive oil is used routinely in marinades because of its ability to draw out the flavors in other marinade ingredients. Ginger and garlic is a good example in this flank steak marinade.
flank steak with asian marinade and cucumbers garnished with chives

Orange Ginger Flank Steak Marinade Recipe

I hope you give this Asian steak marinade recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite marinade for flank steak, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

What to serve with this Asian inspired flank steak recipe? How about some quick pickled cucumbers. You’ll find the recipe for this Asian cucumber salad in the notes section in the recipe card below.

More Grilled Flank Steak Recipes

One of my favorite flank steak recipes isn’t grilled at all, but cooked in a cast iron skillet. Check out Cast Iron Flank Steak with Onion Chutney. Sweet sticky and savory caramelized onions make a great topping for grilled flank steak.

And if you’re looking for more beef recipes, don’t miss my beef category. You’ll find lots of great beef dinner ideas, including the most popular post on my site for a lineup of Grilled Hamburger Recipes.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

Asian marinade for grilled flank steak served with asian cucumbers and garnished with chives
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Orange Ginger Flank Steak Marinade, Grilled Flank Steak

The orange and ginger shine to brighten and deeply flavor this beefy cut of meat.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Marinade4 hours
Course: Main Course Beef
Cuisine: American/Asian
Servings: 6
Calories: 271kcal
Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ⅛ cup molasses
  • ⅛ cup brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed and rough chopped
  • 1 orange zested and juiced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger grated
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of crushed chili flakes
  • 1 pound flank steak

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients and place in a gallon sized Zip Lock bag. Let marinade for at least 4 hours. Remove steak from bag and broil about 7 minutes per side. Remove steak from oven and tent with foil for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

If you don’t have molasses, use ¼ cup maple syrup and ¼ cup brown sugar.
Serve with quick pickled cucumbers that have been thin sliced using a mandolin:
Easy Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad
2 medium sized cucumbers, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Using a mandolin, thin slice the cucumbers. Place cucumbers in a serving bowl. Toss with the ingredients listed above and let sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 443mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 148IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg

Asian Steak Marinade For Flank Steak …It’s What’s for Dinner.

Grilled Chicken Burgers with Chorizo and Cumin-Lime Quick Pickles

By 70 Comments

These Grilled Chicken Burgers combine chorizo sausage with ground chicken breast to deliver a burger that will wow your crowd. The combination of meat nails it when it comes to flavor and texture. Chorizo adds just enough pizzaz to make this a juicy burger that you’ll want to make over and over.

Chicken chorizo burger with homemade quick pickles.

Why Chorizo Is The Secret To Juicy, Flavor Packed Grilled Chicken Burgers

Many grilled chicken burger recipes rely on egg or breadcrumbs as binders to help retain moisture and prevent dryness. But there's a better way to build a juicy, flavor-loaded burger-by combining lean ground chicken with rich, spicy Mexican chorizo.

Chicken breast alone can result in a burger that's dry, crumbly, and lacking flavor. That's where chorizo comes in. Mexican chorizo not only adds essential fat to keep the burger moist, but it also infuses every bite with bold, tangy flavor and a hint of warm heat. The result? A chicken burger that's anything but boring.

This chicken and chorizo combination is a winning combination that stands up beautifully on the grill-juicy, flavorful, and perfectly satisfying. And to take things to the next level, we top it with quick cumin-lime pickles that add a bright, zesty crunch.

Grilled Chicken Burgers with Chorizo: juicy, smoky, a little spicy, and guaranteed to impress.

Choosing The Best Ground Chorizo

Please note, we’re making these grilled chicken burgers with bulk Mexican Chorizo, packaged and resembling ground beef. Mexican Chorizo sausage in a tube contains too much oil and would be difficult to form into a burger patty.

And please don’t confuse Spanish Chorizo with Mexican Chorizo. Spanish chorizo is dry cured and smoked. It’s commonly sold in links and simply won’t work to make this burger. Save that product for soups or your next charcuterie board.

Ingredients You’ll Need For The Grilled Chicken Burgers

Ingredients to make grilled chicken burgers.
  • Ground Chicken: I’ve made these grilled chicken burgers using ground chicken breast and a package labeled ground chicken, which is a combination of breast and thigh meat. The latter will bring a little more flavor and fat, but both blends work well here.
  • Onion: I like using a sweet or yellow onion here. And grated rather than chopped.
  • New Mexico Chile Powder: Living so close to New Mexico, I’m very lucky to have a good stash of all kinds of New Mexico Chile Powders. Chimayo Chile Powder is my red chile powder of choice. You can also use Ancho Chile Powder which is readily found on the spice aisle at your local supermarket.

Ingredients To Make Quick Pickles

Ingredients to make cumin lime quick pickles.
  • Rice Vinegar: I like using Seasoned Rice Vinegar. It’s more flavorful due to the addition of salt and sugar. Check the label is you’re against MSG, some brands do add it.
  • Cucumbers: Choose English cucumbers or Baby Cucumbers. Each of those varieties have a more pleasant and edible skin.
  • Smoked Sea Salt: Check the spice aisle and look for a smoked salt product. It will enhance the flavor of the pickling solution. If you can’t find any, just substitute with Kosher salt.

Step By Step Instructions – Quick Pickles

These are called quick pickles because they’re not going through the canning process, however they still need to soak in brine to gain flavor. Since the cumin lime pickles need a couple of hours to make, let’s start with them first.

Slicing English Cucumbers with a mandolin.
Letting cucumbers drain before adding to a pickling solution.
Cucumber slices soaking in liquid to make quick pickles.
  1. Step 1: Slice The Cucumbers: Use a mandolin for even slicing which will equal even flavor. Slice them with skin on ⅛ inch thick.
  2. Step 2: Place them in a colander and sprinkle with a little salt. Set the colander on a plate or in the sink and let them drain for 2 hours. This will help them soak up the flavor of the pickling brine.
  3. Step 4: In a medium bowl, mix together the pickling brine ingredients. Add the cucumber and stir. Let them soak in the liquid for 1 hour.

Step by Step Instructions – Chicken Chorizo Burgers

Mixing chorizo with ground chicken to make grilled chicken burgers.
Three chicken patties to make grilled chicken burgers.
  1. Step 1: Break up the ground chorizo into very small pieces and add it to the ground chicken. Place the meat in a bowl, add the grated onion, garlic and red chile powder. Use your hands to mix together gently, just as you would making meatloaf, being careful not to over mix.
  2. Step 2: Form patties and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat grill to 450 degrees, then lower to 350 degrees. Cook on each side about 6 minutes. Tent with foil towards the end to insure they are no longer pink inside. Use a digital read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees. No backyard grill? These chicken burgers can easily be made stovetop using a grill pan or cast iron skillet.
Chicken burgers on the grill.

As you can see, these chicken burgers on the grill are holding together nicely and sporting some mighty fine grill marks. For just the two of us, I only grilled three patties and froze the rest to use at a later date.

About The Texture Of Raw Chicken Patties

While forming the chicken burger patties, you’ll find the texture to be very different than when making ground beef burgers. The meat will feel sticky and somewhat loose. Not to worry, refrigerating will help them firm up, and once they hit that sizzling grill, they’ll cook up just fine without falling apart.

Flavor Variations For Chicken Chorizo Burgers

  • Healthier: Make these healthier by serving this grilled burger using iceberg lettuce leaves to replace a hamburger bun. Simply make the burger patties smaller.
  • Southwestern: Skip the quick pickles and add a topping of smashed avocado or Molcajete Guacamole. Or, top with some Pickled Red Onions.
  • Tropical: Top with a scoop of Jalapeno Pineapple Coleslaw instead of the pickles.
  • Make it Cheesy: During the last two minutes of cooking, add a slice of cheese. Have fun and think outside the cheddar box. Try slices of Pepper Jack Cheese to compliment the flavor of Chorizo.
  • Wanting some barbecue? As the burgers cook, baste each side with your favorite bbq sauce or some Cherry BBQ Sauce. It’s a great flavor for chicken.

Tips For Success

  • Since we’re grilling a very lean burger, clean the grill grates well and then oil the grates. Just pour some oil on a bunched up paper towel and use grilling tongs to swipe the oiled paper towel over the grates before adding the burger patties. I like to use Avocado oil.
  • Resist the urge to press down on the chicken patties as they cook. When you do that you’re releasing some of the juices. Let’s keep those burgers juicy and tender.
  • Be safe and use a digital read thermometer to check the internal temperature before removing from the grill. Chicken burgers are ready to pull from the grill when they reach 165 degrees registered from the center of the burger.
  • Grate The Onion: Grating onion is easy using a zester. Grating rather than chopping onion will help the burger hold together better. Chunks of chopped onion may compromise the burger’s ability to stand up on the grill.

What To Serve It With, Sides and Drink Pairings

This chicken chorizo burger would be great with sweet potato fries . Or try this Mexican Corn Salad with Citrus Aioli. Potato salad is always a welcome side dish, take a look at this recipe for Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Bacon.

Mexican Micheladas would make a refreshing beverage for grilled chicken burgers. Or check out my recipe for Spicy Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita.

FAQ’s

Are These Chicken Burgers Gluten Free?

Everything about these grilled chicken burgers are gluten free aside from the bun. All you’ll need to do is substitute a regular burger bun for a gluten free bun.

How To Prevent Grilled Chicken Burgers From Drying Out?

Chorizo. We’re adding a bit of chorizo sausage which will bring some fat to the lean ground chicken. That chorizo will help add juicy texture and flavor to these chicken burgers.

Can I Prep Patties Ahead And Freeze?

Absolutely. This recipe makes 6 burger patties. With the two of us, I make three patties and freeze the remaining. Just wrap the patties individually with plastic wrap. Then place in a freezer safe container, or freezer safe zip-lock style bag. They’ll keep for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then grill.

Related Recipes

And if you’re burger fanatics like us, don’t miss my category for Hamburger Recipes. You’ll find one of the most popular burgers on my site for Bobby Flay’s Texas Burger with Coleslaw.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

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Chorizo burgers with cumin lime quick pickles.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Grilled Chicken Burgers with Chorizo and Cumin-Lime Quick Pickles

These grilled chicken burgers nail it when it comes to flavor and texture. The chorizo adds just enough pizzaz to make this a juicy burger that you'll want to make over and over
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Resting time – Pickles3 hours
Total Time3 hours 20 minutes
Course: Main Course Chicken
Cuisine: American/Mexican
Servings: 6
Calories: 172kcal
Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

  • For the quick pickles
  • 2 ½ cups Persian cucumbers or baby cucumbers, or english cucumbers
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ cup Seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 2 limes zest and juice
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked salt
  • For The Chorizo Burgers
  • ½ pound Mexican chorizo sausage bulk chorizo
  • 1 pound Ground chicken thighs or chicken breast
  • ¼ onion grated
  • 2 cloves garlic grated
  • ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • For the Quick Pickles: Begin by slicing the cucumbers into a pickle shape by using a mandolin, or the slicing blade on your food processor. ⅛" thick is a good size. You can also use a very sharp knife and a keen eye to accomplish this.
  • Place the cucumbers in a colander and add a pinch of salt and toss. Place them on a plate, or in the kitchen sink. The salt will extract some of the moisture which will allow them to absorb more of the pickling flavor. Let them sit for 2 hours.
  • In the meantime, prepare the quick pickling liquid. Combine the vinegar, lime zest and juice, cumin, garlic powder, smoked peppercorns and salt. Pour over the cucumbers and let sit for about an hour.
  • For The Chorizo Burgers:
  • While the pickles are brining, break up the ground chorizo into very small pieces and add it to the ground chicken. Place the meat in a bowl, add the grated onion, garlic and red chile powder.
  • Use your hands to mix together gently, being careful not to over mix.
  • Form patties and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat grill to 450 degrees, then lower to 350 degrees. Cook on each side about 6 minutes. Tent with foil towards the end to insure they are no longer pink inside. Use a digital read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
  • To build the burgers, start with a toasted bun and the chorizo chicken patty. Top with a few of the quick pickles, a slice of tomato and some lettuce.

Notes

Tips For Success: 
  • Since we’re grilling a very lean burger, clean the grill grates well and then oil the grates. Just pour some oil on a bunched up paper towel and use grilling tongs to swipe the oiled paper towel over the grates before adding the burger patties. I like to use Avocado oil.
  • Resist the urge to press down on the chicken patties as they cook. When you do that you’re releasing some of the juices. Let’s keep those burgers juicy and tender.
  • Be safe and use a digital read thermometer to check the internal temperature before removing from the grill. Chicken burgers are ready to pull from the grill when they reach 165 degrees registered from the center of the burger.
  • Grate The Onion: Grating onion is easy using a zester. Grating rather than chopping onion will help the burger hold together better. Chunks of chopped onion may compromise the burger’s ability to stand up on the grill.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 602mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

Grilled Chicken Burgers …. It’s whats for dinner