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
Servings 6
Calories 172kcal
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
