Chicken Burgers with Maple-chipotle Mayonnaise and Pickled Cucumber
Looking for a lighter take on a chicken burger? Tart London's brilliant recipe is the answer, complete with plenty of delicious garnishes.
From the book
A Love of Eating: Recipes from Tart London
Fresh, wholesome recipes full of seasonal ingredients
Inspiration for fuss-free weeknight cooking and weekend entertaining
Beautiful cakes and sweet treats
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Introduction
This burger feels fresh and different – and it’s on the healthy side as far as burgers go. You could make it even lighter by ditching the bun, keeping the onions raw and enjoying it as a salad – perfect in the summer straight off the barbecue. We do love the whole fun of a burger, though, using your hands to eat and generally making a bit of a mess! We like to mince our own meat, as it has a better texture and flavour. Do try to get hold of the chipotle in adobo sauce, too; it really takes the burger to a whole new level. You can buy it from big supermarkets or online.
Ingredients
| 700g | chicken (minced or not; use a mixture of breast and thigh) |
| 10 | spring onions, finely chopped |
| 4 tbsp | finely grated Parmesan |
| 75g | peeled and grated fresh ginger |
| 4 | cloves of garlic, crushed |
| large bunch of coriander, stalks and leaves chopped | |
| 1½ tbsp | rice wine vinegar |
| 3 tbsp | toasted sesame oil |
| 1½ tbsp | soy sauce |
| 2 | limes, zest and juice |
| groundnut oil (or other flavourless oil), for frying | |
| For the pickled cucumbers: | |
|---|---|
| 2 tbsp | rice wine vinegar |
| 1 tsp | caster sugar |
| ½ | cucumber |
| 1 tsp | toasted sesame seeds |
| 1 | red chilli, sliced |
| For the maple-chipotle mayonnaise: | |
| 6 tbsp | mayonnaise |
| 5 | chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (or 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp harissa) |
| 1 | lime, zest and juice |
| 1 tsp | maple syrup and salt and pepper |
| To serve: | |
| burger buns (we like to toast them a little) | |
| 2 | Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated |
| 2 | plum tomatoes, cut into 1cm slices |
| 2 | red onions, cut into half moons and fried until crisp |
Method
1. First make the pickled cucumber. Mix the vinegar and the sugar together until it dissolves. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the cucumber lengthways, working all the way round but stopping when you get to the seeds. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumber strips and toss; set aside. When you are ready to serve, lightly toast the sesame seeds and scatter over the cucumber along with the chilli.
2. Make the mayo: put the mayonnaise in a blender with the chipotle peppers, lime zest and juice and maple syrup and season.
3. If you are using minced chicken then simply place in a bowl. If not, roughly chop up, removing any gristle and pop into a food possessor. Pulse until it is just minced – you do not want to form a paste. Add the rest of the burger ingredients to the minced chicken, season with salt and pepper and combine. Using your hands, shape into about 10 burgers and place on a plate, then flatten slightly with your hand (you don’t want them too thick as they must cook fully all the way through, unlike traditional beef burgers).
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken burgers and cook, in batches, for 4 minutes each side – they should be well seared. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper (we would always check one by cutting in half to make sure they are fully cooked – do not serve pink).
5. Serve in toasted buns with lettuce, tomatoes, crispy onions, a generous dollop of the smoky mayo and the pickled cucumber on the side.
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