Bombay Burgers

I’m so tired of making myself choose chicken over beef. Beef is delicious. I’m sorry to the vegetarians out there, you are seriously missing out. Yes, the process is sickening, I won’t deny that, but a juicy, all-beef burger is soooo good.

We all know eating less red meat is better for our insides. I have to remind my family of that from time to time. My issue with chicken or turkey burgers is that they are flavorless.
Yes, chicken and turkey are both great for you, but they’re boring alone. My family loves Indian food, so I chose to throw a bunch of Indian spices in these burgers to kick the ground chicken into high gear.
It worked, they were delicious! Mr. Pickypants, I mean my husband, has actually requested them. This is huge.
We have lots of spices on hand, they are readily available in most supermarkets these days. Spend some time in your spice aisle and you may be surprised how many options you have.
If you want to switch up your burger-eating experience, give these a shot!
Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 medium brown onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Red Pepper Flakes
Garam Masala
Coriander Powder
Cumin
Curry Powder
Tumeric
Sweet Paprika (regular is fine if you can’t find sweet)
Olive Oil
1/2 cup cilantro (or parsley), rough chop
Tomato slices
Lettuce
4 Hamburger rolls
Preparation Instructions
Get all of your spices out from the pantry. Always set yourself up before you start cooking. You don’t want to be handling raw chicken, then rummaging through your pantry for spices. Get a large bowl out so you can mix the burgers. Get out a large pan. Have as much out and ready before you start, it will make your life so much easier.
Heat a large pan over medium/high heat. Lightly coat the pan with olive oil.
Dice up the onion and mince the garlic.
Toss in your onion and a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. Rub the red pepper flakes in between your fingers to wake up the oils. Let the onions cook until they’re soft and opaque. This should take about 6 minutes or so.
Bring the heat down a bit and add in the minced garlic. Let that cook for another minute or two. Be careful the garlic doesn’t burn.
Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, drop in your ground chicken, trying your best to not handle it too much.
All of the Indian spices (everything besides the salt and red pepper flakes) can be measured in your palm. I used half a palmful for each. More or less spice isn’t going to kill you. It’s better to be over. Even more flavorful! Go easy on the salt. Use about a teaspoon.
Toss in the onion and garlic mixture as well as a handful of chopped cilantro (or parsley if you have “issues” with cilantro as some do….Mr. Pickypants…).
Turn your pan up to medium/high, more high than medium. Don’t put any oil in the pan.
Okay, time to start making burgers. Mix as well as you can without over handling. The more you mess and mush, the dryer they’ll be. Mix, just don’t go crazy.
Make a mound. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. With the side of your palm, make a cross so you end up with 4, mostly even, burgers.
The best trick I can pass on for tasting the burger before you make all 4, is to rip a little piece of mixture, about the size of a quarter, and make a tiny patty, throw that in the pan. It’ll cook up in no time. Give it a taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary.
Form your patties.
These should cook for about 5 – 6 minutes per side. Don’t try to flip them to early or they’ll tear. When they’re ready to flip, they’ll pull from the pan (or outdoor grill) on their own.
When they’re cooked through, take them off the heat and let them hang out for a minute. If you want to toast the buns, this would be a good time to throw them on.
Slice up some tomato and lettuce.
Build your burger and enjoy!