Debra's Fantastic Chicken Burgers

My dear friend Debra told me about her burgers that are a huge hit with the boys in her house and I had to try them. Debra is a fantastic cook and uses great ingredients which she lovingly prepares for the people she loves. She is a damn fine gardener too (my kind of gal!). Debra grinds her organic chicken but, of course you can use a good quality store bought ground chicken. She uses mostly thighs and a bit of white meat. These are truly fantastic and your family will absolutely want you to make them again and again. If you partially freeze the burgers before grilling it helps to keep their shape until the cooking firms them up for easy flipping.

You will need:

• 1lb ground chicken thighs or ground dark meat -  if grinding chop thighs into 4 - partially frozen
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast or 1 cup ground breast if grinding cut into small cubes - partially frozen for easy grinding
• 1/2 small red onion minced - I used white because I didnt have a red
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 small jalapeno pepper - finely minced
• 1/8 -1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs (depending on how wet your chicken is)
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce of your choice
• 1 tbsp dry rub seasoning of your choice
• salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: start with great quality ground or whole chicken pieces. Gather and chop chicken, onion, garlic jalapeno.

Step 2: grind chicken. I also ran the jalapeno and bread through the machine to clean it. If you want the jalapeno in larger chunks then just add it chopped. I added 1 slice of bread to machine but you can just sprinkle breadcrumbs in the mix. Add all other ingredients to bowl and mix.

Step 3: form into patties and place on oiled parchment paper (brush a bit of oil on paper and tops- look at the beautiful coloured olive oil!)

Freeze 20 minutes.

Step 4: grill over medium-high direct heat and brush with additional sauce to finish. Be careful not to flip too soon as they are delicate until they set and firm up.

Serve on a fresh squishy bun or not! and top with your favorite things.

Bon Appetit!