Chicken Burgers with Avocado & Red Salad

Chicken Burgers with Avocado & Red Salad

While it’s hard to beat a good burger in a bun, for mid week dinners I often fancy up my burgers by ditching the bread and serving with salad or veg and an interesting sauce. I just love the colours in this dish with the vibrant ‘red’ salad and green avocado sauce. So pretty!

enough for: 2
takes: 20 minutes
450g (1lb) minced (ground) chicken
1 avocado
lemon juice
1 punnet (250g / 8oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red capsicum (pepper)

1. Heat a medium frying pan (skillet) on a very high heat. For about 3 minutes. You want it searing hot.

2. Divide chicken into 2 and form into 2 patties.

3. Sprinkle a scant teaspoon of salt over the base of the pan and add burgers.

4. Cook for about 4 minutes each side or until burgers are deeply golden.

5. Meanwhile, mash avocado flesh with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and season. Taste and add a little more lemon if you like.

6. Finely dice capsicum (pepper) and toss together with tomato and a squeeze of lemon.

7. Serve burgers on a bed of avocado mash with salad on the side.

Variations

vegetarian – replace chicken with halloumi cheese. Slice into pieces about 1cm (1/3in) thick and pan fry in oil until golden. Or you could try these Zucchini burgers or Chickpea burgers.

vegan – replace chicken with large field mushrooms. You’ll need 1-2 mushrooms per person depending on their size. Either pan fry the mushrooms in oil OR roast in a 200C (400F) oven for about 30 minutes or until tender and juicy.

different meat – ground beef, ground buffalo, ground port or ground lamb would all be lovely here.

low sodium – instead of cooking on a bed of salt, use a little oil in the pan.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve on burger buns.

more veg – serve with a green salad on the side.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

minced (ground) chicken – freeze it.

avocado – use for another meal. Doesn’t freeze well.

lemon – whole lemon will keep wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.

cherry tomatoes – either halve and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes (180C / 350F) OR just cook in a pan with a little oilve oil. In either case store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks. Or freeze the cooked tomato for longer periods.

red capsicum (pepper) – keep in the fridge for a few weeks. For longer grill and store in an airtight jar under oil. Or freeze them.

Problem Solving Guide

burgers sticking to the pan – add some oil for now. Next time, make sure the pan is very hot before you add the salt.

too bland – it’s important to use good quality free range chicken if you can.

too salty – It can be easy to overdo the salt with this cooking method so be very careful with your amount. If it does end up to salty, the best option is to scrape or cut the salty surface away.

Serving Suggestions

Great as is. Might be nice to have a little green salad on the side. For a more substantial (but less healthy) meal, serve with your favourite burger bun.

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