Chicken Burgers with Zucchini

Chicken Burgers with Zucchini

As much as I love a chicken burger, one of the biggest problems is that chicken mince tends to be pretty lean which means dry burgers. I’ve found two great ways to combat this, just add in some olive oil when you’re forming your burger patties. And then serve with something nice and creamy like this sour cream. Problem solved!

enough for: 2
takes: 20 minutes
450g (1lb) minced (ground) chicken
2 small zucchini, very finely sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons sumac or lemon zest

1. Season chicken and add a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Form into 2 patties.

2. Heat a medium frying pan on a medium heat. Rub burgers with a little more oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is well browned and cooked through.

3. Meanwhile, mix lemon juice with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Toss in zucchini and season generously.

4. Serve burgers with dressed zucchini on the side and sour cream on top. Sprinkle over sumac or lemon zest.

Variations

vegetarian – serve these accompaniments with sweet potato burgers or chickpea burgers.

vegan – serve with lentil burgers.

pescetarian – replace chicken with fish fillets. Finely chop by hand before salting and forming into burgers.

different meat – chicken thighs or breasts are lovely with these accompaniments if burgers aren’t your thing.

more substantial – serve on burger buns.

more substantial (low carb) – add some smashed avocado.

no zucchini – if it’s not zucchini season just serve with baby spinach or your favourite salad leaves.

dairy-free – use cashew sour cream – soak a handful of cashews in water for a few hours or overnight. Whizz in a food processor with a little lemon juice until you have a creamy mixture.

paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – equal parts tahini, lemon juice and water instead of the sour cream. You could also just replace the sour cream with smashed avocado.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

minced (ground) chicken – freeze it.

zucchini – will keep for 2 weeks or longer in a plastic bag in the fridge. To keep it even longer, cook sliced zucchini in a little butter until just soft then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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

sour cream – will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Can be frozen.

sumac – keep in the pantry.