Chopped Chicken Burgers, Topped with White Cheddar Cheese
I’ve become somewhat obsessed (make that pretty darn obsessed) with something lately that began as an experiment and ended with a full-on feeling of, “Why haven’t I been doing this forever?!”
Quick little backstory: I have a hiatal hernia which, while not a huge deal, can be annoying when it comes to certain foods – dense meats and bread in particular. Imagine trying to get a meatball through a coffee stirring straw… that’s how these foods can feel when you have a hiatal hernia that happens to be acting up at the time.
I had given chicken up entirely for quite a few months when I saw a cooking video on YouTube from one of my favorites, Sam the Cooking Guy (I’ll post this particular video below because I very much want you to see it). In the video, Sam took chicken and, using only his knife, cut it up exceptionally small, then formed patties with it in his hands and cooked it pretty much as you would a hamburger.
The first thing to hit my mind was that this process should make the chicken less “dense” and, since it’s the density that gives me problems, it may actually allow me to add chicken (which I love) back into my world.
I was so intrigued that I LITERALLY drove to the store and bought some chicken to try that very night. I was kind of holding my breath about a few things:
- I found it hard to believe that it would stay together for me and actually make a chicken burger (it DID!).
- I was afraid that my hernia would act up, even though the process made the chicken “feel” less dense (it DID NOT!)
I’ve used this process now about 7-8 times and come to love it even more each time. I normally make the patties and fry them in a little combination of butter and olive oil (my “go to” for cooking almost everything in the skillet), however today I used a combination of butter and avocado oil and they were amazing.
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Seasoned Chopped Chicken, Ready to Party!
I’ve cooked chicken this way for…
- Chicken Parmesan – I add rosemary, basil, and thyme to the chicken and top it with marinara sauce and cheese. Delicious.
- Buffalo Chicken Burgers (Pictured Above) – Cooked as I normally do but topped the patties with buffalo sauce and blue cheese, and served, of course, with lots of celery.
- Regular Chicken burgers – cooked as it is in the video below. It makes outstanding chicken burgers.
- (Possibly my favorite way): I add chopped green bell pepper and chopped green onion to the chicken mixture and fry as I normally do. THEN, I top with white (gluten-free in my case) gravy and serve with mashed potatoes. I can’t tell you how delicious this is!
Naturally, if you don’t have to eat gluten-free, like me, feel free to put your chicken burgers on buns. I imagine that would be crazy delicious!
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Buying Thinly Sliced Chicken will Cut Your Chopping Time in Half
A Few Tips:
- If you’re able to buy thinly sliced chicken, doing so will cut your chopping time in half.
- Most of the time, I chop in green bell pepper and onion (the combination is crazy good with these chopped chicken burgers) but they’re outrageously delicious without extras too.
- When you’ve formed the balls, use a large spoon to “gently pat” them down, forming burgers (picture below).
- When chopping my chicken, I season him on the chopping board- my reasoning is that, as I cut through him, the seasonings reach every nook and cranny.
- Paprika is one of my favorite seasonings to use for chicken burgers – along with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, they turn out delicious each and every time.
Use a Spoon to Flatten the Burgers Gently Into Place
While I use a plain old chopping board and sharp knife for making these chicken burgers, I’ve been researching meat grinders and found one on Amazon for under $40 (pictured below).
While I don’t at all mind using my knife and cutting board on the weekend, suppertime on weekdays need to be prepped and on the table fast. Last time I was cutting (and cutting and cutting!) the chicken, I reminded myself to check for meat grinders. Because of the nature of raw chicken, I want one that’ll only be used for raw chicken. I think my food processor would probably do the trick, but frankly, I like keeping anything and everything I use for raw chicken separate from everything else.
Yes, I know it’s a ridiculous way to be – but it’s a mental wrinkle I can’t quite iron out.
So, I researched meat grinders, price-checked, and all that jazz and have found the one I love (pictured on the right).
This is the Homeasy Meat Grinder (Amazon link) and should make food prep my weeknight chicken suppers quicker. This food grinder is equipped with 4 stainless steel blades and 2 modes to choose from.
You can chop or grind a variety of foods such as onions, meat, ham, garlic, onion, small herbs…
It’s equipped with a stainless steel bowl. The joint connection between blade and the main body is made of stainless steel unlike other plastic one thus the blade is not easy to break off.
While this is the one I have decided to go with, there are, of course, many different meat grinders on Amazon – different sizes, different prices, some manual/some electric. You can find exactly the one you’re looking for.
I look forward to giving this grinder a forever home in my kitchen – I promise it a steady diet of chicken.
Here’s the Sam the Cooking Guy Video:
