Garlic-Rosemary Chicken Burgers

If someone asked me, “What is your FAVORITE food?” Among the 4 million items that immediately come to mind, the frontrunner response always seems to be:  “a great hamburger”.  Mom jokes that my love for them is so strong because she ate lots of cheeseburgers while pregnant with me.  I can believe it since I literally dream about cheeseburgers, and I love to make them in my own kitchen.  My all-time favorite is the Patty Melt (sans mayo-substitute mustard) from Carytown Burgers and Fries.

Anyway, this recipe is crazy-delicious.  My favorite part is that the creation of these burgers is super simple, yet the result is a burger that is wildly bold in flavor. 
 
We placed these burgers ever-so-kindly inside soft potato buns and piled them high with an herby lettuce mix.  We chose to forego adding extra mayo (as the recipe suggested), and, instead, we dipped each bite into a little BBQ sauce.  Oh, yes.

Garlic-Rosemary Chicken Burgers
Source:  Giada de Laurentiis, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 pound ground chicken
¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary (or 2-3 teaspoons dried)
1 clove garlic, chopped (we used 2 big ones because more garlic is always better, in my opinion)
½ cup mayo
Your favorite rolls/buns
S & P
A little olive oil (for the grill)
Herby spring mix lettuce
BBQ sauce (optional)
Siracha (optional)

The Process:

Place the ground chicken meat in a mixing bowl.  Finely chop the cloves of garlic.  Remove leaves from the fresh rosemary, and chop these leaves up pretty fine.  Add the garlic and rosemary to the ground chicken.  Add the mayo. 

GENTLY, mix together the ingredients by folding everything a few times with a spatula.  You want to save the textures, and so do not stir too forcefully (you can get those aggressions out with the Pork Schnitzel recipe I will post in the near future where a mallet is involved – be on the lookout!) 

Add a little S & P to the mixture, stir gently, and form into 4 patties.  Get those hands ready for some messiness - these are super sticky!  Do not worry, the stickiness contributes to the yumminess.  Refrigerate the patties on a plate covered in plastic wrap for 30 minutes or so.

Brush a little olive oil on the grill.  Grill them on an outdoor grill (or inside on a grill pan) for about 6-7 minutes a side.  Do not try and flip the burgers to check them – just let them cook away blissfully and happily.  Since they are a bit sticky from the mayo, they may fall apart a bit if you try to mess with them too much, so just let them be. 

Toast the buns if you prefer.  Add lettuce, a little extra mayo if your heart desires, and a dollop of sweet-spicy BBQ sauce to the burger, and you are ready for an intensely delicious burger experience. 

Hubby added a little Siracha to his, and he swears this is what just “made it perfect.”  I hold my own that the BBQ sauce is sufficient.  If you like more of a spicy flavor, go for the Siracha.  Yin and yang, right? 

  Bold Garlic.  Earthy Rosemary.  Savory Chicken. 

Bon Appétit!