BBQ Chicken Burgers

I know I describe a lot of food on this blog (either dishes from a restaurant or recipes that turn out well) by saying it is "to die for." And these burgers are no different. I made these for our Fourth of July barbecue, and they were a huge hit! They are SO juicy and flavorful and out of the ordinary. 


Just a head's up though- this recipe calls for pulled pork, so plan ahead! I used this recipe, which is for crock pot Hawaiian Kalua pork. The pork recipe is very basic, as I didn't the pork to be too heavily seasoned and compete with the flavor of the burgers. It was extremely easy, it just required a bit of extra time. You could probably leave the pork out, but I really think it took these burgers to the next level.

 

BBQ Chicken Burgers
(makes about 10-12 burgers)

for the burgers:
2 lbs of ground chicken
1/2 cup of cornmeal
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/2 medium onion, minced

1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of  garlic powder
2 teaspoons of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

1 1/3 cups of pulled pork
4 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce

for serving/cooking:
extra BBQ sauce for basting
2 red onions, sliced into rings
8 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
hamburger buns

Directions: Put all of the ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl. Hand mix until everything is well combined. Form about 12 equal sized patties. (I froze the patties for about 30 minutes to make them a bit more solid, since they were pretty sticky and fragile.)

Grease your grill grate, and place burgers and onions on the grill. Close the lid, and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the onions and burgers, and brush BBQ sauce on grilled side of the burgers. Close lid again, and cook for another 2 minutes. Flip the burgers again, top with cheese, and close the lid. Cook for about 1 minute, or until cheese is melted. Assemble burgers on buns with grilled onion, and extra BBQ sauce if desired. Enjoy!


Adapted from Pink Parsley, original recipe here.