Food For Friday: Chicken Parmesan Burgers

I am always on the lookout for fresh and healthy, delicious recipes to try for dinner. One ingredient that I haven't used much in my cooking but wanted to try was ground chicken.  What meats do I use in my cooking?  Ground beef, yes.  Ground turkey, sometimes.  Chicken breasts, definitely.  But, ground chicken?  I can't think of a recipe I've made using this low fat ground alternative.  When I saw this recipe, I knew it had to be added to my binder of priority recipes to try.

On one of the beautiful nights we had while my mom was visiting, we made these Chicken Parmesan Burgers on the grill and they were excellent!  They had a great texture, fresh Italian flavor, and were easy to prepare.  I would definitely recommend grilling the burgers, though in cold weather, I will try broiling them instead.  We really enjoyed the added grilled flavor.  We served them on homemade whole wheat buns, which I promise to share the recipe for on an upcoming Food For Friday because they were perfectly soft, light, and delicious...and oh so easy!  Baked sweet potato fries were the perfect side.

Ingredients:

For the burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 tbsp. chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For serving:
Pasta sauce
Sliced Mozzarella or Provolone cheese
Sautéed mushrooms (optional)
4 hamburger buns

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients for the burgers.  Mix well until thoroughly combined.  Wrap ball of seasoned meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.  Form the mixture into 4 patties. 

Preheat the grill to medium heat.  Grill the burgers for approximately 6 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 4-6 more minutes on the other side until fully browned and cooked through.  Check the internal temperature of the burger with a meat or grilling thermometer to make sure that the center is done.  It is important to fully cook ground chicken through to prevent food borne illness.  (Alternatively, cook the burgers under your oven broiler.  Spray the broiler pan with cooking spray. )

When the burgers are almost done, add a generous layer of pasta sauce to each bun.  Bake at 350 until buns are lightly browned and sauce is hot.  Saute the mushrooms while the buns heat if you want to add mushrooms.  Add the chicken burgers to each bun, top with a slice of cheese, and add the sautéed mushrooms if desired, before adding the top bun. 

These burgers are definitely going to be added to the regular rotation at our house, especially during grilling season!