The Gourmet Burger Without The Cost

Time for another confession:  I LOVE a good gourmet burger.  I do.  I would go to Red Robin (yum!!!) every day, except for the fact that I can't afford it.  Oh and I can't eat ground beef and it is difficult to find a good chicken burger (not a sandwich, a burger. There is a difference), not to mention it is hard to get gluten free food options out.  If it weren't for all that I would be there when they opened for lunch everyday.

But since that just isn't feasible, I have to find another way to enjoy a gourmet burger.  My local grocery store's meat counter makes some fancy  burger patties with ingredients like bacon and bleu cheese or jalapeno and cheddar cheese mixed in with the meat.  Sadly they only make beef burgers (why is it always beef?) and they are about $4.99 a lb on sale (and the burgers are almost a half lb each, so that would mean it would be $12.50 or more for each person in my family of five to get one burger. And that is the price just for the meat). So, I had pretty much given up on my dream of a gourmet burger I can eat.

Knowing my dilemma, my husband suggested I make my own.  After some searching through my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry it was decided I would make a Jalapeno Queso Chicken Burger (well jalapeno for my husband, the kids and I are wimps and had Queso Fresco Chicken Burgers).

I assembled my ingredients (ground chicken, queso fresco, jalapeno, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper) and got to work.  It was really easy, I just put it all in a bowl, mixed it together and formed it into patties.  Simple.

Ingredients Assemble:
Grated Queso Fresco, Ground Chicken,Spices, and Grated Jalapeno
(It is only a quarter of the recipe in this picture).

My next step was to heat up my grill (have I ever mentioned that I love having an indoor electric grill.  I can grill whenever I want without needing charcoal, propane, or to socialize with my neighbors).  I set my temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and let it get nice and hot (because of the cheese, I wanted to get a nice crust on the outside.)  After about 15-20 minutes (7-10 minutes on each side) they were done.

Getting Thier Grill On:
Jalapeno Queso Chicken Patty on top, Plain Queso Patty on the bottom

I wish I had tomato, lettuce, and onion to finish to add to them, but my son ate all the tomatoes and my daughter made herself a salad yesterday finishing off my lettuce and onion, oh well.  I served it with "green bean fries" (as my children call them), which are just frozen green beans I through on my indoor grill and drizzled with olive oil then sprinkled with salt and pepper.

My Gourmet Burgers in All There Glory:
Queso Chicken Burger (opened on left) and Jalapeno Chicken burger (on right beneath the Queso Burger)
with Green Bean Fries

These were so good.  And can you imagine with what I can do the next time I want a gourmet burger.  How about a buffalo chicken burger with bleu cheese and hot sauce inside the chicken patty.  Or a Chili Verde burger with green salsa in a pork patty, maybe with the a little pepper jack cheese thrown in.  How about a turkey burger with minced (uncooked) bacon added to the meat before cooking (the fat from the bacon will keep the turkey from drying out while cooking, plus the flavor will be phenomenal).  With all of the cheeses, vegetables, meats, and sauces available, the possibilities are endless.

So, don't be held down by having plain beef burgers.  Be creative, have fun, and make an awesome gourmet burger of your own. (Try it with cooked bacon, ground beef, and a little hard apple cider along with the spices.  It will blow your mind).

Confession of a Food Nerds (Jalapeno) Queso Chicken Burgers

1 lb ground chicken
6 ounces grated queso fresco cheese (I never know when I need queso fresco, so I freeze mine after I buy it then let it defrost slightly before grating.  This caused it to crumble pretty finely, which is find for what I needed it for)
1-4 ounces jalapeno grated (this is optional and depends on how spicy you like it.  I left it out of mine and my children's but put 2 ounces in my husbands 8 ounces of chicken.  I just used a box grater to grate my jalapeno, seeds and all)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat a grill, grill pan, heavy bottom saute pan or skillet. Mix all ingredients together, this may take a bit and when it is done it will resemble a fatty ground beef (but it is chicken and cheese, yum).  Portion into 4 patties (these will be about 5-6 ounce patties).  If pan or grill is not nonstick, lightly grease by putting oil on a paper towel and, while using a pair of tongs, grease your grill or pan.  Add your burgers and let sit for 7 minutes or until a nice golden brown. DO NOT MOVE THEM UNTIL THEY RELEASE THEMSELVES FROM THE PAN, you want a crust or grill marks to form. (If you are using a grill or grill pan, and you want those pretty hash marks turn your patties 45 degrees and cook for 3 -4 more minutes).  Flip your burgers and let cook until you reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 7-10 more minutes (remember you want a nice crust on them, and if you want hash marks to turn your patties 45 degrees).  Let set 10 minutes before serving.  (These would be awesome on buns I just didn't have any).