Ah the sunshine of the last few days has almost tempted me to get the barbecue out. Judging by the delicious aromas wafting across our garden, I am not the only one. Instead I made these Chicken Herb Burgers and we ate them outside!
I have never really been a fan of barbecues. The mass produced cheap sausages and burgers in limp, dry buns, has never held any appeal for me. Yet last year when went were on holiday to Devon we had a barbecue to celebrate our eldest daughter’s 16th birthday.
It was a totally awesome barbecue!
The weather was fantastic and so was the food. King prawn kebabs, free range pork sausages, unbelievably good chicken and lime kebabs – all of which I intend to make again this year and share with you. Oh and we skipped buns in favour of pita bread!
These Chicken Herb Burgers would be absolutely awesome cooked on a barbecue. They are equally fantastic cooked in a cast iron skillet, where the searing heat ensures a great golden outer, which left un-disturbed seals in all the fantastic juices and holds the burger together.
Higher Welfare Chicken
Made from 100% additive free, organic/free range, minced chicken, these burgers are meaty and juicy. The only addition is some fresh thyme, garlic and seasoning. No suspect, milky liquid escapes from the burgers whilst cooking, because the minced chicken does not have any liquid added to it, pre-sale, to bulk it out.
Chicken Herb Burgers use premium meat and boy can you taste the difference.
I am well aware that many people feel that they cannot afford to buy organic meat. Yet it is so much better for us. Happy hens fed a natural diet, allowed to roam freely and build muscle as they slowly mature are a million miles away from their mass produced, intensely reared counterparts.
My answer to the increased cost of good organic chicken is simply to eat it less often, ensure that absolutely nothing goes to waste and cherish the flavour of how real chicken should taste!
If you’ve never made your own burgers before, then this recipe for Chicken Herb Burgers is a great place to start 😉
Recipe: Makes 6-8 Chicken Herb Burgers
2 x 454g/2lb Minced Chicken from Graig Farm
3tbsp Olive Oil
1tbsp Fresh Thyme
4 Garlic Cloves
1tsp Sea Salt – I use Maldon Sea Salt Flakes
1tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1tbsp Butter
Method:
Making the burgers
- Empty both packets of chicken mince into a large bowl.
- Add the thyme, crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Using clean hands squish (mix) all the ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined.
- Divide the chicken mixture into 6 or 8 equal portions and shape into burger patties using your hands.
- Place the burgers on to a plate or foil container and chill in the fridge for at least an hour – this helps the Chicken Herb Burgers hold their shape whilst cooking.
- Heat a cast iron skillet, or heavy bottomed frying pan until searing hot.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and add the chicken burgers, one at a time – take care not to overcrowd the pan.
- Turn the heat down slightly. The outside of the burgers will sear on contact with the hot pan, however, we don’t want them to burn on the outside whilst remaining raw in the centre.
- Once placed in the pan do not disturb the burgers for at least 8 minutes. This will allow a nice crust to form on the underside of the burger.
- After 8 minutes, using a metal spatula, flip each burger over.
Cooking the Chicken Herb Burgers
- You can see from the photo above that the chicken burgers really hold their shape well whilst cooking.
- Cook the burgers for another 5 minutes and then add a little dot of butter to the top of each burger – trust me, this adds an extra layer of flavour and juiciness.
- Once the butter has melted, cut halfway into a burger to check if it is cooked. The meat should be completely opaque all the way through without even a hint of pinkness – these are chicken burgers and so unlike beef or steak they must be completely cooked through.
- Once cooked place each burger on a delicious brioche bun (recipe coming up soon) with slices of tomato, red onion and crunchy green lettuce.
- Add the condiment of your choice – tomato ketchup for me and pop on the lid of the bun.
- For an extra restaurant style touch secure each burger in its bun with a steak knife.
Homemade tastes best
Oh my, these Chicken Herb Burgers are unbelievably good!
They are a million miles away in taste from the local fast food burger joint. The butter added right at the very end of the cooking adds such a delicious buttery finishing note, which works in complete harmony with the succulent, juicy, chicken.
Making your own burgers is so much fun and you can make them as big or small as you like. You may have indeed noticed that there are only 5 Chicken Herb Burgers in this post. Well that’s because I only made 5!! This was a last minute idea for Sunday dinner and we were hungry! I make no apologies, they tasted so amazingly good.
I haven’t found anywhere else that sells chicken mince other than Graig Farm. Saying that I’ve not looked really hard because why would I? Their additive free organic and free range chicken mince is so fantastic, with freezer friendly packaging. I have no reason to look elsewhere!
Brilliantly packaged to take up minimum freezer space, this chicken mince also defrosts really quickly as well.
If you have loved this recipe for Chicken Herb Burgers you may also enjoy these:
Chicken and Four Cheese Lasagne
Eating good quality chicken, cooked well. in one of these recipes is a taste experience you will not forget. Trust me it is worth trying – why not find out for yourself?
Thank you for spending time reading this blog. I really do appreciate you all.
Whatever you are making, baking and feasting on, remember that food tastes better when it is shared.
Sammie xx
This is not a sponsored post. I have been buying our meat from Graig Farm for the last four years now and I cannot personally recommend their produce highly enough.