The Story
You’re looking for something yummy and a little different for your Memorial Day menu. You’re trying to eat lighter. You’re craving a burger. You’ve come to the right place! How about a Churkey Burger? It’s a delicious combination of ground turkey and chicken (no, it’s not redundant… really!) with moistness and flavor added to the mixture from pesto, onion, and crushed red pepper. Then, once it is grilled to perfection, top it with avocado, sliced tomato, onion, arugula, and your favorite cheese. Your craving is about to be satisfied! So why use both ground turkey and ground chicken? You could certainly use just one or the other – they’re pretty much equal in calories, fat, and protein. But while turkey has a nice flavor, it tends to be a bit dry. Chicken, it seems, has a little more moisture and it acts more like ground beef when mixed together with other ingredients for patties. Add the pesto for even more moisture, and the Churkey Burger becomes a hearty and satisfying alternative to the usual burger fare. Now here’s a tip for a delicious condiment for your Churkey Burger: if you have some leftover pesto, let it drain through a sieve to get most of the olive oil out. Place the pesto in a bowl, add a little mayonnaise, and stir. It makes a wonderful slather on your bread and the perfect complement to the burger. Dive in and enjoy!
| Servings |
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 4 tbsp pesto (heaping tablespoons)
- 1 red onion
- 4 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (more to taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- oil (for cooking burgers)
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 avocado (thinly sliced)
- 2 cups arugula (or spring mix or romaine leaves)
- mayonnaise (optional)
- slices of cheese (optional)
- hamburger buns or rolls
Ingredients
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- Slice red onion into ¼" rings. In a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté onion rings until soft. Let the onions cool. Set aside half of the onion rings for burgers, and dice the remainder of the onions rings fine. In a bowl, combine turkey, chicken, pesto, cooled diced onions, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined. Make about 8 burger patties. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook patties until browned on both sides and patties are thoroughly done. To build the burger, slather a little mayonnaise on the bread, if desired, then layer with a slice or two of cheese, churkey burger, avocado, tomatoes, and sautéed onion rings. Top with arugula, if desired. (See Jan's story above for making a condiment with pesto and mayonnaise for a delicious burger slather!)
