Chipotle Chicken Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

      I am always wanting to try new things and new dishes for my family.  Sometimes I will use my husband and I as guinea pigs when all of the kids aren't home (with their other parent) to determine whether or not the kids would like certain dishes.  This happens to be one of those dishes.  Not that they don't like burgers, are you kidding?  Our kids LOVE burgers, but these burgers are made with ground chicken, something foreign to them.  Yes, we've had turkey burgers and ground turkey in other dishes, but they've never had ground chicken.  These burgers are nicely seasoned and not too spicy despite the chipotle peppers, so we think they will really like them.  Hey, at least we really did!  

    When making burgers with other ground meats other than ground beef like ground turkey or ground chicken, you will need to be sure to add breadcrumbs and eggs.  There is not a lot of fat in these types of meat and won't hold together as well without the egg and breadcrumbs.

    I've seen similar recipes that call for 2 to 3 chipotles, diced, but holy cow, that's going to be an extremely spicy burger!  I used half of a pepper, and removed the seeds before dicing it.  That was a perfect amount of spice for us because I made a chipotle mayo to top the buns.  I used the other half of the pepper in the mayo.

    Quick tip!  When handling ANY spicy pepper, wear plastic gloves first.  I can't tell you how many times I've not worn gloves, diced spicy peppers, and then later rubbed my eyes...OUCH!!!!  Don't ever try it.  Trust me on this one.

    These burgers would be great served along with fries, a creamy coleslaw, creamy cucumbers (pictured above), Taco Pasta Salad, Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, or chips.  

This recipe makes 5 big burgers.  When I make this for all of us, I will add another pound of ground meat, and adjust ingredients accordingly.

Ingredients: 

Burgers

• 2 lbs. ground chicken
• 1/2 canned chipotle pepper, seeds removed and diced, include a little of the adobo sauce
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper

Mayo

• 1/2 canned chipotle pepper, seeds removed and diced, include a little of the adobo sauce
• 1/2 c. mayo
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients for the burgers.  Using a wooden spoon, stir until thoroughly combined.  If the meat mixture feels extremely loose add a little more breadcrumbs until you can form a patty and it won't fall apart.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.  To form the burgers, make a ball of the meat mixture about the size of a baseball, slightly larger.  Flatten to a round patty about 3/4 in. thick.  Using a thumb, put an indentation into the center of the patty.  This will allow the burgers to rise evenly and not form into a baseball while cooking.  Set burger patties on the baking sheet.  Once all of the burgers are made, cover with foil and place in the fridge.  These burgers can be made early in the morning and grilled at dinner time.  It's better to grill these burgers when they are cold and not at room temperature.
3. Grill or broil until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
4. While the burgers are grilling, make the mayo.  Combine all of the ingredients for the mayo in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Set in the fridge until ready to use.
5. Serve burgers on toasted potato rolls, pretzel buns, with the chipotle mayo, lettuce, sliced onion, tomatoes and cheese.  Enjoy!!