Tarragon Chicken Burgers

As a rule I’m not a big fan of ground chicken or turkey. Unless it’s used as an ingredient in a more complex dish, the flavor factor ranks right down there with plain-jane tofu.  I also have an ever-growing problem with ground meat in general. The salmonella outbreaks from those disgusting industrially produced chubs of beef that don’t even get packaged by the people who do the butchering are bad enough, but when I worked in a Grocery Ranch@#153; I worked in the meat department. I loved working there, but the making of ground meat was always good for a bit of squeamishness. After seeing how and what it’s made of, I pretty much prefer to ‘grind’ my own from poultry and good cuts of pork or beef in the food processor at home.  I know the meat is exactly what I want, I can control the fat content and even add spices and herbs from the start. 

This is why I decided to try this recipe, which I adapted from one found at Wicked Good Dinner. Note: You will need an oven-proof skillet or 2.

Tarragon Chicken Burgers
Yields: 4-5 patties

tarragon chicken burger
dishes on permanent loan from Indiana University


For the patties:
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 medium onion chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (more if you like)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
cut into 1” cubes
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 Tbs sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbs chopped cilantro
1 Tbs flour
3 Tbs canola oil for pan frying

For the topping:
4 Tbs Sour cream
zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut the chicken into 1” pieces, removing skin and most if not all of the fat. Toss the chicken, salt, pepper, 1 Tbs olive oil, yogurt and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chicken is well minced and no big hunks remain, about 10 pulses.  It will have kind of a disgusting, gluey consistency and you might have to spread it out if it bunches up.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet heated over medium heat. Saute onion and green pepper until softened, about 6 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add onion mixture, tarragon, parsley and flour to the chicken glop and pulse until well combined, about 5 pulses.  Fair warning:  the texture will still be gluey… but chunkier.  Divide mixture into four or five equal portions and flatten into patties onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Slide the patties in the fridge for 30 minutes to set shape, or in the freezer for 10 minutes.  While the burgers are chilling, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

chicken burger cooking


When the burgers are chilled, season them with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat, until shimmery. Add patties to pan and cook for 4 minutes. Flip patties and throw the pan in the oven for about 12 – 16 minutes. Remove from oven and loosely tent with aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

While the burgers are resting, mix Greek yogurt, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and place a dollop on top of each burger.

Thoughts after cooking:

  • The original recipe specifies it, but I prefer dark meat because it’s moister and tastier than breast meat. For those of you concerned with fat?  You have ample opportunity to remove as much fat as you want in this recipe, but let’s face it… a little bit of fat goes a long way towards keeping the meat moist and nobody really likes leatherburgers.
  • This could easily be served on a leaf of lettuce with a salad and/or some steamed or sauteed veggies. For that matter, it would probably make a damn fine meatloaf.
  • I’d probably use a bit more flour as a binding agent the next time.
  • Finely shredded carrots might be nice if added to the onions and peppers and a bit of chopped tarragon to the sauce.
  • I really liked the short frying period to brown the burgers and finishing them up in the oven. It seemed to really cut down on the spatter factor.

    • Posted by Mike on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 08:12 AM
    Filed in: Entrees • Poultry • ◊ Permalink
    Comments (2)

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