Asian Inspired Chicken Burgers.

With the strong Chinese influence we have in the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Jamaica and Guyana for the most part) dating back to over 160 years, it’s only natural that our food would reflect this. So ingredients such as Sesame oil, Soy Sauce, Hoisin and Oyster sauce are integrated into our everyday cooking. In making these burgers I was looking for something with more bold flavors to elevate the boring chicken I was using as the base… let’s start off grilling season with a BANG!

Ingredients

2 lbs ground chicken
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 scallions (chopped finely)
4 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
* Add salt if you wish.

• Chop the scallions very fine and remove the tiny leaves off the stems of the thyme
• Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and combine well – allow to marinate for 30 mins
• I did not add any salt as the soy sauce I used was enough to season the burgers to my liking (but you can certainly add salt)
• I formed 6 chicken burgers with this mix (placed it on a parchment lined tray and into the fridge to firm up a bit so it didn’t fall apart on the grill)

• heat your grill (you can do indoor or in a frying pan as well) on a medium flame and brush some veg oil onto the grills so the chicken burger won’t stick.
• Grill over direct heat for 4-6 minutes on each side until fully cooked
• serve warm

In the video below I’ll show you how to shape the chicken burgers (along with step by step instructions for the whole process) and a delightful zesty mayo to use as a topping. Ground turkey works just as great with this recipe in case you’re wondering.