Close-up of a fried chicken thigh served open, a creamy sauce at the edge

7.6BM score

Chimichurri Chicken Burgers

From Food Wishes’s video →

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About

Chimichurri, the Argentine herb sauce usually spooned over grilled steak, works just as well on chicken. Here it is made fresh by chopping parsley, cilantro and oregano with garlic until very fine, then stirring in olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Made ahead and chilled, it has time for the flavours to settle.

The burgers are made from chicken thighs rather than breast, which gives them more flavour and keeps them juicy. The thighs are half-frozen for about thirty minutes and then chopped by hand with a heavy knife, or pulsed in a food processor, until they look like coarsely ground meat. A quarter cup of the chimichurri goes into the meat with salt, and the patties are chilled, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and cooked in olive oil for about five minutes a side. The rest of the sauce is stirred into mayonnaise for the buns.

Ingredients

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Parsley1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
Cilantro1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Oregano2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
Garlic2 cloves garlic, sliced
Olive oil1/4 cup olive oil
White vinegar2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cumin1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Red pepper flakes1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Chicken thigh1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Breadcrumbs2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
Olive oil2 tablespoons olive oil
Mayonnaise1/3 cup mayonnaise

Recipe

1
To make the chimichurri: Chop herbs with a sharp knife until fine; add sliced garlic to the mixture. Continue chopping until mixture is very fine; transfer to a bowl. Stir in the 1/4 cup olive oil, white wine vinegar, the 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Wrap and refrigerate until needed.
2
To make the burgers: Place chicken thighs in the freezer until firm and half-frozen, about 30 minutes.
3
Place thighs on a cutting board, and using a large sharp knife or heavy cleaver, chop until it resembles coarsely ground meat. (Alternatively, place chicken in a food processor; pulse on and off, scraping sides often, until texture resembles coarsely ground meat.)
4
Transfer chicken to a bowl, add the 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1/4 cup chimichurri sauce. Use a fork to mix thoroughly.
5
Using damp hands, form chicken mixture into 4 equal-sized patties, about 1/2-inch thick. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
6
Stir mayonnaise and remaining chimichurri sauce together to make spread for buns; refrigerate until needed.
7
Remove burgers from the fridge; sprinkle both sides with breadcrumbs.
8
Add olive oil to a large non-stick skillet and set over medium high heat. When hot, but before oil starts smoking, add burgers, and cook about 5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. An instant read thermometer inserted near the center should read 145 to 150 degrees F (63 to 65 degrees C).
9
Let burgers rest for a minute or two. Serve on buns spread with chimichurri mayo and the fixings of your choice.