Spiced Chicken Burger with Pickled Veggies
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Spiced chicken burger with Pickled Veggies
We’re in August now and summer is coming to an end. Well, I guess it depends where you are. In Canada, the end of summer sadly is near! I love summer for the barbecuing - even though I don’t barbecue, I do love whipping up summer favourites at home regardless! What screams summer more than a good burger with some French fries?
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love to make burgers so often! I think it’s the meal I make most in a week. I can have up to four burgers a week I think, if not more! As much as I love pizza, if you ask me what I’d like for a fast food meal, it’s gonna be burgers and fries. In fact, even at a restaurant I’ll go for burgers and fries. From a California Grilled Chicken Burger to a Classic American Cheeseburger, and in terms of vegetarian burgers I love the Indian-inspired McAloo Tikki Burger and Crispy Paneer Burger.
I have to admit, my favourite cookbook that I have in my collection is The Ultimate Burger by America’s Test Kitchen. That book has helped inspire me so much make some exciting burgers! I still have not been anywhere near cover to cover from that book, so I have so much to try! This was a great Christmas gift a few years back, and I still have lots to explore. If you’re looking for a gift idea, any burger lover out there is going to love this one!
This Spiced Chicken Burger with Pickled Veggies is going to take an awesome spin to your perception of a chicken burger. We’ve got a juicy minced chicken patty, known as keema, with some classic Indian spices. We’ve got an extra little touch to this burger to add even more juiciness and a bit more heat… you’ll have to read on in this post to find out what it is!
This spicy masala burger also goes so well with pickled vegetables, which I’ll also be showing you how to make in this recipe.
By the way, this burger was part of my #mycookingjourney2021 collaboration on YouTube, where I’ve challenged all YouTubers - myself included! - to try new Indian recipes and create some fusion dishes! This definitely was a success! If you’re reading this at the time of writing and have a YouTube channel, then I encourage you to participate! Otherwise, you should still get out of your comfort zone :) Make sure to subscribe to my channel and watch the video at the bottom of this post to follow along with the recipe and see the entire process of how to make it!
Ready to have a life changing Indian masala chicken burger? Then let’s get to it!
Why Make Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers?
Oh gosh, why NOT make these burgers! These burgers are absolutely a delight not only for barbecue season but for any time! Let’s go over why these Spiced Chicken Burger with Pickled Veggies are the perfect lunch or dinner:
Minced chicken is a great source of protein and is the minced meat that’s lowest in terms of fat content. A 4-ounce portion of raw minced chicken has 6 grams of fat compared to 8 grams of fat in ground turkey, 11 grams of fat in the leanest ground beef and in ground pork. If you’re looking to cut calories, then chicken mince is the way to go (source: The Spruce Eats)
Although chicken and turkey burgers have a bad rap for being dry and bland, these Indian spiced chicken patties are the furthest from those descriptions! These are going to be soft, fluffy, and juicy patties. We’ll add a nice sear pan-searing our patties
The patties only take about 5 minutes to prepare and cook quickly!
These spiced chicken patties are meal-prep friendly and can easily be stored and frozen!
It’s a fun fusion meal, combining the American favourite of a basic burger with an Indian twist! Who doesn’t love fusion food!
Tips for juicy Indian Chicken patties
The pickling solution can be reused 2-3 times. You can make the pickling solution in bulk, so it is always ready when you need it.
If you are unable to find Panko breadcrumbs, you can toast a slice of bread and finely chop it and then make the mince. It will be great!
While making the patties, ensure that the portions are tightly packed and have no cracks once you have flattened it to a patty.
Make sure the pan is very hot to get a great sear. Browning adds a lot of flavour.
Ingredients for indian-style chicken burger
For the Chicken Patties
These Indian-spiced chicken patties are inspired by my Juicy Chicken Keema Masala recipe. I recommend you try that out to enjoy as a curry, to use in Keema Parathas, or add some potatoes and transform this into an Aloo Keema Sandwich!
Minced Chicken: Ground chicken is our main protein for the patties. If you can’t find ground chicken, ground turkey will work just fine.
Green chilies: Optional, but if you want to make your patty on the spicy side, then I recommend you add it. I use Thai green chilies, but you can also use Serrano chilies or a jalapeño pepper.
Essentials: Ginger, garlic, lime juice, and fresh cilantro will make the patties fresh and fragrant.
Panko breadcrumbs: Because turkey and chicken are moist, the breadcrumbs help the patties shape the patties. It will add fluffiness, crispiness and body to the burger.
Ground spices: We will be using a red chili powder (degghi mirch), ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala and salt to taste.
Chorizo sausage: Now this is what makes this burger unique indeed! When I first tested this, I just so happened to have chorizo sausage on hand, and I needed to finish it. Chorizo will release its grease into the patty when cooking, keeping the burger moist. The second time I made this, I forgot that I didn’t have chorizo on hand to add it in the patty. Trust me, it did make a difference, I was really missing the chorizo in here! So I really recommend it!
For the Pickled veggies
This is what we’ll need to make the pickled veggies:
Essentials: Vinegar (any kind), water, and sugar will be use to make our mixture for the pickled veggies. Salt can be added optionally.
Vegetables: Today I’ll be pickling onions and cucumber. Thinly slice the onions and make ribbons with the cucumber.
The other ingredients
Here’s what else we’ll need for our burgers!
Olive oil: Used to cook the patties. Olive oil will help give a nice sear on your burgers.
Buns: Well, duh! Can’t have a burger without buns, unless you have a protein-style burger. Sorry, but I’m a bread lover, and for me a burger isn’t complete without an excellent bun. For this burger, I used awesome potato buns from my local grocery store. They were super soft and delicious! I like to toast my buns on a tawa pan with butter. You can also toast your buns in a toaster or warm them up in the oven.
Other veggies: I’ve also got tomato and lettuce. We’re keeping the rest simple here so the pickled veggies can shine and to really be able to enjoy the flavours coming from the chicken patty.
Sour cream: This changes things up from mayo! I love adding sour cream to my burgers. It’s quite refreshing and not too heavy and doesn’t have too strong of a taste, so this nicely complements the pickled veggies and the aromatic chicken patty. If you don’t have sour cream, a great substitute would be plain yogurt.
How to Make Spiced Chicken Burger with Pickled Veggies
How to Make the Patty
Combine all ingredients for the chicken patties except the oil and mix well to make the patty mix.
Divide the mince to 4 equal portions for 1/4 lb burgers. Form it into a ball while compressing it, and then flatten it out into a thick disc and neatly tug the edges to form the patties. Repeat with the rest of the portions
Heat a grill pan/frying pan on medium heat for the burgers.
Lightly oil the pan and place the patty on the pan. With the back of a spoon/your finger, make a deep indent in the centre of the patty. This is going to help prevent the patty from puffing up into a ball. Cook for about 4-5 minutes.
In the meanwhile, heat another pan on medium heat to toast the burger buns.
Add a bit of olive oil or butter on the other pan and toast the buns until golden brown. Alternatively, you may toast the buns under an oven broiler or a toaster in bagel mode.
Flip the patty and continue cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Note: If you want a cheese burger, add a slice of cheese once you flip the burger.
How to Make the Pickled Veggies
Peel the cucumbers with a Y-Peeler or traditional peeler and thinly slice the onions.
Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt and whisk well until well the solids are well dissolved.
Add cucumber and onions in pickling liquid and let the veggies pickle for at least 45 minutes-1 hour.
How to Assemble the Burger
To assemble the burger, add sour cream or yogurt on either side of the buns. Break and bend the lettuce to fit the bun, and the chicken patties, followed by some slices of tomato and pickled vegetables. Close the burger with the top bun and secure with some bamboo skewers.
Serve hot and enjoy!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH Spiced chicken burger
Well to me the ultimate answer is French fries! I have three French fry recipes, so you can follow the recipe you want depending on your mood, how many fries you’re making, and what equipment you have available to you!
For a lighter side, you could make my Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad or my Quick & Healthy Creamy Coleslaw - it doesn’t have mayo!
Can I make Spiced Chicken Burger Ahead of time?
Yes, you definitely can! I would recommend you prepare the patties ahead of time and store in the fridge or freeze for later use. These burgers are excellent for meal prep because you can make many patties at a time, and simply take the patties out of the fridge and cook and assemble your burger when ready. If you’re making plenty of patties for a gathering, then you can make your patties ahead of time, and when it is time to serve your guests, cook away!
Storing & Freezing Chicken Patties
To freeze your spiced chicken patties, once they are covered in parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and transfer into a plastic bag. You can store these raw chicken patties in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Defrosting Chicken Patties
To defrost your Indian spiced chicken patties, take them out of the freezer and transfer to the fridge. Allow them to defrost naturally overnight before the day you’d like to prepare them.
More Burger Recipes!
Crispy Chicken Sandwich - Baked, Fried or Air Fried: Enjoy your fast food favourite right from home with this recipe! Chicken breast with a crispy Panko breading, you can either shallow fry, air fry, or oven bake your patty, depending on your mood and equipment available! All three versions will give you a delicious crunchy chicken burger that’s bound to beat your fast food favourite!
McAloo Tikki Burger: Another Indian fusion burger recipe! This is a crispy potato patty, coated with a Panko crust. These patties are shallow-fried to perfection, topped with spicy mayo!
Crispy Paneer Burger: Paneer is the ultimate Indian vegetarian protein
Watch How to Make Spiced Chicken Burger with Pickled Veggies Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!