burger

Hawaiian Chicken Burger

jackieinthecity1 Comment

chicken

Have you had enough of my chicken recipes?  Hopefully not!  I am constantly on the hunt for interesting chicken recipes.  Chicken is lean, has relatively low phosphorus and fills me up.  But…let’s be honest.  Chicken is super boring.  I know I’m not alone in that thought because apparently, “chicken” is the #1 searched term on foodnetwork.com.  People like me struggle to find recipes that make chicken more appealing and to keep it fresh.  I mean really, how many baked chicken dishes can one person eat?

So this is a recipe that I found while trying to discover new ways to cook chicken.  I love a good sandwich or burger, but substituting chicken for beef or even turkey usually makes it dry and uninteresting…but not this recipe!  Why?  Because it’s got a load of delicious toppings!  When you pile amazing ingredients like pineapple and grilled red onion, the chicken suddenly takes a backseat and you’re left with just a really super tasty sandwich, which happens to be made with chicken.  It’s genius.

A couple of notes about this recipe:

  1. I like to make my own BBQ sauce. That way, I can control what goes into it and eliminate the salt/additives that most bottled sauces have.  I’ll include a separate note below with that recipe.
  2. This recipe is great if you have an outdoor grill, but if you don’t, I highly recommend purchasing an indoor grill pan. This is what I use and it comes out great (I live in NYC, so it’s basically impossible to grill outdoors unless you want to get arrested). You can cook everything on this handy pan so it’s only one thing to clean.
  3. I like my chicken really thin, so I generally pound the chicken breasts so they’re all the same size and thinner than they come in the package. Then I cut them in sandwich-side pieces (usually in half).  This also significantly reduces the cook time.

Original Recipe: https://www.slenderkitchen.com/recipe/grilled-hawaiian-chicken-sandwiches

Revised Recipe: Me J Jackie

PREP TIME:  30 MIN COOK TIME:  15 MIN TOTAL TIME:  45 MINUTES

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (see note #3 above, you may want to pound them thinner and cut them in half)
  • 1/3 cup barbecue sauce** Recipe to follow
  • 1 can pineapple rings + juice
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce or Coconut Aminos
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha/hot sauce (optional, more to taste)
  • 4 English Muffins or King’s Hawaiian Rolls
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 2 cups greens

Jackie’s BBQ Sauce

  • 1 Cup Salt-Free Heinz Ketchup
  • 1 8 oz Can Salt-Free Tomato Sauce
  • ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • ¼ Cup Agave Syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1.5 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Optional: Pinch of McCormick’s Salt-Free BBQ Seasoning (or other brand)
  • ¼ cup water

Directions for BBQ Sauce: Really easy, just mix all of these things together. If it’s too thick, feel free to add a little extra water.

Directions for Burgers:

  1. If you have time and plan in advance: mix together the barbeque sauce, pineapple juice, soy sauce/coconut aminos, garlic, ginger and sriracha. Marinate the chicken (that was pounded thinner) between 30 minutes to overnight.
  2. If you don’t have time (as I usually don’t), mix this same list of ingredients and set aside.
  3. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade letting excess drip off. Spray the pineapple slices with cooking spray. Grill the chicken and pineapple for 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. For thinner chicken, cook less time on each side.
  4. If the chicken wasn’t marinading, spread the barbeque sauce/pineapple juice mixture on top of the chicken while it’s cooking.  Make sure to coat both sides.
  5. Serve layered on the hamburger roll with sliced red onion, fresh jalapeno, greens, grilled pineapple, and a drizzle of the homemade barbecue sauce.
pineapple
Grilled Pineapple…YUM

 

Shrimpy Burgers

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Confession: This is not a recipe I created in any way.  I can’t take any credit for this. I can’t even claim like I add something small or adjust a ratio – literally, the only change I make is to remove the salt.  Otherwise, it’s perfect as is and works for my CKD diet. What more can you ask for???

Warning: You have to like shrimp to like this recipe.  I have actually tried to make it with other fish but it just wasn’t the same. It’s chunky and spicy and delicious.  But still, I can’t take credit for any of it.

So here it is, someone else’s amazing shrimp burger recipe. Please enjoy if you’re on the CKD diet (or even if you’re not).

Original Recipe: HERE

There is no revised recipe.  I just omit the salt.  And if you have high potassium, you can omit the avocado from the aioli and just make the sauce without this.

Also, I put these on regular English Muffins instead of a brioche bun.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbl chopped cilantro
  • 1 Tbl garlic
  • 1/2 cup Low-Salt Breadcrumbs (See my note on breadcrumbs HERE)
  • 1/2 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup red pepper, chopped small
  • 3 Tbl canola oil

Avocado Aioli

  • 1 avocado, halved, seeded and peeled (save the pit!)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbl fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbl minced garlic
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or 1/2 tsp cayenne)
  • 2 Tbl chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Avocado Aioli

  1. Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor.
  2. Add the sour cream, lime juice, garlic cloves, jalapeno, cilantro and pepper.
  3. Process until smooth.
  4. Check and adjust seasoning.
  5. Place in a dish, add the pit (this helps prevent it from turning brown), cover and chill for an hour.

Burgers

  1. Divide the shrimp in half.
  2. Coarsely chop one half and set aside.
  3. Put remaining half in a food processor and grind to a coarse puree.
  4. Add egg, shallot, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic to processor.
  5. Process until smooth.
  6. Sprinkle mixture with breadcrumbs and process again.
  7. Transfer contents of food processor to a large bowl.
  8. Add coarsely chopped shrimp and red pepper.
  9. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well.
  10. Form burgers and chill for 1 hour (covered).
  11. Heat oil in a heavy skillet.
  12. When very hot, fry the shrimp burgers until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
  13. Drain on paper towels.
  14. Serve on an English Muffin.

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My Redheaded Burger Fantasy

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I have a slight obsession with redheaded men. Not really because I’m attracted to them, but more because I think they’re going extinct.  I mean seriously, how many natural red-haired men are there (besides Price Harry, Ed Sheeran, Ron Howard, Seth Green, and maybe an odd TV star like Damian Lewis)?  I am on the hunt to find more and as a side note, please feel free to comment if you can think of more!  I need to add to my list.

That aside, I also love Bobby Flay. Not just because he’s a redheaded man but because I think he’s charismatic, funny (have you heard him on Z100?) and I love all of his restaurants.  Living in New York, Bobby Flay is a staple here and since I have an affinity of all things spicy, his restaurants are always on my list. I also watch all of his shows on the Food Network to get inspiration.

Here he is making my favorite burger:

bobby

Ahh, my favorite burger…it’s called the Crunchburger, which he sells at Bobby’s Burger Palace.  Upon eating this burger for the first time, I had an epiphany – a little crunch makes any dish, particularly burgers, so much better.  When I began with my CKD diet, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to eat this burger, since A.) it had cheese on it and B.) the best part of the burger was the chips.  But alas, after much experimentation, I’ve found a perfect substitute that makes it CKD friendly.  At that, I give you my favorite redheaded burger with a CKD spin.

The Crunchburger

Original Recipe Found HERE (courtesy of the incomparable Bobby Flay)

Revised Recipe: ME 🙂 Jackie

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground meat chuck (85 percent lean) or ground turkey (90 percent lean)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 4 white hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired (Tip: Buns are better toasted 🙂 )
  • 4 slices beefsteak tomato (optional)
  • 4 leaves romaine lettuce (optional)
  • 4 slices red onion (optional)
  • Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise, recipe follows (optional)*
  • 4 handfuls of salt-free corn tortilla chips (Note: I am obsessed with Garden of Eatin’ blue corn chips, which you can find here. It’s just corn and oil.)
  • Optional for CKD Diets: If you want cheese on your burgers, you can buy rice cheese or Daiya cheese slices; however, please make sure you read the labels. These cheeses do have additives (including phosphates) and salt, so use in moderation.)

Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise:

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of agave syrup or honey (optional – only if you want to tone down the spice of the horseradish)

Directions

 

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with pepper.

Heat the oil in the pan or griddle over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Cook the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes for beef and 5 minutes for turkey. Flip over the burgers. Cook beef burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side, 4 minutes for medium rare or until cooked to desired degree of doneness. Cook turkey burgers until cooked throughout, about 5 minutes on the second side.

If using cheese, add to the tops of the burgers during the last minute of cooking and top with a basting cover, close the grill cover, or tent the burgers with aluminum foil to melt the cheese.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and, if desired, top with tomato, lettuce, onion, and a dollop of horseradish mustard mayonnaise. Pile on the corn chips, top with the bun tops, and serve immediately.

Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise:

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish (and agave syrup or honey if desired) in a small bowl and season with pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. The sauce can be prepared 1 day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.

*One note on this sauce: I absolutely LOVE this sauce and use it all the time. I put it on sandwiches, fish, and sometimes I make it into a dressing by adding oil.  If you are not a horseradish fan, you probably won’t use this, but I’ve found the addition of something sweet like the honey or agave syrup helps to balance out that strong flavor nicely.

Enjoy!