Dietitian, Nutritionist, Wholesome Mom, Author
About the Recipe
I have carnivores in my house; if I prepare a meatless meal, I get protests from the boys. They would eat steak every day if I let them. I’m always looking for alternatives to satisfy their meat cravings, but at the same time, keeping it healthy and delicious. I found this recipe on www.ankarsrumoriginalusa.com and it was a family favorite - even my picky daughter likes it! It’s like a super, fancy, gourmet burger, but easy to make. Buy ground chicken thighs for the best flavor and juiciness. The biggest challenge is making the patties thin, so mine tend to come out gargantuan, but that just makes them look more impressive on the plate!
Ingredients
3 pounds of ground chicken thighs (dark meat)*
Salt and pepper to taste
8oz crumbled feta
½ cup fig jam or preserves
Nice kaiser rolls or buns
Fresh Arugula
Preparation
Season the ground chicken with salt and pepper (please don’t taste raw chicken, just estimate it). Mix feta and jam together. Divide the meat into 12 equal portions. If you want to be precise about it, use a food scale and measure around 3oz for each portion (you may end up with more burgers this way). Flatten each portion out to form a thin patty. Place a heaping tablespoon of the feta jam mixture on a patty and then cover with another patty, sealing the edges the best that you can. Using a grill or skillet, cook each burger for around 5-7 minutes on each side. Place a burger in a bun, spread arugula walnut pesto on the top, bottom or wherever and how much you’d like, and add a generous amount of arugula on top. Stand back and watch your family devour them! These burgers are great to pack for school or office lunches too!
*If you have a meat grinder, you can buy whole chicken thighs, stick them in the freezer for a half an hour and then grind them yourself. I used a Vitamix to grind my chicken.