Chimichurri Burgers with Fried Green Tomatoes and Bacon

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If you’re a frequent reader around here, you know I sort of like chicken burgers, and by sort of, I mean, I love them. I tend to slather and stack my burgers with an obscene amount of indulgent toppings, so if I can cut fat and calories and maintain maximum flavor, I’m going to do it. Thus far, I’ve made mozzarella stick chicken burgers, croque madame chicken burgers, strawberry, bacon and brie chicken burgers, thai chicken burgers, spanakopita chicken burgers, and several others I won’t even mention for fear I made send huge pains shooting through my stomach.

Although I think it’s too late after adding links into all of the aforementioned, the huger pains are speaking to me loud and clear…

Ground chicken is readily available these days, however, it’s expensive and there’s often added preservatives and such that make me want to steer clear, so instead, I like to buy organic chicken breasts and grind the meat myself. It’s a bit of an annoyance, but for me it’s worth it. All you do is cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces, scatter them on a baking sheet or cutting board, and pop them into the freezer for about 15 minutes until they’re super cold. The chicken then gets transferred to the food processor and is pulsed until the meat is completely ground. From there, you basically have a blank canvas and can add whatever flavor you want to the mixture, which I love.

Today, I seasoned the chicken with a homemade chimichurri sauce, and I have to say, I think I may have to season all my chicken patties this way from now on. The combination of parlsey, red wine vingegar, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, infuses SO much flavor into an otherwise bland patty of chicken, you almost don’t need any toppings. Almost.

Kevin and I were lucky to have a resurgence of our ravaged tomato plants, so I’ve been trying to use up the plethora of tomatoes we have in everything from pizzas to salads to classic BLTs. Here, they serve double duty, first in their unripened state, as a fried green tomato, and second, just as a plain, sliced red tomato. I thought the contrast of the tart and sweet, and crispy and soft texture would be a nice combination, and it was.

A basket weave of crispy bacon is nestled between the patty and the two layers of tomatoes, and then everything is drizzled with a garlicky lemon mayo.

Chimichurri Double BLT Burgers

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps

Serves: 4 burgers

Ingredients

½ cup finely chopped parsley
2 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. red pepper flake
2 Tbls. red wine vinegar
1 Tlbs. lemon juice
¼ cup + 2 Tlbs. olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 tsp salt
½ medium onion, grated
12 slices bacon
2 medium green tomatoes, sliced into ½ inch slices
1 egg
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 medium red tomatoes, sliced
4 burger buns

Lemon Mayo

½ cup light mayo
3 Tlbs. lemon juice
2 small garlic cloves, grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line bacon up on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
In a small bowl, combine parsley, garlic, red pepper flake, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and 2 Tlbs. olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, use your hands to combine chimichurri, ground chicken, and salt. Form into four patties.
Add egg and 2 Tlbs. water to a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Add bread crumbs to a small bowl. Dip each green tomato in the egg, then breadcrumbs, back into the egg, and again into the breadcrumbs. Make sure to pat all excess off.
Heat two large non-stick skillets to a medium heat. Add 2 Tlbs olive oil to each pan. In one pan, cook green tomatoes, until golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. In other pan, cook the chicken burgers until golden brown on both sides, and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Top each bun first with a burger patty, then with bacon, followed by red tomato and fried green tomato. Drizzle with lemon mayo.

Lemon Mayo