Spicy Chicken Burgers with Carrot & Cabbage Slaw

It’s March.

And it’s 25 degrees out.

I really shouldn’t be surprised since this is Kansas. I do this every year though. We have one nice day at the beginning of March when the snow begins to melt, my winter coat is too heavy, and a piping bowl of soup just makes me hot. I immediately get all excited and declare that spring is finally here, only to get my hopes smashed the next day when it’s snowing again and is as cold as the dead of winter.

Luckily, my weatherman is predicting the latter part of the week to be a balmy 60-65 degrees. Thank goodness! I literally might die if I have to stand another long bout with freezing temperatures or heavy snow. Literally.

These chicken burgers are perfect for times like today, where physically it still feels like winter, but mentally we’re all in Spring. When it’s not quite warm enough to kick start grilling season, but we’re soo ready for it – and so are our ovens and stoves.

Spring-like in every way, these are super low in fat (HELLOO bikini season), full of vibrant colors and a cinch to put together. I mean the whole thing comes together in less than twenty minutes from start to finish, so obviously they’re perfect for an easy weeknight meal or even a quick lunch on the weekend.

As I’m sure you can imagine, ground chicken can be, err, to put it bluntly, bland and dry – it’s just the nature of chicken breasts. BUT these guys are neither because of a couple essential steps we take to ensure juicy (not dry) burgers.

First, grated onion. This is hands down the easiest and most flavorful way to add moisture to any kind of patty, including chicken. When onion is grated, it becomes slushy and the juice pours over the meat creating a ton of moisture while still infusing the onion-y flavor in the burgers. I use the method in meatballs, meatloaf, hamburgers, turkey burgers, salmon patties…you get the picture…it’s good stuff.

Two, do not overcook! Yes, it’s important for chicken to be cooked all the way through, but it’s equally important to not overcook the chicken either. So, once the chicken is cooked through (it should take approximately 8-10 minutes) remove from the stove immediately.

Ok, so we’ve got the moisture part down, next let’s focus on the spicy. Spice comes into these burgers in two ways. The first is in the actual burger and the second is in the slaw. In the burger we have diced Fresno chili peppers –you could substitute jalapeno, but I like the vibrant red color of the Fresno, plus I think it has a little bit different kind of heat than a jalapeño.

In the slaw we have my favorite way to add spice to everything (and probably yours too!) sirracha sauce. If you’ve been in a deep dark hole the past few years and haven’t heard of Sirrach, today’s your lucky day, because you are going to love sirracha. One little squeeze adds huge flavor and spice to your dishes. Trust me on this one.

The burgers come out flavorful, spicy, moist and ready to be gobbled up – even Kevin who is a beef guy devoured these for dinner and lunch the next day.