chicken chili verde burgers

with lime butter corn

Sep 03, 2022

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Happy Labor Day weekend, guys! Sending this email a day early so you can all use it for your cookouts this weekend.

I hope you all have something wonderfully fun planned with friends and family this weekend. Or, I hope you have no plans and are chilling the F out. Both options sound lovely to me, though I’m going with the former and I’m psyched to hang with friends.

Let’s talk burgers.

Beef burgers, in my opinion, are best left unadulterated. All they need is salt and pepper and some cheese on top to really shine.

Lean ground chicken or turkey, on the other hand, need… a lot. Throw a plain turkey patty on the grill and you will be left with a sad, dry little hockey puck. But dress it up with an egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, and tons of delicious spices?! Burger heaven. That’s what we’re up to this week.

flavor hack!

We’re using one of my favorite shortcut ingredients — jarred salsa verde — to make flavor magic happen in these burgers and their accompanying sauce. You’ll drain off the excess liquid so that you’re left with just the flavorful roasted chiles, tomatillos, jalapeños, garlic, etc. It’s an amazing flavor hack!

To jog your memory, we’ve also used salsa verde as a flavor shortcut in these recipes:

cooking school!

I thought I’d recycle this knowledge from last summer’s wildly popular turkey zucchini burgers:

#1 - a brief shopping egg-splanation

Let’s talk about something super basic that might make you a better cook. Eggs come in all sizes: small, medium, large, extra large. Seasoned recipe developers like moi always write what size egg you should use in the ingredients, because the difference between a small and extra-large egg is huge and can drastically change the recipe. Most recipe developers write recipes using large eggs, so it’s a good bet to just always buy large eggs. Especially when baking, using the right size egg is crucial.

#2 - why do we put breadcrumbs in burgers and meatballs?

It might feel counterintuitive to put dry breadcrumbs into ground meat to make it more moist, but here’s what’s happening. When meat cooks, it loses about 25% of its liquid. It just drips out into the pan or falls down through the grill grates. But when you add a bread-y situation to the ground meat mixture, instead of just dripping away, the bread soaks up that moisture and locks it into the burger or meatball. Juicy Lucy. Don’t skimp on the breadcrumbs.

chicken chili verde burgers with lime butter corn

Makes 4 burgers

Cook time: ~40 minutes

Tools:

Small mixing bowl
Large mixing bowl
Strainer or colander
Grill or parchment-lined sheet pan (and/or nonstick skillet)
Chef’s knife and cutting board (optional — only if opting for minced cilantro!)

Ingredients:

12-ounce jar salsa verde
1/3 cup mayonnaise, plus more to toast the buns with
1 lime, halved, divided
1 pound ground chicken
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I give you permission to buy pre-shredded)
1 large egg
1/3 cup panko or plain breadcrumbs (you can literally blend up a slice of bread and use that)
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 ears of corn, shucked
4 English muffins (or your fave burger bun, but I love English muffins for burgers!)
1 tablespoon butter
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Optional: cilantro for garnish, lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced onion, pickled red onions

Drain the 12-ounce jar of salsa verde over the sink — we want to get as much liquid out as possible while reserving the chunky part! If you don’t own a strainer, you can pour the salsa into a colander lined with paper towels or a very thin towel, then squeeze the liquid out.

To make your salsa verde mayo: Add 3 tablespoons of the drained salsa verde to a small mixing bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup mayonnaise, the juice of 1/2 a lime, and a pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoons minced cilantro if you bought it (it was optional!). Throw in the fridge (covered) until you’re ready to eat.

Add the rest of the salsa verde to a large bowl along with 1 pound ground chicken, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 large egg, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix until combined.

Divide the burger meat into 4 chunks and form each into a 1-inch-thick patty. Refrigerate the patties for at least 10 minutes before cooking. (This isn’t totally necessary if you’re tight on time, but will help them stay together and be easier to flip.)

Spray 4 ears of corn with cooking spray.

To grill burgers + corn: Preheat the grill to 450°F. Clean the grill grates very well. Spray the tops of the burgers with cooking spray and place them on the grill, sprayed side down. Add the 4 ears of corn as well. Close the lid and cook for 4 minutes. Spray the tops of the burgers carefully (don’t spray the flames with oil — bad plan!) and flip them over. Once flipped, sprinkle each patty with some of the remaining shredded cheddar (as much as desired!). Turn the corn. Cover and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Meanwhile, smear a light layer of mayo on the cut sides of 4 English muffins. Remove the burgers and corn and quickly toast your English muffins on the grate for about 1 minute with the grill lid open. Watch them CLOSELY! They like to burn.

To bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the patties and 4 ears of corn on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cooked through. About halfway through cooking, flip the burgers and sprinkle each patty with as much of the remaining shredded cheddar as desired. FYI, the burgers will look FUNKY — lots of liquid will ooze out. Don’t worry, that’s normal! Remove from the oven. On a separate baking sheet, place 4 English muffins — each smeared with a light layer of mayo on the cut side — cut sides up, and broil on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Sit on your butt and watch them closely. Again, bread BURNS QUICKLY!

To pan-fry: Heat your largest nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes. Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and swirl to coat the pan. Cook the burgers for 3 minutes per side (you can probably only cook 1 or 2 at a time… hence why baking is an easier option!). After you’ve flipped them, sprinkle each patty with as much of the remaining shredded cheddar as desired. Meanwhile, broil 4 ears of corn, sprayed with cooking spray, on each side for 2 to 3 minutes. Then broil the English muffins following the “to bake” instructions above.

Once cooked, rub the corn with 1 tablespoon butter and the cut side of the remaining lime half, squeezing it as you rub it all over the corn. Sprinkle with salt. Garnish with chopped cilantro if you feel like it.

Smear the salsa verde mayo on both sides of the toasted buns. Add a burger patty, avocado slices, and whatever other toppings you’re into.

Enjoy your burgers and corn!

Notes:

Make ahead: Combine the burger mixture — or even form the patties, if you have a container that can store them in the fridge! — and refrigerate covered for up to 48 hours.
Freezer-friendly: If you have leftover burgers, freeze them! Go ahead and cook them now as it’ll make reheating easier. Store them wrapped individually in plastic or foil and in an airtight bag. Thaw them reheat on the stove, in the microwave, or on the grill.
What to cook when you really don’t feel like cooking. This is a v simple recipe — did you notice that it’s NO CHOP if you skip the cilantro or buy it pre-minced?! — but feel free to skip the salsa verde mayo and just use regular mayo any/or ketchup or any other condiment you love to simplify your life even more.
Vegetarian: Use 1 pound of Impossible Burger or another plant-based meat!
Make it into meatballs: Make 8 to 10 meatballs with the same mixture. Bake at 425°F for 10 to 15 minutes or until 165°F internally.
Dairy-free/gluten-free: Swap in your fave df shredded cheddar and plant-based butter. For a gluten-free meal, buy or make gluten-free breadcrumbs (or omit) and use gluten-free bread as your bun. Alternately, you could chop the sides off of a head of iceberg lettuce and make a lettuce bun! Or serve your burger over salad.
Feeding kids: Be sure that you’re buying a mild salsa verde if feeding spice-averse kiddos!

Substitutions:

Salsa verde: Tomatillo sauce/salsa or another type of salsa!
Mayonnaise: Sour cream, vegan sour cream, vegenaise, plain yogurt, or Greek yogurt
Lime: Both the salsa verde mayo and corn are better with the lime juice here, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. Just simply butter your corn and omit the lime juice from the mayo mixture!
Ground chicken: Ground turkey cooked the same way! If using ground beef or pork, omit half of the cheese from the patty mixture as they will be plenty moist on their own.
Shredded cheddar: Shredded or freshly grated pepper jack, Monterey and/or Colby jack, or mozzarella would all work!
1 large egg: You can leave it out if needed, but it adds moisture to the lean meat that can otherwise be a bit dry. You could also make a flax egg: 1 tablespoon ground flax plus 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Stir together and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Panko or plain breadcrumbs: Any breadcrumbs will do! You could even blend up a slice of bread (the staler it is, the better) and use that instead.
Kosher salt: Sea salt, but you won’t need to use as much.
Ground cumin: Extra 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Chili powder: Extra 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Garlic powder: 2 cloves minced fresh garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder or garlic salt (if using the latter cut back on kosher salt accordingly so your burgers aren’t too salty!)
4 English muffins: Any burger buns — or serve over a salad instead.
1 avocado: Omit if needed
Corn: Not into corn? Serve them with my baked sweet potato fries or watermelon and feta salad instead!
Butter: Vegan butter or omit