For as long as we can remember, burgers for dinner meant ground beef, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and a grill. But these days we mix up our all-American sandwich with inspiration from across the globe.
In the case of this mouth-watering Chicken Burger, we start our renovation with the meat, using lighter ground chicken instead of the beef and move up through the flavorings – lemongrass! ginger! – finishing in the condiment department with hoisin-sriracha mayonnaise and sprigs of fresh cilantro.
Here’s how we do it. First, you take the lemon grass, an essential ingredient in Thai cooking. It’s sometimes a little bit hard to find at a regular supermarket, but you’ll probably recognize the scent as soon as you cut into it and are transported to a Bangkok market – or at least your local Thai restaurant.
Then peel off the tough outer part of the lemongrass as if it’s a scallion and dice the pliable inside core. Chop up the garlic and ginger too.
The potato wedges are going to be the side dish on this one. What would a burger be without fries? Those we didn’t mess with much, don’t worry.
They get a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves, a glug of olive oil, and some salt and pepper before heading into a 500°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, where they’ll cook and crisp up.
In the meantime, let’s get back to the burgers. Wash your hands and mix the ground chicken, panko, chopped lemongrass, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, half the hoisin and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Form this mixture into 2 beautiful hamburger patties. Wash your hands again. Heat a pan to medium and drizzle it with olive oil. Cook the burgers for 5 to 6 minutes a side.
Mix together the remaining hoisin and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Slice the tomato and wash the cilantro under cold water, then cut off any roots and long stems from the leafy tops.
Cut the burger buns in half (you can toast them in the hot pan if you want to!), and liberally spread the hoisin mayo onto the insides of the top and bottom. Add the patty and top with the heirloom tomato and a large bunch of cilantro, which takes the place of lettuce.
Serve with the potato wedges.
Dig in!
What You’ll Need to Make Thai Chicken Burgers with Hoisin Mayo and Potato Wedges for Two
Get the directions on the original recipe card here.
10 oz Ground Chicken
2 oz Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Artisanal Buns
2 Stalks Lemongrass
1 Piece Ginger
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Hoisin
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Teaspoon Sriracha
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Small Bunch Cilantro
1 Medium Heirloom Tomato
2 Large Russet Potatoes
1 Small Bunch Thyme
Heat the oven to 500F. While you are waiting for the oven to heat up peel the tough outer layers off the lemongrass to expose the tender white core. You will know you have peeled enough when the layers become soft and pliable and are no longer tough and fibrous. Likewise, peel the garlic and ginger. Chop the lemongrass, garlic, and ginger finely and set aside.Cut the potatoes in half on the length and then cut each half into quarters on the length and place in a large bowl.
Pick the Thyme leaves off the stem and chop roughly. Add the thyme to the potato bowl along with salt and pepper. Drizzle in about a Tablespoon of olive oil and toss together. Place on a sheet tray and put in the oven to roast, this will take around 25 minutes.
Wash your hands and mix the ground chicken, panko, chopped lemongrass, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, , sriracha, sesame oil, half the hoisin and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Form this mixture into 2 beautiful hamburger patties. Wash your hands again.
Heat a pan to medium and add a little olive oil to coat the bottom. Place the burger patties in the pan and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side until the meat is totally cooked through. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read 165F in the middle of the burgers. If you don’t, just take a peek with a fork and knife and make sure there’s no pink left. Don’t forget–the flatter the patty the faster it will cook.
While you are waiting for the burgers to cook, mix together the remaining hoisin and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Slice the tomato and wash the cilantro under cold water, then cut off any roots and long stems from the leafy tops.
By now the potato wedges should be done. Test them by poking them with a fork. It should go in and come back out with very little resistance. Once they’re done, you can remove them from the oven and set aside.
Cut the burger buns in half (you can toast them in the hot pan if you want to!), and liberally spread the hoisin mayo onto the insides of the top and bottom. Add the patty and top with the heirloom tomato and a large bunch of cilantro, which takes the place of lettuce. Serve with the potato wedges and your favorite condiments and dig in!
