Chicken & Chickpea Burgers

Apparently it's the week of the chickpea. Or, if you prefer, garbanzo. And I do, mostly because I feel like one of those old-timey vaudevillians when I say "Gar-BAN-zo," loudly and with emotion. Ok, ok. Maybe I should stick to chickpea.

In any case, back to the burger. It's good. And simple. I made chicken sausage again last week (chickens were on sale), and was trying to find another use for it. I also had a can of chickpeas. A great idea was born!

First, mash up those chickpeas. 

You can either blitz them in a food processor for a few seconds, or smoosh them with a fork. I chose the fork option. You want to get most of them split, but if a few are whole, it's not a big deal. 

Then you toss them in with your chicken sausage. Or plain ground chicken. That works too. You'll just have to spice it up. 

Chop up some green onion. Cause there was some on the counter. Toss it in, and add in any other spices you want at this point.

If you're headed Italian, try adding rosemary and sundried tomatoes. If going Mediterranean, perhaps some kalamata olives, sumac, and dried apricots. Toss in oregano or basil or dill. It's really up to you. 

Make up patties and fry them in a skillet.

I made a baby patty for snacking. Gotta look out for the chef. 

Flip them once they are all good and brown on one side. 

My pan is big, but my burner is small. Such is life. 

You may need to tent them with aluminum foil to ensure doneness.

Or, use a lid that fits your skillet. We don't have one of those. Thus the foil.

While the burgers are cooking, prep your buns. Hah. Buns! Hee, hee, hee. Sorry. Apparently I just turned into a 4th grader. Give me a sec. *Ahhhh* Ok. Back. 

I found some ciabatta rolls at the grocer which worked perfectly as *snicker* buns. They just needed to be cut in half.

Next, mix some mayo with a teaspoon of hotsauce. We found this fabulous one made by local firefighters. It's really smoky and awesome. They sell it online here, as well as around locally. And all proceeds go to charity. I know we'll be buying more!

Schmear on a healthy amount of spicy mayo. Then top with baby spinach. Or arugula. I won't judge. 

Place your perfectly cooked patty on the bun, and layer on a few thick slices of tomato. 

Your burger is done! What a beauty. And healthy too!

Chicken & Chickpea Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

12-14 oz chicken sausage (or ground chicken)

Spices (it's totally up to you)

1 16 oz can of chickpeas/garbanzos

2 tbsp chopped green onion

4 ciabatta rolls (or whatever bun you prefer)

2 tbsp mayo

1 tsp hot sauce

thick cut tomato slices for topping (optional)

baby spinach for topping (optional)

Mash up your chickpeas in a food processor or with a fork so that most are split, but a few are still whole. Mix chickpeas with chicken sausage. Add chopped green onion and other spices as desired. Form into patties. Cook patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes a side, until nicely browned. Tent with foil or a lid for last few minutes of cooking time. 

Cut buns in half. Toast them if you'd like. Mix mayo with hotsauce and generously spread on top half of bun. Add toppings (tomato and spinach, or whatever else you want). When patties are done, assemble the burger and enjoy! 

Goes great with sweet potato fries. Mmmmmm. I'll have to leave that for another post.