What's For Dinner? Chicken Parmesan Burgers
Disclaimer: Most of these recipes are not mine; I have taken recipes from other people, the internet, etc and have adapted them. Many times I do not use a precise recipe so some of these measurements may be off a little, but still in the ballpark. Trust me...I am a pastry chef because I need precise measurements but after making these dinners for so many years I have learned to "wing it" (as much as that is not my style). This particular recipe came to me from a former colleague and has been a family favorite. Usually we don't eat them on buns but you certainly can; I typically serve over pasta (photo not shown since we ate late and forgot to take a final photo- don't judge me because it's going to happen more than once)!
Chicken Parmesan Burgers (4 large burgers or 7-8 thin burgers):
1 pound ground chicken, 1 egg, 1 jar tomato sauce (homemade if you have-that's a story for another post), 3/4-1 cup italian breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 bag of shredded mozzarella (I've tried fresh and I don't like the way it melts here), 1tsp salt, pepper to taste, 1 tsp garlic powder, cooking spray or oil
**I recommend a non-stick pan here (I learned the hard way)
-Add all of the ingredients to a bowl (NOTE: only add 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce into the bowl and reserve the rest for later)
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-Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated equally but do not over mix; form into patties (4 large or 7-8 small thin patties). I realized at some point that one pound was not enough for my family of 5 so I made the burger patties thin and ended up with 7 or 8 (there were no leftovers);
-Heat a pan on medium-low and add 1 TBSP of oil or spray well with cooking spray;
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-Brown on both sides (keep the heat at medium-low to medium because they will burn and stick. Try not to let that happen). You definitely want the patties browned on both sides though.
-After the patties are completely browned pour over the remaining sauce (or most of it). At this point I like to "shimmy" the pan to ensure that the sauce gets under the burgers
-Top with shredded mozzarella and cover with a lid. Simmer until cheese is melted
PS - meltier than this and notice that I changed pans!