Chicken and cashew burger with sesame and tandoori mayonnaise

Homemade, juicy and delicious, that's the recipe Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour, brings us to make chicken burgers at home. Bet you can't resist the temptation?

Who doesn't enjoy a good homemade burger? Homemade burgers have very little to do with the fast food sold at quick-service restaurants. Starting with the raw ingredients.

In my case, to begin with, I always buy the meat to grind, because those pre-packaged ground meats they sell simply seem horrible and lacking in meaty flavor. I still haven't discovered what they add to them, but they have very little actual ground meat. In fact, since I got the Picadora de Carne manual, I've started making not only beef burgers, but other types of meat like chicken, lamb or turkey, which the butcher usually doesn't grind because it's prohibited due to cross-contamination, and at best you have to wait until the end of the day or the next morning. It's sturdy, easy to use and easy to clean and I find it the most vintage in my kitchen.

Parrilla grill De Buyer de hierro

As for the burgers, one of my favorites is this chicken burger, lighter than beef but very juicy. I recommend using thighs preferably, as they are juicier than breast. But even with breasts these burgers turn out super juicy, thanks to the creme fraiche and the teaspoon of tahini we add.

The cashews we add and the sesame give it a crunchy touch and extra flavor. Ahh, and don't forget to add the lemon zest, it's the necessary contrasting element.

To shape them I use the prensa para hamburguesas Gefú, which allows all my burgers to have the same size and shape and cook evenly on all sides. A tool that since I've had it for years I consider an essential in my kitchen, even if it seems like a superfluous utensil. A burger shaped this way has nothing to do, not only in presentation but in cooking, with a burger we've formed by hand.

To cook it I used the De Buyer mineral iron grill-grill, not just a beauty, but ideal for cooking meats and fish on the griddle, as it distributes and retains heat very well, and you can even put it straight in the oven.
Let's get to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS: (For 4 burgers of about 200gr.)

For the burgers:

• 4 burger buns
• 800gr of minced chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 onion diced brunoise
• Zest of 1 organic lemon
• 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche or Greek yogurt
• 1 egg (M)
• 4 tablespoons of fine breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon of Tahin
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cashews
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper
• Sesaмe Oil "La Tourangelle"

For the Tandoori mayonnaise:

• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 2-3 teaspoons of Indian Tandoori curry paste

For assembly

• Lamb's lettuce (mâche)
• Strips of red pepper

PREPARATION

Prepare the Tandoori Mayonnaise by mixing the mayonnaise with the paste. Chill and set aside.

Now for the burger:

1. Start by grinding the meat with our picadora de carne manual, if the butcher hasn't done it for us.

2. Mix all the ingredients well and season with salt and pepper.

3. Make meatballs of the weight you want for your burgers and shape them. For this, sprinkle the inside of the mold of the prensa para hamburguesas Gefú with a little breadcrumbs so they release easily when removing (this mixture is rather soft). Flatten with the back of a spoon and press with the porcelain tamper of the press. Turn out and ready. Repeat until finished.

Picadora de carne manual and prensa para hamburguesas Gefu

Since this press lets you make burgers from between 120 gr to 200 gr, I made 200gr burgers which I find more substantial and, being thicker, juicier.

4. Heat our De Buyer mineral iron grill-grill over medium-high and when it's very hot, add a drizzle of sesame oil. Place our burgers and cook about 3-4 minutes per side.

While the burgers are cooking we also roast the strips of red pepper.

5. Once cooked, we toast the bases of the hamburger buns on the same griddle, so they turn out crispy and don't go soft with the sauce.

6. Assemble the burger by spreading a tablespoon of tandoori mayonnaise, some lamb's lettuce and top with the red pepper strips, more mayonnaise and lamb's lettuce.

Ready to enjoy in good company with a refreshing beer.

Enjoy.
Virginia