Chicken and cashew burger with sesame and tandoori mayonnaise

Homemade, juicy, and delicious—that’s the recipe Virginia brings us, author of Sweet&Sour, for making chicken burgers at home. Can’t resist the temptation, can you?

Who doesn’t enjoy a good homemade burger? Homemade burgers have very little to do with the fast food they sell in fast-food places. Starting with the raw ingredients.

In my case, to begin with, I always buy the meat to mince, because those prepackaged minced meat mixes they sell seem downright awful to me, with very little meat flavor. I still haven’t figured out what they add, but there’s very little minced meat in them. In fact, since I got the Manual Meat Grinder, I’ve started making not only beef burgers, but also other kinds of meat, like chicken, lamb, or turkey, which butchers don’t usually mince routinely, since it’s forbidden because of cross-contamination, and at best, you have to wait until the end of the day or first thing the next day. It’s sturdy, easy to use, and easy to clean, and I find it very vintage in my kitchen.

De Buyer cast iron grill pan

As for burgers, one of my favorites is this chicken burger, lighter than beef but very juicy. I recommend using thighs rather than breast if possible, since they’re juicier. But even with breast meat, these burgers turn out super juicy thanks to the creme fraiche and the teaspoon of tahini we add.

The cashews and sesame seeds give it a nice crunch and flavor. Ahh, and don’t skip the lemon zest—it’s a necessary touch of contrast.

To shape them, I use the Gefú burger press, which lets me keep all my burgers the same size and shape so they cook evenly on all sides. It’s a tool that, since I got it years ago, I consider essential in my kitchen, even though it may seem like a superfluous utensil. A burger shaped this way is nothing like one we’ve formed by hand, not only in presentation but also in how it cooks.

To cook it, I used the grill-grill mineral iron De Buyer, not only a beauty, but also ideal for cooking meats and fish on the griddle, since it distributes and retains heat very well, and you can even put it straight into 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, finely diced
• The zest of 1 organic lemon
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or Greek yogurt
• 1 egg (M)
• 4 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 tablespoons chopped cashews
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper
• Sesame Oil "La Tourangelle"

For the Tandoori mayonnaise:

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

For assembling

• Lamb's lettuce
• Red pepper strips

PREPARATION

We prepare the Tandoori mayonnaise by mixing the mayonnaise with the paste. Set aside in the fridge.

Now for the burger:

1. We start by mincing the meat with our manual meat grinder, if the butcher hasn’t already done it for us.

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

3. Make balls of dough of the weight we want for our burgers and shape them. To do this, sprinkle the inside of the mold of the Gefú burger press with a little breadcrumbs so they release easily when removing them (this mixture is rather soft). Flatten with the back of a spoon and press with the porcelain handle of the press. Turn out and done. Repeat until finished.

Manual meat grinder and Gefu burger press

Since this press lets you make burgers from 120 gr to 200 gr, I made 200gr burgers, which I find more filling and, since they’re thicker, juicier.

4. Put our grill-grill mineral iron De Buyerover medium-high heat and when it’s very hot, add a drizzle of sesame oil, Place the burgers and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

While the burgers are cooking, grill the red pepper strips as well.

5. Once cooked, we toast the hamburger bun bases on the same griddle so they turn out crispy and do not go soggy from the sauce.

6. Assemble the burger by adding a spoonful of tandoori mayonnaise, some lamb's lettuce, and topping with the red pepper strips, more mayonnaise, and lamb's lettuce.

Ready to enjoy in good company with a refreshing beer.

Enjoy.
Virginia