I was watching Food Network the other day and there were back to back episodes of 30 Minute Meals. I know many of my friends are not fans of hers but I kinda like her so I stuck around to watch. Besides, what she was cooking looked pretty interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I decided to incorporate it into tonight’s dinner. And, BONUS, you get 3 recipes in 2 days! Woot! I took a 9-day hiatus and am making up for it with back-to-back new recipes!
Anyway, on the first episode, she did a Tex-Mex theme. Honestly, I didn’t think the two recipes went together – pork soft tacos and oven fries – but both looked good. The next episode was all about the burger. She made a BBQ chicken burger topped with slaw that actually looked quite mouth-watering. And we do love a good burger in this house. So, I decided to make the burgers and the fries from the Tex-Mex episode. Seriously, burgers and fries go together like peas and carrots, white and rice, and Forrest and Jenny. (I get the whole tex-mex thing but tacos and fries? I don’t think so.)
So, this is my first attempt for you at a 30-minute meal – or so it’s supposed to be. I’ve made quite a few Rachael Ray recipes in my life and they don’t usually only take 30 minutes. I believe she can accomplish this feat because she knows exactly what she’s doing and knows how to prepare. Us commonfolk, however, are reduced to reading the recipe and following directions. That certainly adds time to the process. I’d certainly like those recipes to take 30 minutes – it’s certainly a nice concept and makes them attractive for weeknight dinners after a long day at work – but the reality is, unless you’ve made it a hundred times, you can count on it taking at least 45 minutes to an hour. The burger and fries combo took me about 40 minutes from start to finish. Not too bad, actually, and that was just me doing everything. If you’ve got a willing and able helper, you’ll definitely be able to pull this off in 30 minutes.
And, it all turned out pretty well! Okay, I totally loved the burgers but was only okay with the fries. But, I’m not a fry person. The burgers were really quite tasty and the slaw was a delicious topping. One of the positives touted about the slaw was that it was perfect for picnics because it doesn’t contain mayonnaise. I think the real positive about the slaw was the mellowness from the olive oil and the sweetness from the relish and honey. The lemon juice definitely added a nice acidity to balance the sweetness. It was really quite good! I make a pretty mean pulled pork sandwich and am considering using this slaw with those sandwiches in the future. Yummy!
Rachael cooked these burgers in a skillet because ground chicken isn’t as sturdy as ground beef in patty form – it wants to fall apart. I cooked these on the grill because I have a nifty vegetable pan for my grill that is perfect for veggies (of course!), shrimp and – wait for it – chicken burgers! I thought about making them in a skillet but well, you know how I feel about using my grill. (hey, don’t tell hubby I called it MY grill – he thinks it’s his – this will be our little secret, okay?) You could even use a grill pan or a griddle, if you wanted to – just make sure it’s non-stick or that you remember to spray it because chicken can be notoriously sticky and you don’t want to flip the burger only to leave the top part behind.
Everyone LOVED the burgers – Things 1 and 2 weren’t so much about the slaw and were quite happy with slawless burgers – and I will definitely be making them again. The fries? Well, maybe – jury is still out on those. I will tell you, the recipe calls for 4 potatoes cut into 10 wedges each for 4 servings. I think that’s a bit much. Seriously, that’s a LOT of potato! I did 2 potatoes for 4 people and we STILL didn’t eat all the fries. It’s completely up to you, but I would go less rather than waste a perfectly good potato. I mean, you can always use a potato for mashed, roasted wedges, baked or taco-topped. What?! You’ve never tried taco-topped potatoes?! Oh my goodness, are YOU missing out! It’s simple – bake the potato, open it up, top with taco meat, cheese and other toppings and enjoy. Delicious! But I digress….
Try the burgers. They’re worth it. Don’t forget the napkins. J Here’s the recipe. Happy drinking, eating and cooking!
BBQ Chicken Burgers with Slaw
Yield: 4 servings
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
1 small red onion, ½ finely chopped, ½ thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 ¼ lbs ground chicken
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (like McCormick)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons honey
1 lemon, juiced
3 rounded tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 cups shredded cabbage mix
Salt and pepper
4 cornmeal Kaiser rolls, split
1. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped onions, garlic and tomato paste and sweat them for 5 minutes to soften and sweeten. Sprinkle in sugar and remove from heat. Cool in a bowl, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste mixture, Worcestershire, hot sauce to bowl and combine. Add chicken to the bowl then grill seasoning and combine the burgers well to evenly distribute the flavors and form 4 patties. Wash up.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 6 minutes on each side.
3. Combine the honey, lemon juice, and remaining extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl. Add relish, cabbage mix and sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Toss the slaw to coat and reserve.
4. Serve burgers on bun bottoms topped with slaw and bun tops. (yes, this instruction is actually in the recipe!)
Serves 4
4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1. Heat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Cut potatoes into Texas
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