Curry Chicken Burger - November Secret Recipe Club

Today is Secret Recipe Club day!  I had Jane from Jane's Adventures in Dinner.  She is an accomplished baker and loves a good burger re-do.  Her philosophy on the "twisted" burgers?  Take everything she loves about a certain dish and put it between two slices of bread.  For example, her Beef Curry Burgers are based on take-away curry that she loved while living in England.  Curry paste, chutney, ginger, cilantro, and grated carrots all got mixed into ground beef to recreate one of her favorite dishes.

I am a big fan of the re-do, so I thought I would run with her curry burger and translate it into some of my favorite Thai flavors.  To approximate a red curry, ground chicken is combined with red curry paste (or sriracha) lime zest, onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro.  I made a quick peanut sauce to accompany the burgers and topped them with crunchy red bell pepper and carrots.

It's been really difficult to get me in the kitchen during the transition from boot to walking, but this completely motivated me.  At the end of the day, I'm exhausted and stressed and all I can think about is two bags of frozen peas sandwiching the ankle and a bowl of salsa and chips.  I constantly feel frustrated by how much I can't do yet.  People stare at me when I'm out and all I want to do is blend in to the city like normal.  The people who pitch for charities downtown all come up to me now because, and i QUOTE, "You can't run away from us!"  Yes, people that happened.

So thank you, Jane, for giving me a great way to be creative.  Be sure to check out all of the other group B submissions!


Curry Chicken Burger
For the Burgers:
1 pound of ground chicken
1 tablespoon red curry paste (or 2 teaspoons of sriracha)
1/4 red onion, grated
1-2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated
zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, plus some for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

To assemble:
Peanut Sauce
Buns
finely sliced carrots and red bell peppers


Begin by gently mixing up all of the ingredients for the burgers.  Try to use just your finger tips and don't squeeze the mixture!

Form the patties based on your bread size.  On medium heat, cook your burgers in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil) for about 5 minutes on each side or until the burgers are no longer pink inside (about 160 F).

Assemble your burgers by slathering peanut sauce on both sides of the bread (because it is that freaking awesome), add the burger, and top with the crunchy veggies and a little cilantro.  Enjoy!

Peanut Sauce
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly
1 inch ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons of red curry paste
3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter (IMPORTANT)
1 15 oz can of coconut milk
juice of 2 limes
1-2 teaspoons of fish sauce
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
3 tablespoons of palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by sauteing the onions in the coconut oil over medium high heat, just until they begin to brown.  Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the red curry paste and stir in, reducing the heat to medium.  Stir occasionally for a few minutes and then add the peanut butter, coconut milk, and lime juice.

Lower the heat a little more and combine.  Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Let thicken for a few more minutes.

Before serving up, taste the sauce and adjust for the balance of flavors (salty, sweet, tangy, spicy).  I like mine spicy, so I added a little more red curry paste plus a little extra fish sauce and lime juice because I just love anything tangy.  Enjoy!