It is stinkin' hot here in Toronto this Canada Day weekend and I don't want to turn on my oven or do much work in the kitchen which is exactly why I made these burgers. They are perfect for outdoor or indoor grilling and they go amazingly well with Guacamole Deviled Eggs , Kale Salad with Creamy Dressing and Maca Hazelnut Chocolate Freezer Fudge for dessert.
Even though a good burger is the quintessential summer food, that's not the star of this recipe; it's really the pineapple salsa! If you're not a meat eater, you can make the salsa for your veggie burger!
It's super refreshing, bright, spicy and sweet - everything a burger topping should be!
This recipe is a revamp of a recipe from 2016 and I'm reposting it because we made it this week and took some gorgeous photos of it that I just had to share.
It's juicy, gluten-free, dairy-free (unless you add cheese) and perfect for your next family BBQ! For Vienna, I simple cut the cooked burger into strips and serve it with raw crunchy veggies.
You may have been thinking that burgers are out of the question if you're a health minded person, but that's only if we are talking about McD's or Harvey's. If you're buying chicken from an reputable source, such as at a farmers market from a farmer you know or certified organic from your local grocer, then you're eating something very healthy and far better than the majority of the chicken that North Americans eat which is factory farmed.
Remember, if you eat animal foods, these foods are only as healthy as the food they are eating. This is why it's important to avoid factory farmed meat. Many factory farmed animals are fed GMO corn and soy which I suggest you always avoid.
You may be surprised to learn that chicken is actually a very nutrient-dense food!
It's rich in iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and vitamins A, B2, B3, B 12 and more. Of course, chicken is an excellent source of protein, too.
Because I make burgers all the time, I typically use whatever ingredients I have on hand. I'm not too picky. So if I don't have sundried tomatoes, I like to use fresh grape or cherry tomatoes and just halve them.
I've never been much of a bun person because I get too full from eating all that bread. Plus, I like to get my carbs elsewhere, like from veggies. But I live with a bun-lover (my hubs!) so that's why the photo shows the burger with a bun. If you're looking for a good brand, Silver Hills makes sprouted buns and I've seen gluten-free burger buns at my local health food store too.
Here are my favourites right now:
- Pineapple Salsa
- Chosen Foods Avocado Mayo
- Sauerkraut (preferably homemade -- see Joyous Detox page 205 for a recipe)
- Sliced avocado or guacamole (my famous recipe coming soon)
- Pickled onions or raw red onion
- Best-Ever BBQ Sauce
- Dill pickles
- Lettuce
Have I gone too far? Haha. You can never have too many toppings in my opinion. It may however, mean you eat half of your toppings with a fork, but I'm okay with that.
This burger recipe makes 4 medium-large burgers or 6 smaller ones.
Mains & Sides
Juicy Chicken Burgers with Pineapple Salsa
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Ingredients
- For the burgers
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 2 tbsp gluten-free tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 lb (450g) organic ground chicken
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes or grape tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped
- For the pineapple salsa
- 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored and sliced into cubes
- 1 sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper
- Optional: 1 tsp dried hot chili flakes
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium.
- For the salsa, brush pineapple with olive oil and grill until lightly browned. Chop into small pieces. In a medium size bowl, combine with red pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper. Place in fridge and let the flavours mingle for an hour or two.
- For the burgers, in a large bowl whisk the egg and tamari or coconut aminos. Add the ground flaxseeds, chicken, onion, garlic, sundried tomatoes and parsley. Mix well. Form into 4 to 6 patties, depending how large you like your burgers.
- Grill burgers for 15-20 minutes or until completely cooked. Serve with pineapple salsa and a big raw salad.
Notes
If the burger seems too wet, you can add 2 more tbsp of flaxseeds. If you want to make this egg-free, just use 4 tbsp of flaxseeds total.
The pineapple salsa makes more than enough for 4 to 6 burgers so you'll probably have some leftover. It's delicious on salsa or with tortilla chips. Right now I'm LOVING Siete chips, specifically the lime flavour!
There you have it – my favourite burger that I will be eating on repeat throughout the summer. It works great with ground turkey as well!
What's your favourite summer food?
OMG! This sounds so good! I will be making the salsa so I will need to makes the whole recipe.....YUM!
ReplyHi Ruby! I hope you love it!
Can you just bake these and if so how long and what temp in the oven?
ReplyFor sure! I would do 350F degrees (180F) for 25 minutes or until the inside is no longer pink. Enjoy!
I tried this tonight and it was so delicious! I can't have nightshades so I omitted the sundried tomatoes and I added some finely chopped green onions for more flavor, booyeah it is sooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplySounds deliciously yummy!
Thank you for this recipe! These were a huge hit yesterday 😋
ReplyAwesome!