Whoa there babe! National Burger Day is coming up on Thursday, May 28th! But first, how was your Memorial Weekend? I spent Monday working, and reflecting on the life of my Father, who served in the Army as a part of the band. He was a trombonist, and while I didn’t get to hear him play too much, I did spend quite a bit of time with him at his shop repairing the organs and keyboards of the musicians of Las Vegas. Music was always a part of our lives, and I was pretty excited when I got to repair Englebert Humperdinck’s keyboard one summer. I was not only touching, but FIXING the instrument of a famous person!
Jump to Tequila Lime Chicken Burger Recipe
That’s just one of the reasons I loved my Dad so much. He taught me that if you’ve got a will, you can fix anything you set your mind to. I’m sure I’ve told you before that my soon-to-be husband came home to me having the steering column of my ’95 Chevy Corsica completely dismantled one night. My response to his disbelief? “I have a book – I can do it! It’ll be fine” I tell him. That quality is allll my Dad. The steering column was put back together that night, and the mechanism for engaging the turning signal was replaced and working good-as-new!
Memorial Day is always a little bittersweet for me. It’s so close to the day that my Father passed away. I’ve seen quite a bit of banter on social media about Memorial Day not being a “happy” day, but rather being a time of reflection. Frankly, I don’t see why it can’t be both. I prefer to reflect on the good times that I shared with my Father, and now that he’s gone, for me, it’s about celebrating his life! Moping about, being sad about all the people I’ve lost just isn’t my gig. They deserve to be celebrated, and I’m sure that they wouldn’t want us moping about either.
Since Memorial Day is so close to National Burger Day, I figured I’d honor him with this Tequila Lime Chicken Burger. As a family we went to Applebee’s quite a bit, and my Dad had an affinity for their Tequila Lime Chicken dish. He ordered it every time we went out, so whenever I think of him, I think of that dish. I thought, “Why not make that into a burger?” This puppy doesn’t skimp on the good stuff, and I promise you won’t miss the red meat. I hope you enjoy this rockin’ burger for National Burger Day which falls on Thursday, May 28th, 2015!
Serve the burger with a hoppy beer. A pale ale would work great, or even an IPA, Double IPA, or Triple IPA. This burger is super creamy, and the hoppiness of the beer will refresh your palate with every bite. Pictured is Ritual Brewing Company‘s Art Of Dankness which is a super hoppy Double IPA, which is sweet, yet packs a bitter hop punch.
What burger will you make this Thursday?
- For The Tequila Lime Spread
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Chopped Cilantro
- Zest of 1 Lime
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Tequila
- For The Chicken Patties
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Pound Ground Chicken
- 1/3 Cup Finely Diced Onion
- 1 Tablespoon Chopped Cilantro
- Zest of 1 Lime
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Tequila
- Garnishes
- 1 Cup Baby Arugula
- 1 Small Avocado, cut into slices
- 8 Tomato Slices
- 4 Slices Pepper Jack Cheese
- 4 Whole Wheat Non-GMO Burger Buns
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until smooth, about 5 – 10 seconds. Set aside.
- Mix the lime zest, juice, tequila in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the olive oil.
- Mix the chicken, onion, cilantro, and one tablespoon of the tequila lime mix. Form 4 patties, and place in the skillet. Cook on one side for 5 minutes, then flip and cook 5 minutes more.
- At the end of the cooking time, add the tequila lime mix to the pan, and deglaze the pan. Be careful, as the tequila is flammable, and could catch fire. If you’re nervous about this, turn the flame completely off when you add the tequila lime mixture, allow to bubble with the residual heat for about 30 seconds, and turn the heat back on. Flip the burgers one more time so they get some of the tequila lime action. The liquid will evaporate, and concentrate, giving you a great lime/tequila flavor.
- After letting the flavors infuse in the skillet for about 2 minutes, turn off the heat, and top with cheese. While the cheese melts, prepare the rest of your burger.
- Toast your burger buns under the broiler until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Divide the arugula among the 4 heels of the burger buns, then add the avocado slices. Carefully place the chicken patty on top of the arugula and avocado, and top with tomato.
- Slather the crown of the bun with the tequila/lime cream mixture, and place on top of the tomatoes. Enjoy!
Love that you dedicated this post to your dad 🙂 Anyone would be lucky to have this post dedicated to them 🙂 It looks really fantastic with all the avocado and delish sauce on there!!! Pinned!
What a fabulously gorgeous burger and what a beautiful tribute to your father. Well done.
are your ears ringing? here my moms house talking about your cooking, that tequila lime CHICKEN burger looks delicious!