Can't Believe It's Allergy Free!

It is very easy to make great burger patties without eggs or breadcrumbs.  I have tried buying allergy free, ready to eat , frozen burger patties of all kinds from fancy stores—they are so tasteless! So I added onions, green chili and cilantro to mine, in proportions that create a subtly gentle flavor, reminiscent of Indian cooking, to make the patties really tasty.  For me , garlic is an essential in all meat and poultry recipes—remember it is anti bacterial and does not allow pathogens to form. so in goes some garlic as well.

Good gluten and egg free burger buns / breads are available in stores, so you can assemble each patty and create a burger.  In the absence of gluten free bread, serve patties with mashed / baked potatoes and roasted veggies.  You can serve a complete meal with very little effort!

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1 cup packed, coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onions

1 heaped teaspoon minced, fresh garlic

1/2 teaspoon, minced green chili, or to taste (Small size serrano peppers are crazily hot and pungent, so I prefer the longer, larger size mild flavored ones).

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed

Salt to taste

Fresh, coarsely ground pepper to taste.

1 loosely packed cup of grated cheese (optional).

1 beefsteak tomato, cut crosswise into 4-6 slices, about half an inch thick.  Use an extra tomato if you like.

4-6 gluten free buns, split.

Sour cream, green leaf lettuce and mustard (optional) for serving.

Method

Heat grill to medium high.  Alternately, place a cast iron grill on stove top, on medium high heat.

Combine chicken with onions, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander and green chilies along with salt and pepper and the grated cheese. Divide mixture into 4-6 patties.

Brush grates / cast iron pan,with oil and place burgers.

Flip after 6-7 minutes, until the burgers are golden brown. If cooking on cast iron pan, loosely cover with foil, after flipping.

Allow burgers to cook for 6-7 minutes more.  It is best to insert a cooking thermometer into the thickest part, and make sure it registers at 165 degrees F.(approx. 75 degrees C).

Remove from grill / pan.

Lightly brush tomato slices with oil, grill, flipping once, until slightly charred, about one and a half minutes or so.  Season with salt.  Brush cut side of buns with olive oil. Grill buns, cut side down, just until toasted.

Serve burgers on grilled buns with tomato slices, sour cream, lettuce and mustard.

Roasted veggies on the side will complete the meal

Enjoy!