Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Happy Valentine's Day! I am not one for going out to dinner on Valentine's Day.  I'd rather skip the overpriced, prix fixe dinner, and instead opt for rain-check on the fancy date night...  perhaps to be redeemed this weekend instead.  :) Luckily, KK is a go-with-the-flow sort of guy, so he follows my lead and we usually opt to stay in for Valentine's Day.  This year, even as our first as a married couple, we stuck to the plan.  We opted for a repeat meal to guarantee a successful dinner.  We made these burgers on a gas grill with my Dad back in December.  This time, we used my cast iron grill pan since we don't have space for a grill -  backyards or balconies are rare in Hoboken.

We enjoyed the burgers with a side of sweet potato waffle fries, BirdsEye Tuscan vegetables with marinara sauce (there is no such thing as too much sauce!!!), and a bottle of 2007 V. Sattui Merlot.  It was, as expected, a perfect meal!

Chicken Parmesan Burgers
Adapted from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
Serves 4

Ingredients
1lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
Mozzarella cheese
Hamburger buns
Butter spread or margarine
Garlic powder
Extra marinara sauce

Directions
1. Combine first nine ingredients (through dried basil) and mix well. Form into four patties, creating a slight dent in the center of the patty; refrigerate about 30 minutes.

2. Grill over medium-high heat, 6-8 minutes on each side. Top cooked chicken burgers with mozzarella cheese.

3. Coat insides of hamburger buns with a little butter and a sprinkle of garlic powder and place on the grill 1-2 minutes (or in the toaster oven), until lightly toasted. Spread marinara sauce on toasted buns and top with cooked chicken burgers.