Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers

I don't know how she did it, but somehow my favorite bride-to-be found time in her busy schedule to share her bridal shower pictures.  She really is the best!  To the left you can see the beautiful bridesmaids, the almost-newleyweds, and the margarita making station! Aren't the margarita glasses so fun?

As if I hadn't had enough Mexican food on Saturday, KK decided we'd try a Mexican twist on chicken burgers.  Thankfully, my first attempt at homemade guacamole was a success, because it really made the meal! My guac was a trial-and-error experiment, so I don’t have a recipe to share.  My method was simple: slice up the avocado, add ½ diced onion (leftover from the burgers themselves), throw in some diced tomato, and then start tossing in spices.  I used garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper (be careful with that last one!), added them gradually, and taste-tested frequently until the flavor combination was right.  These burgers are extremely quick to assemble and cook.  Really dice up the onions and jalapeños into small pieces so your burgers aren’t chunky.  The leftover burgers should heat up nicely as leftovers for lunch or dinner later this week, but it’s too bad there isn't any leftover guac to top them with! In the spirit of summer, and because we had a coupon for three free, I quickly microwave-cooked a couple of corn cobs to go with the burgers.  Check back over the weekend to see how I used the third ear of corn!

Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Burgers

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Time: 15 minutes

Serve: 4

Ingredients

1 lb. ground chicken

½ small onion, diced

⅓ c. fresh cilantro, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp lime juice

⅓ c. shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp pepper

Cooking spray
4 burger buns

Guacamole and salsa, for topping

Directions

1. To make the burgers, combine ground chicken, onion, cilantro, garlic cloves, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, lime juice, and ⅓ cup shredded cheddar; season with salt and pepper.  Form mixture into 4 patties.

2. Heat grill pan or gas grill to medium-high heat; spray grill grates with cooking spray to prevent burgers from sticking.

3. Cook the patties on the grill, 3-4 minutes per side.  Just before the burgers are done, top with additional shredded cheddar cheese if desired.  Plate burgers and let rest a few minutes before serving.  Top buns and burgers with guacamole and salsa.