What are your favorite burger toppings? Do you like to keep it classic like the Jimmy Buffet song with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57, and French fried potatoes? Or are you more adventurous and like to mix things up? These Gluten Free Green Chile Chicken Smash Burgers will have you smashing the burger game.
Burgers should be a feast for all the senses. When you wrap you hands around that warm toasted bun and compress it to get the angle and width just right. And the way the light glistens off of the bead of juice hugging the meat. And the best part is that first bite with those same juices escaping and running down your hand.
Getting Sassy with Chiles
The star of this burger is in the name, green chiles. Depending on where you live you might have access to different types and forms of chiles so let's talk about what would work well, and also how to prepare them.
Hatch chiles are the first chiles most people think of when it comes to green chiles. However they have a very short season and can also be regional. If you see them in your store, buy them, roast them, and freeze them! If not, you can find canned and jarred Hatch chiles.
Readily available options include both poblanos and Anaheims. You can roast these either on the grill or if you have a gas stove directly on your burner. Just char them until the skin begins to blacken and then put them in a ziplock bag and allow them to steam until completely cooled. Once cooled use paper towels to brush off the skin and then slice and remove the seeds.
Canned green chiles also work in this recipe for Gluten Free Green Chile Chicken Smash Burgers. Just pick your favorite brand, drain, and top away to your chile pepper loving heart's content.
Smashing Your Way Through Gluten Free Green Chile Chicken Smash Burgers
Smash burgers are as fun as they are easy to make. You will want to use a griddle or large cast iron skillet for maximum crustification. You will also want it to be fully heated before adding your onions and meat.
Because we are using ground chicken in this recipe, be careful of not over mixing your meat. This holds true with any ground meat, but especially lean ground chicken.
There's no need to form perfect patties. Just loosely roll your meat mixture into balls. You're going to place thinly shaved onions down first, and then your meat.
When it comes to smashing, you can place a piece of wax paper over the ball before pressing down with either a burger press or your spatula. This will ensure that the meat doesn't stick. This is the fun part and helps give your those cravable crispy bites.
Have fun with your toppings! Yes these are called Gluten Free Green Chile Chicken Smash Burgers, but I love adding a fried egg on top. There's pure magic in that combination of molten golden yolk creating its own sauce and mixing with the green chiles.
If you love burgers make sure you check out my recipe for Gluten Free General Tso's Pork Burgers. Now let's get smashing!
Gluten Free Green Chile Chicken Smash Burgers
Equipment
- Skillet/griddle/large cast iron pan
Ingredients
Chicken Smash Burgers
- 1 lbs ground chicken
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- dash of ancho chile powder
Toppings
- green chile
- fried eggs
- Dairy Free provolone or white cheddar
- 1 onion, sliced thin (can sauté first)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the smash burgers to a bowl. Gently mix until just combined.
- Form mixture into 4 equal sized balls.
- Preheat skillet/cast iron skillet/griddle on medium heat.
- Add a little onion to the pan and then place a ball of meat on top. If using, place a square of wax paper on top and then press down with your spatula or burger press. Allow to cook 2-3 minutes before flipping.
- Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until browned and crusty.
- Top with Dairy Free cheese, green chiles, and fried egg. Enjoy!
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