I don’t know how you feel about hot and spicy foods, but I love them! In fact, I keep a selection of hot sauces in my pantry just in case I need to add some flavor to most anything. Not so much that I can’t taste the food it’s topping, but enough to add some zing is how I like it. That’s a big part of why I’m making this Cajun Chicken Burger. The other reason is I’m trying to make healthier food choices. I love a good, juicy, cheesy, hamburger, just not the fat and calories that go along with it. I’m hoping this recipe will be a tasty substitute to its less healthy cousin. Let’s find out!
If you are looking for a lean burger this BBQ season, then chicken burgers are the way to go! Don’t stick with a plain chicken burger when you can have this Cajun Chicken Burger.
The Ingredients
There aren’t a ton of ingredients in this recipe, and about half of them are spices I happened to have on hand. I had to shop for the free items, and I found most everything at my usual grocery store.
They didn’t have the little gem lettuce, but a quick google told me hearts of romaine were a good substitute. I’m betting a package of them was pricier than a single head of little gem lettuce, but I’ll use the extras. Most likely, they will go to my rabbit, Louie, but a caesar salad is also a possibility.
The bakery was also out of ciabatta rolls that day. I substituted some French hamburger rolls instead. They’re French bead in bun form, and they are a wonderful upgrade from plain old hamburger buns.
The Process
Before I began my prep work, I made sure to oil and preheat the grill. This recipe is very fast, so you’ll want to make sure your grill is ready to cook when you are.
Since this recipe is for four Cajun Chicken Burgers, I had to start the prep work by filleting the chicken breasts. It’s an easy cut that only takes a minute or two with a good sharp knife. It also saved me from having to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.
Tip: If you want to skip this step, you can buy chicken cutlets. They are thinner and more have a more even thickness. I suppose you could also buy four chicken breasts if you are cooking for big eaters ?.
Once the chicken was filleted, it was time to mix up the spices and season them. I did this in a medium-sized mixing bowl so I had room to flip the chicken breasts. This recipe made plenty of the spice mixture, and it thoroughly coated the chicken. I even had a little leftover that I had to toss.
Finishing Up
The total time listed for this recipe was 13 minutes, and I really tried to make it. Unfortunately, grilling by myself made it impossible, and my Cajun Chicken Burgers took 20 minutes. Still, not bad at all for a complete meal.
While I was grilling the chicken, I ran inside to grate the carrot and shred the cabbage. By the time that was done, it was time to flip the chicken. Then it was back inside to shred the lettuce and back outside to get the chicken.
I finished up making the slaw and slicing the hamburger buns when I got inside. Assembling the sandwiches was simple but messy (so was eating them, that slaw just falls right off!). I will warn you that there will be leftover slaw. I’m not a real coleslaw lover, so I’ll either leave it for my husband to snack on or use it to top some tacos.
