Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Caramelized Onions
serves 4

Notes: If you don’t have ground chicken, ground turkey makes a great substitute. Add a little garlic, salt, and pepper to the extra spinach for a nice side dish.

Ingredients

1/2 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 large yellow onions, sliced thinly
1 package ground chicken (most packages are 1 1/4 lbs.)
1 tsp. kosher salt + a pinch for the onions
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
cooking spray or additional olive oil
sliced cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare spinach according to package directions. Allow to cool and, using a tea towel, sieve, or just your hands, squeeze any excess water from half of the spinach and set aside.

2. In the meantime, in a large skillet on medium low heat, add the olive oil, sliced onions, and a healthy pinch of kosher salt. Cook the onions, stirring regularly, until brown and caramelized, about 35 minutes. Transfer 1/3 of the onions to a small bowl to cool.

3. In a mixing bowl, add the cooled spinach, cooled 1/3 of the onions, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and ground chicken. Work the mixture with your hands until everything is thoroughly distributed. Portion the mixture into fourths, and make into 3/4 inch thick patties.

4. Spray your skillet lightly with cooking spray, or add 1-2 tsp. of olive oil to prevent the burgers from sticking. On medium high heat, cook the burgers until cooked the entire way through, about 6 minutes per side. Top with the rest of the caramelized onions and add a slice of cheese (optional). Serve immediately.

Wendy’s-like Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
adapted from Recipezaar

Ingredients

6-8 cups vegetable oil (if deep frying)
1 1/2-2 cups vegetable oil (if pan frying)
1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
hamburger buns
mayonnaise
tomato
lettuce

Directions

1. If deep frying, in a deep fryer or cast iron pot, heat 6-8 cups of oil to 375 degrees. If pan frying, heat 1 1/2-2 cups oil (about 1/2 inch in the pan) in a large, heavy bottomed frying pan.

2. In a large bowl or pie pan, whisk together hot sauce, water, and egg.

3. In a shallow bowl or pie pan, combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and garlic powder.

4. Pound each chicken breast with a mallet/tenderizer until about 3/8 inch thick. The chicken may be much larger than the bun when it’s pounded thin. If so, you may want to cut the breast in half before breading to make the chicken fit better on the bun.

5. Coat each fillet in the flour, then in the hot sauce/water/egg mixture, then in the flour again. Repeat the dredge if you would like a thicker coating.

6. After all of the chicken is coated, deep fry for 8 to 12 minutes, or pan fry 4 to 6 minutes on each side. After frying, drain excess oil from the chicken by placing it on a cooling rack or on a plate covered with paper towels.

7. Grill the faces of the hamburger buns on a griddle or in a dry skillet (optional) and prepare sandwiches with chicken, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato.