Chicken and Chickpea Burgers

I know what you're thinking. A chicken and chickpea burger is a fake burger. And I would have to agree with you. HOWEVER, I am going to make an argument that it is still delicious in its own special way. And not even delicious in its own special way like "Wow, this burger gets a participation trophy just for existing." It gets a real trophy. A big one.

Chicken and Chickpea Burgers

Serves: 6

Active Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 6 brioche hamburger buns

Top With: Hellman's roasted garlic sauce, red onion, fresh spinach, tomato and feta cheese.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the ground chicken, chickpeas, red onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and parsley to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on chop until all ingredients are combined and the onion, garlic, tomatoes and parsley are chopped into small pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.

Note: If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the vegetables and herbs with a knife and use a potato masher to crush the chickpeas. Then combine all ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Add feta cheese to the bowl and combine into the chicken and chickpea mixture until evenly distributed throughout.

3. Form the chicken and chickpea mixture into patties and salt to taste.

4. Heat a skillet or a grill over medium heat. If using the skillet, add oil and allow this to heat. Next, add the burgers to the skillet or grill and cook through (about 5 minutes per side.)

5. If desired, toast the buns on the grill or skillet until golden. Top the burgers with Hellman's roasted garlic sauce, red onion, spinach, tomato and additional feta cheese (or whatever floats your boat) and serve!

California Pinot Noir

MY RECOMMENDATION:

Peaks & Tides Pinot Noir- Find it at Aldi

WHY IT WORKS:

• California pinot noir is the fruity little brother of French pinot noir. California is a warm growing region, which allows the grapes to ripen more fully prior to being made into wine. This makes the pinot noir coming out of California more full bodied and less acidic than wine from a cooler climate (such as France.)
• California pinot noir often times has a lot of fruit notes such as blackberries, plum, strawberries and cherries. Depending on how the wine is made, it also could have notes of vanilla, oak and baking spices. These notes will come from how the wine is produced. If it is fermented in oak, you will find these tasting notes, but if the wine is fermented in stainless steel casks, you will not.
• The body of a wine refers to the amount of weight or viscosity it has when you drink it.I love California pinot noir with the chicken chickpea burger because it has the right amount of body to pair with the burger without overpowering it.