The idea for these burgers started with an ad I kept hearing on Pandora. You know those campaigns where they play the same ad a billion times a day for weeks on end??? Well… anyways it was an ad for Wendy’s Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sandwiches, and I thought – ‘that sounds delicious, I should turn that into a burger recipe’! So here we are with my official burger of the summer! I just can’t get enough of these, and believe me I ate them 4 days in a row whilst recipe testing. As it turns out, if you’re on the go, you can crumble the burger patty into a portion of slaw, and it makes for a super healthy lunch that’s packed with flavor. It’s a little variation that we’ve already used on a short road trip. The slaw keeps pretty well for 3 days, so it’s perfect for packing along in a cooler.
This recipe is also part of a Summer BBQ roundup by a great group of bloggers:
So let’s get started with the BBQ fun: I like to make my slaws out of Napa cabbage in the summertime, (which is when we have it available) because it has a much softer texture than regular cabbage. It’s like a cross between cabbage and romaine, as well as having a milder flavor, and keeping well in the fridge for 3 days without getting super soggy. It’s also faster and much easier to finely shred than regular cabbage, so it’s my favorite all the way around from flavor to ease of preparation. Whenever I’m buying it at the Farmer’s Market, someone always asks me what on earth I do with it. I always tell them to use it just like regular cabbage, and to make some of this Banh Mi Slaw which is one of our all time favorites.
You can make the slaw and refrigerate it without the dressing for 1-2 days if you want a make ahead option. And as I mentioned before, it keeps really well for 3 days even after the dressing is mixed in, (it softens a little but it doesn’t get soggy).
Whenever you’re grilling turkey burgers, (or chicken burgers for that matter) it’s best to make sure your grill is super clean, and I like to lightly oil mine before placing the meat on it. Because the meat is so lean, it has a tendency to stick which really ruins the look of your burger. I forgot to oil my grill the first time I made these, and they stuck a little which gave them a ragged and shredded appearance – they were edible for sure, but that’s not what you want when you’re entertaining.
The star of the whole show is the Jalapeno Aioli which doubles as a slaw dressing, and topping for the burgers. I’m all about making things a little easier, and there can never be too much aioli! If you’re worried about this being spicy, don’t be because they’re just pleasantly warm, not tongue searingly hot by any means. However that being said, peppers really vary in their amount of spiciness so if you’re not very tolerant of spice, start with half the amount, and then taste to see if you want to add more. I hope you enjoyed today’s roundup of bbq recipes. Let me know if there’s any type of summer food you’d like to see a recipe for, and I’ll do my best to make it happen! 5 from 2 reviews
